Thanks for clarifying, Mike - in modern US vernacular it means you got your phone numbers mixed up and a truck just won't do for your situation.

Hence my confusion.

Thanks, Jim - with only me in Sadie, I almost always start off in 2nd, unless I happened to be stopped for a signal on a hill. I find 1st gear only takes me to about 10 MPH on flat ground, and starting off from a light and having to let off and shift again, usually means some Yukon-driving soccer mom is very nearly in my boot. Especially since I am determined to make my sychros last forever, so I am either double-de-clutching, or shifting very slowly - or both.

Those smooth cases can be pretty tough. My other 948 is a 59 saloon and I got it with around 37000 miles. I did most of my learning on this one. The engine was blowing out a smoke screen and was filled with STP, so the car wasn't exactly babied. I had another 948 ready to install and during one of the ins and outs of the power unit, I pull the box out the bottom and when I was offering it up again, I noticed it would get stuck in two gears when the box was on an incline. Continued with the reinstall and also forgot to put oil in it for a few hundred miles maybe. Then at about 47000 miles I did a full rebuild and the box received a new layshaft and bearings and the missing dedents were installed. It is an extremely quiet box but the snychros can be easily beaten and I've crashed first many times, but it is still very quiet. Some just have better DNA than others. I tend to use the third snychro to slow the innards when selecting first rather than second since it's not as worn. The worst problem is going from a modern manual to the Minor. You have to pay a lot more attention when shifting.

Did I pay a hefty price? In more ways then one! The 1100 gearbox won't fit in my Series II without a lot of work.

That's the verdict of my specialist Morris mechanic and his friend, and I trust them.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2018-04-01 02:38 AM by BenS.

the above link and article should be very useful for those seeking more knowledge on the BMC A series gearbox .. the statement about 'different ratios' effecting performance is guff though.( primarily determine by overall gearing by the diff ratio..4.8 on 803 cc cars.. 4.55 on 948 and LCVs.. and 4.2 on the 1098 introduced late '61 for the '62 model year .. they have same gear ratios with exception to those fitted to later sprites and midgets ( who's engine numbers have 'Da' after the 1098cc cars were introduced.. indicating 'close ratio gearset'..the mini cooper uses same gears ) which actually have much more useable ratios than the standard austin/morris box.. fortunately in my part of the world sprite/midgets far outnumber morris minors.. and 1275cc engines are far more common than 948 or 1098 engines..
One thing that a perspective buyer should always do with an 'unknown' gearbox of to remove off the side cover in order to inspect the gears BEFORE purchase. removal of the dished drain plug will also reveal and inform of condition regarding synchro cone wear ( if full of a bronzy/grey paste...which is decomposed synchro rings.. there is likely a weak 2nd or 3rd gear synchro hub) takes less than 1 minute with a battery powered impact wrench to remove the 7/16" head screws that hold cover in place ..or 2- 3 minutes with standard 7/16" socket and ratchet. you also need good torch( flashlight) to look into the area where the first gear resides at rear of inner casing ( its hard to see and partially shrouded by the selector ) and then turn the box by front or rear shaft and carefully look at each of the gear teeth as you turn the shaft.. a few minor chips on the very outside edge dousn't tend to cause major problems ..but if there is chipping accross more than 1/2 the width of any teeth , Ist gear will make and audible noise and possibly jump out of 1st gear to boot.. you can also be assured that if the 1st gear is damaged.. the laygear, with which it meshes, will also be comprimised, and the cost of a replacement laygear and first gear combined will exceed the cost of a decent used gearbox..

No Mike, I didn't. In future, I will be much more careful. This has been a very sharp and expensive learning curve, and on the way I have made mistakes (the type made by a learner) which I hope never to repeat!

Ben

The trouble with a learning experience is you get the experience before you get the learning.

50% gets you Valedictorian in the Chicago Public School system...