V8 conversion trans options. Options

[messix]

when I built more than a few stroker Clevelands for Panteras I drove my fair share of them as well as my friend's and the shifting as stated by messix is all relative (BTW the Pantera was the whole reason I got into the idea of a V8 914 and I LOVE those cars).

The 930 is a standard Porsche setup for a Chevy V8 conversion and shifts as easily as the ZF box without all the hassle of making the ZF work, custom axles v. off the shelf Porsche stuff, etc.

The Saginaw boxes are not a great option IMO as they are the weaker trans of the Chebbies and would be work put in to making your own mount adapters and so forth for no good reason when stuff already exists to use a 930 (or 915 for that matter that is better strength-wise).

Do yourself a favor and don't try to reinvent the wheel on this stuff - the money wasted on making cheaper shit fit with custom parts v. off the shelf conversion pieces will become a break even in the end - and the proven stuff is a slam dunk so you get the lack of headaches for little no to extra charge in the long run. ZFs are a waste of time and no savings v. a much more easily installed 930 Porsche box, the Saginaw strikes me as a waste of time for sure, etc.

i would love to take credit but it was charliew that made that statement.

[messix]

i would think a 930 box is the way to go for all the reasons stated above. and i drove tony's v8 monster and it had a modified 901 [jeff hines knows some back story on that i think]. with the power of a very healthy 350 i don't think you would be getting on it really hard 'cause it just scary have 400+ hp in a 2,000lb car that will hook up and go. that is what tony's car did when i drove it with him sitting next to me and saying "i trust you, go ahead and get on it" top end of 4th gear at 7500rpm and the smell of clutch and freeway getting eaten up very quickly......
chit now i've got the urge to build a V8 car again...... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/slap.gif)

[wbergtho]

I never thought I'd try a 901 behind a 500+ HP V-8 so I had a 915 built with a flipped ring & pinion and a tall 5th gear. As soon as I installed Michelin Pilot Sport tires on my car 2nd gear blew clean off the shaft. It was a sinking feeling to hear the metal clang down inside the box and the resulting $2,000+ to get it fixed. I then sold it fresh to another V-8 guy who only had 400HP and told him it should be fine at that power level. 500hp is just too much for the 2nd gear in a 915 box according to Bobby Hart at CA Motorsports. He would know because all he does is build porsche transaxles for a living down in Lake Havasu, AZ. He tried to talk me into a G50/50 turbo trans with a billet sideshifter kit he developed for that trans (also sold through Patrick Motorsports)....but I don't have the 13-14K needed for such a box. The 930 box he built me has a flipped ring & pinion and a shortened bell housing. He freshened everything up and it wound up costing me about $6,500 just for the trans. Another $1000+ for a clutch and custom flywheel & ring gear. I have tried almost every disc known to man and I'm back running the stock disc due to its soft and buttery takeoff & good manners. Apparently KEP is making a disc that is very similar to the stock sachs disc and has a marcel and continuous material around it's circumfrence. It will hold about 10-15% more TQ than a stock disc. The 4 or 6 puck racing style discs clatter like a paint shaker and work like shit on the street. I'm now planning on a 100HP shot of nitrous so I will have to upgrade my pressure plate to a stage 2 (Kennedy). My box is cable shifted and if done properly, you will like the results better than a mechanical linkage. Just my 2 cents from a guy who has blown up a few thousand dollars worth of "stuff". Tim is right when he says a 930 box can handle 750HP and has great gearing for a healthy V-8. I found that my 1/4 mile times at the track are well over .5-.75 seconds faster because I'm not shifting like a monkey in a Mercury space capsule. You'll find the 4 speed to offer plenty of top end speed. If I can get my car to 7000RPM in 4th it will do 197MPH. However, I think drag will come into play sometime before that happens as the 914 Sheridan body work is rather wide and probably creates a bit of drag above 160 MPH. Anyway, it is my opinion that a 930 box is the best box for the money. If you have 14-16K laying around there are better choices.

Bill

[TC 914-8]

i would think a 930 box is the way to go for all the reasons stated above. and i drove tony's v8 monster and it had a modified 901 [jeff hines knows some back story on that i think]. with the power of a very healthy 350 i don't think you would be getting on it really hard 'cause it just scary have 400+ hp in a 2,000lb car that will hook up and go. that is what tony's car did when i drove it with him sitting next to me and saying "i trust you, go ahead and get on it" top end of 4th gear at 7500rpm and the smell of clutch and freeway getting eaten up very quickly......
chit now i've got the urge to build a V8 car again...... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/slap.gif)

After all that talk of G50, Saginaw, Corvair, ZF, and 930, Troy put my car to the test that night, I since beat on it at AX in Bremerton, A few months ago, she's still tighter than a cathloic school girl. I've learned to start off in 2nd more often than not and the 901 is solid. It's almost worth having a spare ( E-Bay $100-500) and have it ready when she blows. I would love a taller 5th gear for hwy crusing now 60 MPH is 3000 rpm. 930 Trans are hard to come by I've been looking, I would figure $4500.00 or so, For that kind o dough Troy can build his own V-8 car with a 901.
If you look up Factory Five and Optima, Kit cars they both have V-8 power and are designed aroung the G50, Sweet cars, Like someone said earlier, the Pantera started me on the mid engine Big HP. So for my thin wallet it had 914 written all over it. I first had a Capri V6 with a Paxton Blower, intercooled, 300 hp in a 914, +20 years ago. Now I have grown up, it' s gotta have a V-8.

Have fun, Smokem if you gotem

Tony

[wbergtho]

I would figure $4500.00 or so, For that kind o dough Troy can build his own V-8 car with a 901.

Figure more...A core 930 box is had for around $2000-3000K....and after you build it and flip it...it will be closer to 7K when you are done. There is no way out of this problem. It's like paying taxes and dying...no way around it.

Bill