interesting. Would scoop it up right now if it was closer to $3k but almost $5k is enough to make me wait. I hate how expensive these gearboxes have gotten, would almost rather pony up for a sequential.

 

Jon/TRE told me to buy it! (but they wont ship directly to TRE).Then learned about PPG gearsets .. maybe I'll get those someday. I just decided to get an IX trans from B&M. F it, cataract can wait.

 

It's nice to keep up with stats ! keep it up

 

Yeah, its rough. Im going to need to source a back up soon and not looking forward to that cost.

 

I think I saw a sequential on FB. For $15k

 

Yea I saw it. Can get one for a good bit less than that through our distributors. The difference between selling my trans and shifter and not paying for a rebuild is only a few grand less than a sequential so leaning towards that route. Will make my mind up in another couple months, not in a rush.

 

How bad is the maintenance schedule on a sequential? I know the maintenance intervals are short, but I don't know how involved and expensive it is each time you have to work on it.

 

Not too bad from what I've seen. Sequential gearboxes are just like motorcycle transmissions, as long as you're deliberate with your shifts there isn't much stuff to wear out. Since the points of contact are fewer and much larger they don't wear down very fast. All of the info I've found surrounding maintenance basically says check it every season, every 2-3 seasons do seals and bearings and as long as no cracks are forming in the gears and the dogs aren't getting rounded (which happens from poor shifting) then there's no reason to change gears. And that's pretty much all the parts in the trans that would generally need replacement.

Quaife's site says they charge a bit under $600 (not sure if that's just labor) to overhaul their transaxle sequentials with new seals and bearings. So provided I don't drive like a brainless moron the maintenance on the box shouldn't be too expensive, I think. This is something I've been planning to ask guys I know who have sequentials when it comes closer time for me to pull the trigger.

Dog boxes are usually pretty rough on maintenance because the stock style gear selector mechanism isn't as friendly to face engaged gearsets as a barrel style selector is like there is in a sequential, and there's a much larger human variable to botch shifts with dog boxes.

 

Cool build

 

Well it's been over a year so I suppose I should start posting about this thing again. It's in our shop now and I'm starting to chip away at my to-do list. Lots of parts to scan and design but they're starting to come along now that we're settled into the new shop space.



New intake setup is nearing completion, just need to finish porting it. I wanted to get some experience with making AN hardline so I made some for the fuel pressure regulator and fuel pulse damper. Definitely took longer than I would've liked but I also probably should've done a better job at measuring lol. These lines are so short there isn't really much room for error and I had to bend everything by hand since the angles are so weird, took a few tries and I might redo the regulator line again but I don't think it's worth spending more time on it than I already have.

 

Don’t you love the radium stuff? Not having to find a place to mount the fpr is so nice.

 

Yea the direct mount stuff is very convenient. I also like their new regulator design, just have to turn the knob to adjust pressure, no more messing around with a jam nut and needing a gauge to set fuel pressure. The knob has a detent in it so each click is a pound of pressure. The 3AN coming off it pointing backwards will go to a pressure transducer mounted on the firewall so I'll be able to log fuel pressure and set safeties for it.

I wanted all of my pressure transducers to be mounted together in one spot and keep them off the engine where they'd be isolated better from vibrations so I redesigned the plate that bolts to the firewall that holds the resistors and relay for the fuel pump and injectors. Made it from aluminum to shave some weight and now it holds my transducer block (boost pressure, fuel pressure, oil pressure and coolant pressure) and the fuel pump resistor and relay.

 

Another small project out of the way, designed a new battery tray and trimmed another 9lbs going to an even smaller battery (actually it's a higher Ah lol). These smaller Antigravity batteries are about as expensive as a standard lead acid battery and my existing battery is well dead so figured now is the time to move to make the switch.

 

is there any benefit to upgrading the alternator (higher amp rating) when using smaller batteries?

 

Alternator capacity depends on the electronics of the vehicle, not so much the battery. The battery is really just for starting the vehicle and acting as a buffer for slight surges where the vehicle needs more amps than what the alternator puts out. For my car the only electronics in it that demand any decent amount of amperage are the single fuel pump, single slim radiator fan and headlights, so the factory 90amp alternator is plenty sufficient. If I had double fuel pumps, or a brushless unit, and an electric water pump, 14 speaker sound system, 2 radiator fans etc. I'd for sure be looking for a higher output alternator.