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MG MGB GT V8 Factory Originals Technical - ngb-5 sps s10 transmission

Has anybody tried to fit a 5 speed from a chevy S-10. I had one donated and it seems close in size to an MGB unit. I have not compared the two yet.
Just a wild hare idea.
Sandy
Sandy Sanders

Hi Sandy, we post lost about these types of things over on the V6/V8 forums at the mgexperience...

But to answer your question-

Bad idea.Gear ratios in the S10 T5 are most likely a 3.76 or a 4.03 1st gear compared to your currect 3.31 1st.

Second, the MGB OD is a 0.82. The S10 T5 is either a 0.82, 0.76, 0.73 or 0.72. Frankly, you can put any one of those in an MGB and it will do good in my opinion on the flat and open plains but going back to that 1st gear? Your going to hate first.

Biggest reason NOT to use it? Shifter location!!! Terrible. Plan to remove your radio and have a shift mechanism that looks like its from an pickup where the shifter runs about a foot forward.

Now the S10 T5 and the Camaro T5 and the mustang T5 and lot of others share lots in common with various locations for shifters and gearing.

LOTS (Hundreds) of 215 V8 and 3.4L GM V6 MGB conversions have been done. I would guess 90% of them with the Camaro T5, especially the Camaro V8 T5 for gearing AND shifter location. There are a number of V6 and V8 conversions down in your neck of the woods. Have a ride in one- you may have a difficult time driving your car afterwards. :-)

Semi-die note: The MGB should not use the S10 T5 but other (odd) conversions may fit this well.

-BMC.
BMC Brian McCullough

Everything Brian just said about the Borg Warner T5 is true.

You can determine which gear ratios a specific T5 has from this chart:
http://www.britishv8.org/Articles/Borg-Warner-T5-ID-Tags.htm

But it should also be noted that later S10's didn't use the T5 transmission.

Instead, they used the New Venture 1500 or 3500 5-speed transmissions. These transmissions are also geared for trucks - not sportscars! - and they too have the shifter too far forward for comfortable shifting in an MGB application.

You can see photos of the New Venture NV3500 transmission (installed in an MGA!) here:
http://forum.britishv8.org/read.php?6,1076,2413

Curtis Jacobson

Thanks to all for the information. It is most enlightening.
Sandy
SANDY SANDERS

Curtis, I thought the later units were Getrag 'boxes. Maybe thats the same difference? Any idea?

Thank You,

-BMC.
BMC Brian McCullough

Brian wrote: "I thought the later units were Getrag 'boxes. Maybe that's the same difference? Any idea?"

Well, now you've got me curious.

I did a little reading last night, but couldn't find a real good timeline or a chart to match up transmissions to manufacturing sites.

The "NV" in the name of the transmission indicates it's a "New Venture" design. New Venture was a joint venture company that was formed in 1990 by GM and Chrysler. From what I read last night, the heavier duty big brother of the NV3500, called "NV4500", was a Muncie (GM) design and was made at the Muncie NY factory through its production life.

The NV3500's history is more cloudy. You can read some of it here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Venture_Gear_3500_transmission

Two observations:
(1) the name "Getrag" doesn't even appear on the page.
(2) the basic "form factor" of the NV3500 came down from a transmission called the "MG-290" (circa 1987). I read elsewhere that the "MG" in that model name designated that the design was a joint project of Getrag and Muncie.

However, when you leave Wikipedia and start surfing around other sites you find thousands of references to the "Getrag NV3500". It appears that Getrag may have built the transmissions under some sort of license or sourcing agreement, but I haven't found a specific explanation of when that started. Getrag has grown rapidly as other transmission suppliers have closed factories, and they now have manufacturing plants in Germany, U.S., China and India.

Getrag's own website doesn't mention the NV3500 at all. Wikipedia entries about the Getrag company don't mention the NV3500 transmission either, but they do mention a "290" model 5-speed, which was used by Jaguar and Holden.
Curtis Jacobson

This thread was discussed between 04/08/2009 and 31/08/2009

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