View single post by Tony Hollart
 Posted: 10-14-2005 08:23 am
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Tony Hollart

 

Joined: 03-21-2005
Location: Waitomo Caves, Otorohanga, New Zealand
Posts: 40
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 Lawrence, if you have got an overdrive gearbox this is a good thing rather than a bad. If the drive shaft fits ok and connects to the diff, then you dont have a problem. The overdrive box has been retrofitted from cars like the Rapier in the photo to the Jensen. Its a good move as typically they reduce the revs in 3rd and 4th by somthing like 25%. The only reason overdrive gearbox has gone out of favour is because of the availability of 5 speed boxes. As far as I know and I am sure I will be corrected if wrong is that the Jensen 4 speed box is 1:1 ratio in top and so is the Getrag 5 speed box BUT, the Jensen with the five speed box were fitted with a slightly taller diff ratio ie 3.45 for the 5 speed and 3.727 for the 4 speed. The overdrive box in MG B's and such like make them much more comfortable cruisers on the open road.

As for using two cars to make one, this is a fact of life that the bad cars get used for parts. The cars were very much put together to minimise assembly costs as they use many big flat sections with herring bone pattern to provide rigidity and stop drumming of panels. Then there must have been quite big money tied up in the tooling to press the bonnet and front wings becuase of their size.

I purchased my car three years ago and it was in a poor state, but with attention to replacing panels and rust removal and rust prevention it is coming together as a smart car that I am looking forward to driving in. All the best with your project.