5 speed box crossmember.

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The Black Baron
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5 speed box crossmember.

Post by The Black Baron »

Hi all.

As part of our rebuild we are fitting a type-9 5 speed conversion. The conversion kit was supplied waaaaay back when by Owen Burton.

Reading through the 'instructions' this evening, it seems we need a new crossmember to mount the gearbox which should have been supplied, but Dad doesn't seem to think he ever saw a new crossmember first or last.

Does anybody know about this? I am currently looking at a picture of Charles Ware's conversion and am wondering if their crossmember would work. I should imagine it would as the boxes would all mount the same (?) but I stand to be corrected.

Any thoughts?

Also, removing the original crossmember requires removing the master cylinder to get to the bolts. Upon removing the two nuts that hold the cylinder, the bolts foul on the torsion bars and consequently won't come out. Any pearls of wisdom, or am I doomed to be dismantling the front suspension next week?

Cheers all,

David.
MrIan
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Re: 5 speed box crossmember.

Post by MrIan »

The torsion bar can be pulled out of the way enough to get the master cylinder bolts out. There is a thread on here somewhere with pictures showing how.
My old Boris has the same 5 speed box and I should think that other 5 speed crossmembers should fit as i'm sure most kits would use a similar bellhousing and aim to mount on the existing mounting points. I doubt anyone could be 100% sure though mind you. Might be better of asking the supplier for measurements and check them against your box when mounted in the car.
MrIan
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Re: 5 speed box crossmember.

Post by MrIan »

JLH do a weld on crossmember, (at least I think it's weld brackets on to chassis then bolt to them)
http://www.jlhmorrisminors.co.uk/store/ ... oductId=45
MrIan
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Re: 5 speed box crossmember.

Post by MrIan »

Found this one here from David Manners http://www.jagspares.co.uk/Morris/partd ... rtno=SIER6
philthehill
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Re: 5 speed box crossmember.

Post by philthehill »

Before buying a new cross member or spending time making a new one check where the gearbox mounting falls on the type 9 in relation to the original Morris 100 gearbox support cross member.
The reason I say that is because I have used the original Morris 1000 cross member which is lowered by 1/2" by inserting spacers between the cross member and the mounting points.
A cut down eye bolt bush (pt No: ACA5242) and a spring pad rubber (Pt No: ACA5138) fitted inside the Minor cross member does the job nicely.

The Black Baron
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Re: 5 speed box crossmember.

Post by The Black Baron »

Thanks for the advice guys.

I'll have a search for the torsion bar issue now.

I believe we have a cut-down prop to suit the original kit, so am I right in thinking that we'll have to rig the prop, box and engine to get the correct mounting point for the new crossmember? Sorry if this is a daft question, it's late and I've had a long day!
MrIan
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Re: 5 speed box crossmember.

Post by MrIan »

It'd certainly be the best option to set it up first, as philthehill says above he has used an original crossmember which from memory is modified slightly to take the central mount needed for the 5 speed Ford box. When you dry run the set up just take note of where the gearbox mount is in relation to the original captive nuts in the chassis rails for the crossmember. My set up has the box mount slightly behind the crossmember bolts yet it still uses the original mounting point.
When you set it up post up some pics so we can have a butchers !!!!!!!!! we all like pics :lol:
MrIan
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Re: 5 speed box crossmember.

Post by MrIan »

Oh and as philthehill mentioned in an earlier thread of mine you can reverse the engine mount towers to shift engine and box forward a bit if needed but watch out for front clearance with fan/rad. Mine are just round the normal way.
chrisryder
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Re: 5 speed box crossmember.

Post by chrisryder »

I originally had the 'dog leg' style crossmember, that uses the original captive nuts, but the leverage of having all the weight further back meant it was peeling the captive nuts out of the chassis legs.

Ended up changing to the JLH weld in crossmember (weld in brackets, removable crossmember) which is straight, not dog-legged, so all of the weight is applied in a sensible direction.

You'll do best to rig it all up with prop too, to get the prop as central as possible in the main body crossmember hole. As you have to drill the holes in the gearbox crossmember yourself.

I can't see why you need to removed the M/C to get the gearbox crossmember out? That's not a normal requirement!
MrIan
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Re: 5 speed box crossmember.

Post by MrIan »

I will have to remove my MC to remove my gearbox crossmember as the captive nuts have escaped n aint captive no more :lol:
I've also noticed the twisting action as you say with the box mount being behind the crossmember mounting.
ColinChandler
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Re: 5 speed box crossmember.

Post by ColinChandler »

Hi all,
I had the same problem as Chris with the sierra dog-leg cross member peeling itself out of the chassis legs. My remedy was to repair the area and reinforce it putting the captive nuts back in. Then I welded a piece of 1"x 1" angle iron across the back of the cross member which gave me space to put an extra captive nut in the chassis leg at each end of the angle. That made 6 fixing points altogether but more importantly they were either side of where the load was acting so there was no twisting action.
Cheers, Colin.
The Black Baron
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Re: 5 speed box crossmember.

Post by The Black Baron »

Managed to prise the torsion bar down and get the cylinder bolts out, thanks for the tips.

Had to remove master cylinder because, as experienced above, the bolts were not captive and were just turning under the cylinder. Also on both sides they were so tight up against the chassis leg that I couldn't get much purchase with a spanner and there was nowhere near enough room to get a socket on. Managed to get near side ones out, but on driver's side there had been a new patch welded in the leg and all the snot had run over the bolts, so had to cut the nuts off from below.

Still, crossmember is out and so is cylinder, which gave me a chance to clean up all the gunge in the chassis leg. Cylinder looks a bit tired, so will take that apart and clean up before refitting.

Given that the bolts are no longer captive, and the weight issues noted above, it seems the weld-in mounts and bracket would be a smarter option. Will put that to the boss for approval! May be a blessing in disguise that the new crossmember has gone AWOL!

As requested, I'll take some photos and post up as we progress.
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