Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

jabingb,

I'm in SoCal so if you can fab more than one adapter I'd be interested.

For what it's worth, I followed the link above and contacted the president of the CLA club. She steered me to Don Mace (someone else mentioned him, too). I emailed him but haven't received a reply yet.

Curt

By the way, conversion components recommended that I use the T50 transmission for the Elan, not the Supra which is a bigger and heavier transmission.

They also claimed to be able to furnish a close ratio gearset for the T50 instead of the wide sedan ratios that normally come with the transmission.

So how will you handle the relocation of the shifter??? Does he have a modification for that issue since it is located much further back. I would think it would need some relocation on the chassis. I had looked at that and gotten a drawing with the location but bailed with the idea of it being to far back.

Absolutely correct!

I never got an answer that I could believe.

It sort of looks like they have a "formula" that they use to make up a conversion kit. But as to whether a particular kit has been installed in a real car????

A previous post
http://www.lotuselan.net/forums/viewtop ... 4&start=74
addressed some of the issues in adapting an arbitrary gearbox to the Elan. I think that all existing conversion kits leave out something.

Hi Mark (aka memini55),

I have been doing a little homework on Isuzu transmissions. Your transmission is what is called a MUA 5-speed which was introduced in 1988 and was used behind their 4ZE1 cylinder 2.6 liter engine. There is another version called the MGA 5-speed which was introduced around 1981 and is the one Ray Edwards used. The MUA is a beefier version of the MGA and is somewhat larger around the middle. However, it's bell housing and overall length are suppose to be the same. Also, apparently many of the internal parts are interchangeable. One way to distinguish the two is the shifter mount. On the MGA the shifter mount slants at a downward angle where as the MUA the shifter mount is horizontal.

Can you post an accurate measurement of the horizontal distance from the bell housing face to the center of the shift lever at it's base -- it would be much appreciated. Also what is the length and width of the shifter base?

Thank you.

As I indicated in my previous post, Mark inspired me try to see what additional information I could find on the Internet since I was unaware the Amigo transmission was a suitable donor.

One of the discoveries was the Isuzu site http://www.myisuzuparts.com which is an online parts manual for Isuzu non-commercial vehicles since 1986. It is a very rich source if one is familiar with the Isuzu nomenclature and has a specific vehicle configuration in mind. But for the uninitiated one can get lost in the details.

Another find was Autozone, of all places, which has illustrations the Isuzu family of transmissions. Attached is a Microsoft .doc file with this info plus some comments added based on some other information I found on the Internet.

John
I had a look at my box and did a few measurements. You had asked the length of the shift triangle, 3 3/8" with the front two bolts being 1 3/8" appart and the rear bolt 2 1/2" back from either front bolt center.
My box is 29 1/4" long verse 32" on the Elan. Shift postion is 17 7/8" and 17 5/8" on the Elan box. Two things of note that are different with the Amigo box, first the clutch lever comes out on the left side( same as Elan) and the second my box does not have the mounting posistion under the shiter and only has the location at the rear end of the housing. Which would mean changing the rear housing or modifing the one I have as it would need that position to be able to make a mount attachment to the Elan chassis.
Mark

The attached MS Excel file is based upon information of from the Internet and a couple of Isuzu factory service manuals I picked up cheap on ebay.

Any corrections and/or additions are welcome.

If one is inclined to do an Isuzu 5-speed conversion, it would seem the best choice would be a 1988-1994 MSG transmission. It is suppose to be more reliable and durable than earlier MSG transmissions, and has more favorable gear ratios.

On a related matter, has anyone made contact with the Isuzu conversion wizards in Australia?

Also if anyone has any information or good contacts on swapping gear sets to improve the gear ratios, it would be much appreciated.

Hi John,

Great spreadsheet!

Enclosed is your spreadsheet with some additional data for T9 transmissions.

There are sources for the multiplicity of ratios available for the T5 gearbox. A thread on this forum is looking into the T5. If there are some more positive postings, all the transmission ratios for the T5 could be added.

David
1968 36/7988