MG-Cars.info

Welcome to our Site for MG, Triumph and Austin-Healey Car Information.

Parts

MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG MG Y Type - 5 Speed conversion

I have hit a problem with the Hi Gear conversion in that the gear stick when 5th gear is selected, the gear knob is within half an inch of the steering wheel. Has anyone else encountered this problem or have I got it wrong.
Bryan

I was considering tis conversion but was put off by the cost - what do the suppliers of the conversion say as a few Ys have had this done now I think.
David Mullen

I am going to this conversion this winter. Picked up all the parts from Hi Gear in June. Not inexpensive but I have now rebuilt my gearbox twice and am back to the same problem of slipping out of gear. The cost of rebuilding the box is about the same and I have no warranty that it will be succesful. Last rebuild replaced many gears and from a cursory inspection it appears that many are excessivley worn after only about 10000 miles. Quality?

My car is LHD so don't anticipate the problem Bryan has. Peter at Hi Gear sent me instructions as to possible problems with the Y as opposed to the TD and how to solve them. Mine will I think be the 4th or 5th on a Y and the second with LHD. Terry
Terry O'Brien

Why is rebuilding the original box so expensive - it looks simple enough (excuse my ignorance but one thing I have never mastered is gearboxes)- is there a simpler less expensive solution to thisas no doubt one day my g/box is bound to go.?
David Mullen

Terry I think you will get the same problem in selecting reverse gear - that is if the stick is the same length. Using the MG knob and extending the column fully out, and perhaps altering the engine torque stay a little will help. I will have a word with Peter Gamble since I think the gear stick could do with being an inch or so shorter. I will stress that it is a very small problem, and that the instructions and fitting have been excellent. I have already converted my TF and found it most satisfactory. I appreciate that some will say that fitting a Ford gearbox is detracting from the originality, and I fully agree with that sentiment but to keep up with modern traffic without damaging the engine one needs that extra gear.
Bryan

David, one of the problems is the first and second gear rings are irreplacable. Apart from that a rebuild is perfectly possible at a good transmission shop.

Paul
Paul Barrow

I am also no expert on gearboxes. But from what I can determine from those who claim to know what my problem is that the gearbox case is in some way worn and out of alignment. In any event I apparently need a new cluster gear as well as first and third. The cost of these is about $ 1500 the cost of rebuilding the box about the same or more and I picked up the Hi Gear conversion for about $2800 ex VAT and brought it back with me as baggage for no cost.

The other problem is the quality of the gears. About a year or so ago a chap by the name of Mick Conde in I think PA had some TD/TF/Y cluster gears made and sold them off the T-ABC list. There were a couple of posts suggesting that he make more as the cluster gears available from the usual suppliers were of poor quality.That also might contribute to my problem as I bought the same gears about 10 years ago. Terry

Terry O'Brien

Bryan: I had forgoten that reverse gear was to the left and up. Let me know what Peter says re a solution; cerainly a shorter stick should be possible. My email address on here is outdated but all you have to do is change the 1 to an 8. Terry
Terry O'Brien

Terry. Peter Gamble is aware of the problem and needs some pictures and dimensions which I shall send to him.
Bryan

If it is of any help, I had a slightly similar problem when I fitted the 5 speed conversion (Ford Sierra gearbox) to my TD, in that I found the gearlever too far forward. I simply applied heat with an oxy-acetylene torch close to the base, and bent the gearlever backwards. The chrome is discoloured, but has not flaked off, and I had to slightly enlarge the hole in the plastic cover; however, the bend is obscured by the gaiter on the carpeting. I also used to think that the MG gearlever was too far forward, but didn't think of bending it, and probably would not have wanted to bend an MG item.
Roger Wilson

Thanks Roger, Peter Gamble has agreed to fix the problem, he did however raise the question of arms reach, but I think the standard gear leaver is as you say much further forward on the Y Type [I have some images of my YA installation if anyone is interested]. My suggestion is to reduce a straitened stick from twelve to ten and half inches.
I don't know what the difference is between the TD and TF, but except for the cover fouling the clutch pedal my installation went OK, my TF stick did come with an offset in it.
Bryan

This thread was discussed between 05/10/2007 and 11/10/2007

MG MG Y Type index

This thread is from the archives. Join the live MG MG Y Type BBS now