Improved gear linkage for MT75 5 speed gearbox

[Spyder fan]

One of the memorable aspects of driving a 4 speed Elan or +2 is how nice the gear change is, but on a long freeway/motorway trip you are always wishing it had another cog.


The Ford MT75 gearbox is an option for replacement and can take a fair amount of power & torque, but although the gear change is “acceptable” it is nowhere near as good as the original 4 speed. The standard linkage that comes with the gearbox is intended for a Sierra or Granada and needs replacement to get an acceptable position for the gear lever. The previously available items did the job, but the gate pattern could hardly be described as an H. To select 1st you have to pull the lever to the left and aim for 10:30, 2nd is around 07:00, it then gets a lot better with 3rd at 12:00 and 4th at 06:00, there’s no problem selecting 5th either.

Spyder have thankfully invested in a redesign of the linkage and the transformation it gives to the selection and gate pattern puts it on a par with the 4 speed in terms of satisfaction of use.

For those that already have an MT75 fitted it’s possible to swap the linkage in situ, there’s no need for removal.
Cost is £850 inc vat fitted or £690 if you fit yourself ( for £160 I would let Spyder do it).

For those of you considering a 5 speed conversion you will need a hydraulic clutch version of the MT75 and a new prop shaft. The boxes are becoming quite rare now, but good ones do come up. The overall cost of the conversion would be lower than using a Lotus 5 speed.

[gav]

I’d love to fit one of these but can’t justify the expenditure - especially as I have one of the earlier types which whilst not rifle like, does work fine

[Spyder fan]

I know what you mean Gavin, the old linkage works fine and £650 is a chunk of cash. I justified the cost in that I haven’t spent anything on my +2 other than service items for at least 10 years.

I now have to get it fitted to my S4, but that may be later this year as I have just shelled out nearly £2000 for a bespoke exhaust header and system (Duratec engine).