As some of you are aware I have acquired a kit of parts, allegedly PB, which I am slowly building into a PB hillclimb car to replace the MGTD I ran on the hills this year (Mark Dolton is convinced that once I am running a PB up hills I will progress to flat tracks!, we shall see.)
Unfortunately it appears that the gearbox included is infact a PA box. Box no 1431/135. Not a PB 199 suffix box. This will mean that I have PA 1st and 2nd gear ratios and not the more useful PB ratios.
I understand that I can retrofit a PB 1st and 2nd cluster if I can get hold of one. Does anybody have such a cluster I can buy or any ideas as to where I might be able to acquire one.
There are other gears you'll need to change if you want to convert a PA box into a PB box Tim.
However I could certainly help you out with the PB 1/2 gear but only on the basis of an exchange for the bits I'm missing from my PA box - viz the 3/4 gear and the layshaft cluster.
If you could supply me with those then the 1/2 gear is yours.
Beware. There is very little interchangeability bewteen the internals of a PA and PB gearbox. Selectors and rods are different, input shafts are different, etc
Thanks for the responses. Live and learn!! There is me thinking that the factory would have just done some simple parts bin engineering in swapping ratios.
Andy, I only have the PA box and so no spare internals to swap, and anyway from reading the older posts I would still be searching for other parts.
I think it must have been the S&V kit that I was told about. Did this ever come to fruition and production me wonders. I will call them to find out if it did and if they have any left.
Or perchance there is somebody out there who has a set that they would be prepared to sell to enable me to get the car on track with the better ratios? (I can't believe that anybody who has a spare set would hold back because they might fear competition).
I have had a chat with Jamie at S&V and he says they have none left of the previous run. And whilst he advises that they have a waiting list for the kit as previously sold it is unlikely that a new production run will be available until well into next year.
As there seems to be no other source it looks as though the car will have to go together with PA ratios and then do an engine and 'box out job next winter to fit the S&V gears.