T9 gearbox - clutch slave and gearlever

[seajayare]

Looking at the bits I got from Westfield with the T9 gearbox option I can't see a clutch slave cylinder or gear lever. Do the Sprite gearbox slave and lever fit? or; are there bits I need to get from a Ford or ;are there bits Westfield haven't supplied?

Cheers

Chris

[Westfield 129]

The Sprite clutch slave fits, and the gear lever/shifter assembly are "optional", unless your donor transmission had one to start with. A shift lever assembly should have been included with the transmission, but not with the T9 installation kit.

I used the SP Components short throw shifter (ordered with my SP Components "Long 1st" gearbox), which has a revised turret and shortens the shift travel by about half. The lever is available bent (to specs if necessary), or straight (which I recommend, unless you prefer it to be bent forward for those who want the knob a little farther forward). Don't shorten the lever until you are satisfied with the shift effort. You may not want to cut it as short as you might think. You can cut the standard shift lever, as the shift effort is somewhat less, but the throw is longer. The short throw shifter gives a nice, positive engagement. I am sure that any of the T9 suppliers has the short throw shifter in stock.

[bobwhittaker]

I fitted a Type 9 gearbox to my Eleven in March this year using the kit supplied by Westfield . My car is chassis 123 of the original 138 built and was originaly built with a midget gearbox . The conversion kit did not contain a slave cylinder / push rod / operating arm /gear lever and Iused the original cylinder/rod/arm and blagged a brand new " Quck Shift " lever off Westfield ( List was about £55.00 ). It was at the wrong angle in the car and even after cutting /shutting / welding the change was not good . I bought a secondhand standard one about 14 inches long off ebay for £10.00 including p.p cut that down so that the steel sleeve with the anti vibe rubber bush in it was the knob . overall height about 5 inches and there you go . Another item not in the kit was a 90 degree gearbox to fit to the main gearbox to take the speedo cable . No joy from Westfield who throughout said it wasn't needed , it's impossible without it ! ! !
Got one from Speedograph Richfield . cost about £130.00 , not pleased . The whole job was relatively straightforward , had to cut a cross tube out of the top of the tunnel the gear lever came up bang in the middle of it . I replaced the tunnel top with a piece of alloy plate secured with 5mm screws and Rivnuts into the tube , this has put more back than I took out,also had to make up two simple brackets for the gearbox mount to pick up the chassis plate . no welding was needed and it was all done by measurement with every thing going into place first time and staying there ,all this because my kit was not manufactured with the five option , I have probably done 3500 miles since
You definitely need Midget Slave cylinder/push rod / operating arm ,these are not Ford items .You also need the special clutch release bearing / clutch pressure plate / clutch friction plate . In my case I ordered a conversion kit complete , did you order the " option" to be able to fit the five speed gearbox and all the bits being of your supply .
i have described how things went on the forum previously , if you want send me a PM or 01200445209

[seajayare]

Cheers for the answers. I will go shopping for a gear lever on ebay.

I hope the chassis mods have been done already as it was ordered as a 5 speed and I think they mod the chassis but time will tell.

I am finding that the parts that Westfield supply vs the ones you supply yourself is part of e experience!! For example It seems odd that Westfield supply a horn (most donors must have one) but not a gear lever for the T9, a Steering wheel but no hub to fix it with. So I guess the 90deg speedo take off thingy is par for the course, although I have read somewhere that it is included I can't see it on the parts list I have.

[Westfield 129]

Installing the T9 into the late chassis is a simple bolt in, having to cut only the trans mount to fit within the chassis. There is a welded in trans mounting plate in the late chassis, and a secondary bolt-in mounting plate to handle the Ribcase or Datsun 5 speed.

You can get T9 short shifters in various bends, or straight (probably the best bet) from SP Components or BGH. I fit the slightly bent back version in my RHD car and there have been no complaints at all, even though I offered a different bend if necessary. No, the shifter is not included in the kit, but was included as an option with the transmission.

The right angle speedo drive came with my Westfield kits. So did the pressure plate and release bearing.

It can be a bit of an exercise to fit the T9 into the early chassis (Mine is 129). I installed a Datsun 5 speed as it fit easily.

[Westfield 129]

My Westfield kit included the horn, steering wheel hub (I ordered a quick release type), steering wheel (alloy/leather). The hub had to be TIG welded in place, and the wheel drilled on a mill to match the hub setup.

The speedo drive was included in the T9 kit, along with the drive shaft, arbor, clutch disc and release bearing. The clutch master cylinder and line was included, but the slave cylinder was Spridget, and cheaply available locally. I added a remote reservoir to the clutch, and the separate brake master cylinders.

Since I ordered the T9 from a specialist in the UK, I was able to specify the shifter. It is expected (by Westfield) that if you buy a gearbox, you get a shifter with it, and can cut, bend and thread the lever to match any configuration you wish. I made a threaded sleeve (threading onto the lever) that matched the Westfield alloy knob and precisely indexed it so that it would not come loose.

There were also a lot of parts that I didn't use, including the interior mirror, tail lights (I went with the flat style of the original Lotus 11) or accessory running lights. While there was a whole electrical system supplied with the car, I used only the wire, but none of the switches, nor did I use the fuse block. I wanted vintage switchgear, side lights and fresh instruments in the right configuration, so I didn't use the instrument panel as well. I did use the Wipac headlights with the parking lights hooked up. I replaced the turn signals with the small chrome sidelights mounted with the headlights, under the covers.

Sometimes, in order to get the car you want, you need to order the parts you want. When I started the RHD car, I already had the picture in my mind, and the parts ordered prior to the kit arriving.

I have a similar plan for my LHD car, but with a few small differences. Disc brakes all around, and the wheels may be a bolt on, full magnesium type of vintage design, but not "wobblies". I want to save weight. Rim width will be the available 5.5X15 and 6X15 to match the vintage Dunlops. I may also cut the instrument panel and angle it forward a bit... and move the hand brake beneath the instrument panel.

[seajayare]

Those nice peolple at Westfield sent me the missing gear lever but apparently the speedo 90 deg drive isn't supplied any more and isn't required. I haven't heard of anyone that has managed without one but I guess I will find out. cheers all