So, over the last few months I have finally made a start to a project that's been sitting on the shed floor for years. Spurred on by the recent purchase of a 200amp AC/DC Inverter TIG. Loving melting metal together.

Anyhow, I started with what I think is a W58 gear box off a 21R engine (21R is stamped on the bell housing), measured, then measured again, then measured a different way and figured out I wanted a bell housing that was 151.1mm long to avoid a spigot spacer and limited spline engagement with the clutch plate. That ruled out any adapter plates as the auto bell housing and the 21R bell housing was too long for this. So I decided a cut and shut was the best way to proceed.

I had some 12mm plate, the 21R bell housing and a seemingly good condition A series box (standard 4 speed). So after more measuring, thinking, measuring etc. I figured I'd add 0.5mm machining allowance, take 59.6mm of the 21R bell housing (gearbox side of course), 12mm of plate, and 80mm of the A series bell housing. Each of the bell housing pieces were roughly hacked off and then taken to the Mill to get a nice parallel face cut at the desired height. (Turns out I needed to machine 1.6mm off and lost another 0.5mm somewhere (distortion is my guess), pretty sure I've got an A series spacer plate or 2 somewhere.)

To hold all of this in alignment I needed a nice solid mandrel. I found that I could get a 600mm 2 inch solid aluminium bar that with a small face cut would be a snug fit in standard big end bearings. I was aiming for 49.994mm but in reality we checked the fit with a main bearing in cap. That held it in the 5 main bearings, the other end we made a tight-ish sliding fit on the input nose of the gearbox since this locates off the main input bearing and is also a pretty snug fit. 34.9mm was the caliper measurement but we snuck up on it until the input nose (removed from the gearbox) was a nice snug sliding fit. (Don't forget the input shaft clearance hole!)

The other trick is the clutch which I haven't done yet and don't have in my note book. I've just got an SR20 pulsar pressure plate and a Hilux friction plate, there will be some flywheel machining and some thinking about throw out mechanisms, I'm think an Hydraulic throw out bearing at this stage.

More pictures to come, the child is awake....

Attach file:

---

  image1.jpg (164.61 KB)

Back into it Yeah - looking fwd to some pics
dp

More pictures.

I'll say that there was quite a bit more weld distortion than I expected, maybe I should have done shorter passes, maybe I shouldn't have done the great big fillets in the acute angle areas, instead patching some plate over the top and create a hollow section. You live and learn. It should still work.

Attach file:

---

  image2.jpg (176.03 KB)


  image3.jpg (95.97 KB)


  image4.jpg (129.99 KB)


  image5.jpg (196.91 KB)


  image6.jpg (135.27 KB)


  image7.jpg (106.93 KB)


  image8.jpg (175.59 KB)


  image9.jpg (88.33 KB)


  image10.jpg (168.76 KB)


  image11.jpg (165.11 KB)


  image12.jpg (153.61 KB)


  image13.jpg (186.00 KB)


  image14.jpg (177.76 KB)

.

Is that an alloy plated w58? they are usually cast steel
the W56,7 and w59 usually alloy as are the chinese versions
for hilux that are really cheap.

Great project and way lighter box than the 70 series Nissan
by about 10kg usually.

It does have an alloy plate. My vague memory is the guy I got it off thought it came out a corona. Depends what reference you believe, w58 is likely for an early 80s corona but I don't know for sure.

unless it was put on it for weight saving
the W58 always came with a cast iron plate
Likely a W55 which was common in 4cyl
coronas, celicas and some import 4cyls.

w58 fetches big dollars vs alloy WXX series
as they also have better gearing.

Either way even the alloy plate versions
are lovely to shift and handle good torque.

You could have a market for them if you casted
the housings, its an awesome box.

And here's a copy of the drawing for the mandrel. The material I used was a 2inch OD 24inch long Aluminium bar. 2 inch gave me a little bit to skim off to make sure it was straight.

Attach file:

---

  Mandrel.JPG (80.96 KB)

G'day,

There's been a little more progress on my projects over the year. Still more to do to get the gearbox in (machining the flywheel, sorting out clutch actuation, tail shaft, mounting the thing). But I have made some progress on the Manifold. After thinking for a long time I'd get flanges for injectors made I saw Ziggy's manifold build using a DCOE manifold and realised that was a better path. There's actually space around the pipes to get a TIG torch in and I picked up an unused second hand manifold for 100-200AUD (can't remember exactly now).

So I bought some mandrel bends, had some plates water cut and did some fabbing. I got some keyed plates made to fabricate the plenum which helped hold it in place before welding and used an ordinary wood router to put bells on the pipes in the plenum, cut the aluminium with ease.

Some happy snaps I took along the way.

Attach file:

---

  redline.jpg (147.34 KB)


  pipes.jpg (183.03 KB)


  pipes2.jpg (140.58 KB)


  pipes welded.jpg (198.58 KB)


  pipes welded2.jpg (138.10 KB)


  Manifold.jpg (140.64 KB)

I egged him to do it and glad to see you did it too.
Easier to suggest of course but either way looks really
gorgeous and saves heaps of fab work.
Should have heaps of low down torque with those runners!

W5x and this inlet manifold is definitely one of the
most unique builds on here.

Anything planned for the rear end?