T9 5speed g/box in spyder chassis

[ragtop]

Hi I live in Worcestershire and have not long purchased a cabriolet plus 2 130/5 but the gearbox is not good,and I am thinking of a T9 replacement. A voigts T9 box has a concentric clutch and needs the 1980s spyder chassis modified,and has a high 1st gear, where as the kelvedon T9 has a normal clutch does not need any mods to the chassis and has a near normal 1st gear ratio.The above is what, I have been told. I have read the various postings on this site,but seems they were some years ago, so wondered if things are different now. So has, any one, had recent dealings with the above, and which box did they fit, why, and what were the problems,Its very difficult to make a decision,(and spend loads of money) when I dont really know which way to go,but I think it will be a steep learning curve,which ever way

[alan.barker]

What do you mean the present box is not.
Sorry but that's a bit vague.
You can get the Lotus 5 speed box rebuilt with some improvements.
Have a look at past posts on rebuilding Lotus 5 speed.
I think you can end up with a good original result.
Alan

[ragtop]

Alan sorry to be vague,the box has week syncro on 4th, 3rd is difficult to get and cannot get 5th.The box has been rebuilt twice before so seamingly is not a good box,only want to take the box out once,so would prefer a decent replacement

[HCA]

I have just bought a Voigt conversion! Why? Well two and a half grand basically! For this I get a ready to bolt in complete unit - all castings, pressure plate, clutch plate, centric slave, gear lever, rear yoke and even all the bolts. I can not get a quote to recon my 5 speed box, but estimates were higher than 2.5k…Parts are the problem.

Yes my first gear is, as you say, high. So what? It is for a touring car so first will only be used to get started. For another £250 I could have had a lower gear. Yes, I have to cut out two struts from the chassis and replace with a plate - 15 mins with a 100mm disc cutter and a bit of welding.

Have you spoken with Kelvedom? Might be worth asking exactly what you get, and importantly, when?

[greg40green]

At the risk of being lambasted .

Sadly there's a a common thread that potential buyers of the Voigts box are influenced by people who have no experience first hand of ownership , in this case , of a Voigts 5 speed , type 9 box.
I keep seeing documented, that the first gear is too high , the too low.
That the Voigts box won't fit in an Elan chassis , that it will only fit in a Spyder chassis.

The Type 9 box has been fitted, very successfully in Caterhams, Westfields, Ginetta's and a vast variety of Kit cars as well as Fast Fords .
The Type 9 box is an exceptionally good box , low or high fist gear, and is more than suitable for your Elan, it comes down to personal preference of a high or low first gear set up and your own abilities to fit one.

Heads up for Voigts as the only company who have produced in numbers , a working 5 speed box .
Theres been many false promises but no deliveries by others.

My advice is , if your planning on investing in a Voigts 5 speed box, or any other modification to your Elan , is ask someone who's done it and not talked to a friend of a friend who knows someone in the street who's thinking about doing it.

I have no affiliation with Voigts , but have owned 2 of their 5 speed boxes.

[mbell]

Alan sorry to be vague,the box has week syncro on 4th, 3rd is difficult to get and cannot get 5th.

I've currently got my 5 speed out and in pieces. 5th gear hangs out the rear so not that hard to address if shift mechanism is basically good. 4th gear syncho can also be replaced with only a partial strip, this is want I am doing currently* and at the point of starting to reassemble things.

3rd gear synchro if that the issue will require more serious strip down.

(I have no prior experience with gearboxes apart form holding a few parts while my brother assembled a mini gearbox.)

* Caused by issue with a previous rebuild before I got the car and missing a spacer out.

The box has been rebuilt twice before so seamingly is not a good box,only want to take the box out once,so would prefer a decent replacement

Who rebuilt it? Were they experienced with the Lotus 5 speed specifically? It is a bit of funny box I think and needs to be assembled by someone familiar with it or capable of reading the manual and taking there time to get it right. A lot of your issues could just be issues with the selection mechanism rather than major issue with the box.

[ragtop]

Gregg I quite agree which is why I have put this post on.It seems that HCA has done what I propose.Is it possible to modify the spyder chassis with the body on.I understand that a square diagonal cross member on the offside needs to be cut out and replaced with a plate ,does that plate have to be welded in,and what other mods are required

[HCA]

I have not ‘done’ it - I am about to do it. Just to be clear..!

Lots of people here have installed the conversion which is well documented as you will see by a quick search.

You will not convert the chassis with it still in the body - bar cutting away the LH tunnel wall anyway…

[Foxie]

Gregg I quite agree which is why I have put this post on.It seems that HCA has done what I propose.Is it possible to modify the spyder chassis with the body on.I understand that a square diagonal cross member on the offside needs to be cut out and replaced with a plate ,does that plate have to be welded in,and what other mods are required

I fitted a Voigts T9 5 -speed in to a Mark I Spyder chassis in 2003. I had to to a few grind-offs to the GB casing and chassis. It was the first Voigts in a Spyder +2 chassis. I have posted pics here a few times a while back. I supplied Alan Voigts with details of my mods, and I understand that he and Spyder later incorporated them

Alan Voigts modified my GB a few years back to move the reverse detent from the top of the main box cover to the left side of the tailbox. (It interfered with fitting the engine/Gb as a unit ) I had to do a body lift to remove one diagonal, and weld in a flanged plate, which Spyder made up for me.

You will not be able to do this with the body on, and welding is the only way to do it.

The later type Spyder chassis had a similar plate, to accomodate the T75 gearbox. Check which chassis you have.

And swop out the high 1st gear !

The Voigts gearbox has been over the Alps many times, and been raced and hillclimbed. I never had a single problem with it.

[mbell]

Are you sure its a gearbox issue? Could it be a dragging clutch or something?

3rd, 4th and 5th all have smaller baulk ring than 1st and 2nd, so might have more trouble overcoming a dragging clutch.