5 speed gearbox and LPG help please

[Anonymous]

hi everyone,
I bought an '84 xe panel van today for $200 because it has safe tyres, a 5 speed gearbox and and LPG setup. I have had a quick look under the car at the box and the only thing i could make out on the box through the grease was a 5 stamped in it about 2 inches high. It is cable clutch and reverse is to the left and up (while pushing down). The gearbox cross member also seems to have an adapter that connects to the box. Can anyone identify what type of gearbox it is from this for me? If not what do u need to know?

Another thing I am curious about is the gas setup. The five speed and gas means that this thing gets a lot better economy than my car (its rego'd and ive been driving it) but it seems fairly sad in the power department. If I were to get a voodoo stage 2 cam and 9.8 compression as they recomend how much power (crystal balls out please) could i expect? ive got efi extractors and an exhaust system currently.

http://www.gasresearch.com.au/productvoodootable.html

How much would you expect to pay to get the comp. raised, cam installed and all the other bits i need?

 

[xctasy]

You may find that the gearbox is, hopefully, one of the three common Toyota conversions. The Supra Turbo, the normal Supra, or just the earlier steel case Hilux/Cressida/Celica/Supra XX-style unit. But it may just be a nasty BW 5-speed 3.3 gearbox, which is junk, or a T5 from a later XF, which is excellent for close to stock sixes, but no good under huge power (220 hp plus).

Judging by the specs, I'd say your cam is perfect. Chevy Off Road and Marine makes a similar grind, and it really wakes up a 4.1 litre engine. So long as your gas carb is phased in correctly, you'll have no problems. Also, look around for some 3.23:1 diff gears and a four pinion centre from a pre EL Falcon. The manual gearbox will just love it.

With a 256 degree cam, mine does 16 second quarters and rates in at 130 kw (174 hp) at the flywheel or 130 rear wheel horsepower. It still runs the 47 mm internal diameter tail pipe, and just a set of tube headers and a good size 432 cfm Impco carb. And it's still got stock stall auto and weighes 1430 kg at the kerb (full tank, no people). Your ute will be about 1320 kg or less, and with the 5-speed, it will be much better than with a 3-speed auto. (Unless a ricer scares you into missing a gear change, or you get wheel spin).

Just remember, though, a stock EFI XF 4-spd with 2.77:1 gears does 16.4 second quarters with emissions gear (mine has no EGR) and they weighed in at 1480 kgs. An EFI Ute with a factory option 3.23:1 diff, and only 1330 kgs to haul, would be right on XE ESP 5.8 territory...16.1 second quarters.

So I'm picking 200 hp, and 15.2 second quarters, enough to set down any stock non turbo XR6 you care to name. You should relieve the carby intake on the manifold, and consider getting a non-progressive Holley #2300 throttle body at some stage. On a GasReserch carb, a big throttle body allows the gas to expand outwards, and the carb is very adjustable to take car of the progression from idle to power. A work of art, mate!

(I had the cylinder head done for 700 Kiwi ping, and the cam was already the 256 Heatseaker when I got it. (Had to find out why the car didn't idle as smoothly, after using a dial gage we found the lift and then the old owner piped up with the specs). But cam, timing gear, any valve spring/guide mods to stop springs binding at full lift, new lifters, good stock rocker sled fulcrums, could set you back 800 bucks after its been dyno tuned, and the mixtures set. But that cam would be a screamer in the light ute).

Get into it!

 

[Fingers]

From memory (and I suffer from CRAFT), the Falcon 5 speed box in 3.3 XE-XF Falcons had a 5 cast on the extension housing.
These gearboxes are about as strong as wet pasta.
There should be a tag at the rear of the housing with a number stamped in it (something like 83DA7005BA or similar) post this number and I can check for you.
If it is the other Falcon 5 speed it will be a T5 which should handle what you want to do.