Scimitar 5 Speed into a MK1 Tranny?

[MK1Chris]

Does this belong in here or in Technical Questions? Not sure but I'll pop it in here if that's OK mods?

I have heard that there was a 5 speed manual box fitted to some of the Reliant Scimitar 3 litres?

As the Scimitar used the Ford Essex V6, would this fit on the Essex V4 in my MK1 Transit... and would it be any good... and could I find one????

[Luke]

no this is the right place

scimiters did have the essex but are you sure they have a 5 speed box my mate had one and im pritty sure that was 4 speed

[MK1Chris]

No idea Luke. It was suggested by one of the classic Ford specialists featured in Classic Ford a few months ago.

Can't remember which company it was , but think it was somewhere in Gloucester ... the one who had all of his spares and stuff in loads of different wooden sheds. CF did a feature on him...

[Luke]

did they mean 4 speed + od or a 'proper' 5 speed its an interesting idea, worth looking into im only going on memory
the other thing i can think of is later scimiters use the cologne V6 engine and they had the 5 speed but i think it was a type 9

[MK1Chris]

So the cologne and the essex aren't interchangeable but if they are, will the type 9 be too weak for my heavy old camper? I know the type 9 is a popular mod for the Ford car guys, but... in a Transit???

Also, I suppose it'll mean lengthening the gear stick which will probably create about a 1ft throw between gears !

Questions, questions, questions

[Luke]

nope cologne and essex are very different

if you really want a 5 speed (not 4+od) personally i'd go for a MT75 and have an adapterplate made up - similar to the way the MT75 box is fitted on the transit pinto and colognes but the downside to this is it has never been done before (to my knowlidge) and would require some engineering work

but on the plus side im sure there are others who would share the production costs as an adapterplate would suit all the V4 & V6 essex engined vans

[transerbia]

thinking about the same problem, my gearbox is working, but not in really good condition. campers are too heavy for type 9, but mt75? some people gave me the advice to use the diesel gearbox from granada (german model) and change the bell for the v6. camper with 2,5 t is really a different problem, I am not shure we may use the mt75. borg-warner is rare, to open the old gearbox, how to be sure we can find parts?

[Luke]

what gearbox does the granada diesel use

[madmark]

no guys unless you have a big wallet overdrive 4 speed is the only way! besides there nothing wrong with a nice overdrive box! when you can get it in down hill with the wind behind you!

[transerbia]

there is no overdrive transits in Balkans, I think they a rare also in Germany and Austria, so for us 5 speed is the only way. Btw, I don't have an idea about what kind of gearbox is on granada diesel, I will go to the scrapyard with my camera, post photo of the gearbox.

[TonyBeaumont]

Just for the record I owned several Scimitars in the 70's and 80,s with both Essex and Cologne engines. So far as I can remember, apart fom the auto box the only option was a Transit gearbox casing with Reliants own internal ratios in conjunction with the same Laycock overdrive that Ford used.
I never saw or heard of a factory fitted 5-speed gearbox from Reliant although when they went bust a different model was made for a short time by Middlebridge which had the 2.9 v-6 engine an I think possibly a 5 speed box. Only a handful of these was produced and they must be really scarce now

[MK1Chris]

Thanks all.

Looks like I'll start searching for a good 4sp O/D box then !

[madmark]

chris if you are looking for a overdrive you will need the propshaft and crossmember that goes with it!

[baconsdozen]

There are two boxes on ebay at thr moment.You can modify the crossmember (if yours has one) some have the gearbox mount hanging down from the van floor.

[madmark]

oh yes kev forgot about that english mk1,s are hanging the german are crossmember!