The firm still had some concrete blocks with iron bolts in them, to hold the engines when they were being tested. To answer the original question, I think they first made car engines. I always had to call at the Post Office to get mine changed. In those days we still had the old white fivers which most shops wouldn’t accept. On a good week piece-work I could earn a fiver. Spanners were necessary items to turret lathe operators and I rrecall the firm insisted on my buying my set from the company’s store. We had a fire there, which all but destroyed the garage equipment bay, and I recall working all weekend to get it ready for production on the Monday morning. If I can keep both my original transmission and original differential, this is the way I would choose to go.I was a turret lathe operator at Laycocks during he second world war when they still made garage equipment and a host of other bits and bobs. I don't know if the fact that my car is a floor shift has anything to do.
#Laycock overdrive pics how to#
I would also need to cut short the driveshaft for this, make the unit be fixed to the rear shaft of the transmission and have no idea of how to install the control of the overdrive in the inside of my car. At first sight it seems to be less demanding in terms of adaptations. I need to know how much of an alternative using the LN Overdrive would be and if it can be used in my transmission. Also, we know that the Spirit already has a very short drvieshaft, I don't know if making it even shorted would affect anything or if there is some kind of limit into shortening it. But, this would require several adaptations such as pushing back the transmission crossmember, shortening out the driveshaft and then rebalancing it, cutting-off a new shifter lever hollow on the transmission tunnel due to different position of it (and no Hurst linkage here).Īll this seems to be also relatively expensive to achieve aside from the whole ordeal of adapting it. I considered swapping the 176-F transmission in favor a Jeep unit used behind the 4.0 engine (models: T5, AX-5 or AX-15). I thought about swapping the original 3.31:1 rear gear ratio in favor of a 3.07:1 used in other VAM cars, but I would lose towing capacity and standstill acceleration. I am really looking forward to both better highway fuel economy and higher speed with my car.
#Laycock overdrive pics manual#
I know it was used in the 150-T model three-speed manual in the US. The legal speed limit in Mexico for straight highways is 100-110 kilometers and hour (62.5 and 68 miles per hour).Ĭan a Laycock de Normanville OverDrive unit be adapted/used in the 176-F transmission? Going uphill the speed drops to 80 kilometers an hour and going downhill it rises up to 100 kilometers an hour. However, the problem I have is that at this point the speed I obtain is 90 kilometers an hour (56 miles por hour) in straight ground. Also, if I can make it to my destination in less time that would be great. This is done with the point of keeping the highest efficiency in my engine, keeping stable not just the temperature but also the fuel consumption. In highway driving, I try to keep my vacuumeter between 10 and 15 and my tachometer at 2000-2200 RPMs. It is coupled to a TREMEC 176-F four-speed manual transmission with Hurst linkage and a Spicer axle with 3.31:1 rear gear ratio. I have a 1981 VAM Rally GT (Spirit GT) with a 282 cubic inches inline six cylinder. How effective/reliable it is in terms of fue economy or even performance applications? It was used only with column-mounted three speed manual transmissions. Does anyone have any knowledge and/or experiencie with this accessory? I know it was avialable as optional equipment in 1975-1976 Hornets, Gremlins and Pacers as a fuel economy measure.