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toploader?


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#1 _oikurtman_

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Posted 08 April 2007 - 02:34 PM

ONE day i will get my 308 rebuilt, how far I go with it I don't know, but I do know I won't be putting my aussie 4 behind it. :<_<:

I'm thinking either toploader or supra, so I guess I need to look at the pros and cons of each.

Obviously the supra has the extra gear, but how do they line up in terms of strength, difficulty to fit, price, reliability etc.

The way I see it is that toploaders can handle worked 351's, but everyone raves about supra boxes so I'm open ears for any comments.

Cheers.

#2 _LH SL/R 5000_

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Posted 08 April 2007 - 03:50 PM

I'm going for the Turbo Supra (R154) box, simply for the 5th gear and they are alot cheaper than the Tremec I want. Supra's have been running more than 600Hp with these boxes.

#3 _oikurtman_

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Posted 11 April 2007 - 04:00 PM

How do you know a v8 top loader when you find one, is there a difference between the 6 and 8cyl boxes?

Do they fit in the tunnel without mods?

Cheers.

#4 _v8slrtorana_

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Posted 11 April 2007 - 06:04 PM

For the toploader you will need to get the grinder out to make room for the shifter.

#5 _oikurtman_

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Posted 11 April 2007 - 07:59 PM

How much grinding? Where abouts?

I thought you could get dog-leg shifters to suit? :cry:

Edited by oikurtman, 11 April 2007 - 08:00 PM.


#6 _sshatch355_

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Posted 11 April 2007 - 08:11 PM

theres some neat sequential shifters for toploaders etc made by renagate.

there site is www.renagate.com

#7 _v8slrtorana_

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Posted 11 April 2007 - 08:26 PM

How much grinding? Where abouts? 

I thought you could get dog-leg shifters to suit? :cry:

Ill get a photo 2morrow for you of the mess my mate made trying to fit a hurst v gate shifter.
Even with the std H pattern shifter, he had to open the std torana shifter hole at the back.
He is a moroon, and didnt he cop it :gun:
I day later the 308 blew up, so 350 and turbo 400 went in. :rolleyes:

#8 _oikurtman_

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Posted 11 April 2007 - 08:30 PM

hm... yeah picture would be good v8.

has anyone else had that problem fitting a toploader?

#9 _grounded_

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Posted 12 April 2007 - 04:57 PM

I got a toploader and hurst shifter off my brother when he went 6 speed. His LX had the shifter hole enlarged back about an inch which cut into the support that's welded over the tunnel hump inside the car between the seats. It all looked a bit dodgy and probably weakened the floor pan. The bracket that the shifter bolts to, which in turn bolts to the gearbox rear housing has two sets of holes so I decided to fit it up using the rear most ones. This moved the shifter forward about two inches. Problem then is that the bracket doesn't bolt up square because it fouls on the gearbox housing where it flares out, so all I did was cut an inch off the front of bracket that the shifter bolts to. The threads on my shifter linkages were long enough so that I could screw them back two inches to line up with the new shifter location. Might be an idea to check this before cutting anything.

Without a picture that's probably as clear as mud, but if you bolt the shifter to the box, and there are six holes in the shifter to box bracket, you'll see what I mean.

#10 bryanw

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Posted 12 April 2007 - 10:37 PM

stupid question, but I gather it is for a lh/x ect.

next question is can it be made to fit a lc/j.
looked at an lc a while ago, the motor/box was on an angle so the shifter didn't go through the hand brake, but came out beside it, and crossmember was about 50mm off the ground. to help clearance one would think?
no way it was going on a trailor!

if it was possible to make it fit properly, might go see if it is still there!

stupid question number XX, whats a s/h toploader-holden bell housing worth.
and a top loader?
are GT toploaders any different?

#11 _oikurtman_

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Posted 15 April 2007 - 05:42 PM

c'mon guys some of you MUST be running toploaders in your rigs...

#12 _rorym_

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Posted 15 April 2007 - 06:22 PM

OK..I will be..as will NOS..USEDTOHAVEONE has one in his LX hatch with a monster motor behind it. Some say they are slow shifting..it depends how you drive..I dont slam the gears in..people need to remember Brock double shuffled every shift..that..you cannot do fast..slow,precise is better. They handle the power no worries..Know nothing of the supra pox..heard lots..not my bag..I need 4 speeds. It is the mumble. Proven performer. Read the last AMC mag..its all there..
Costs?..S/H bell housing..$150-300
Toploader $500 to $1000
Differences? some GT Falcons had close ratios ..e.g. GTHO Phase 11
R

#13 _dave720gtr_

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Posted 15 April 2007 - 06:58 PM

What he said^ if your happy with just for gears then for the money toploader are the go use a good shifter and when you rebuild it arsk them to remove every second sincro ring tooth! this helps them shift farster with out crunching!!!

i have only seen one brake in a hi hp xwgt with brass button clutch
on the drag strip sticky as it snaped the input shalf off on second gear change!

#14 _oikurtman_

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Posted 15 April 2007 - 07:22 PM

Thanks for the comments fellas.

Has anyone fitted a toploader WITHOUT having to cut or modify the floor pan?

If you did, how much modyfing was it?

^Any chance of a picture grounded?

Is there any difference between the 6 and 8cyl toploaders?

Cheers.

#15 _oikurtman_

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Posted 15 April 2007 - 08:19 PM

What about the Muncie and Saginaw boxes?

(I know absolutley jack sh%t about them)

Cheers.

#16 _dave720gtr_

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Posted 15 April 2007 - 08:45 PM

the chev ^ boxers have the shifter mounted off to the left lots of cutting

#17 _oikurtman_

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Posted 15 April 2007 - 08:47 PM

aren't the toploaders like that too? :huh:

#18 _JNR_ATE_

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Posted 15 April 2007 - 08:55 PM

ask ultra blue if he took pics of the LX he had fitted with a top loader and hydraulic clutch setup, yes it was modified in the tunnel, he was stripping at the time and may have taken pics.

Cheers
JNR_ATE

#19 _dave720gtr_

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Posted 15 April 2007 - 08:55 PM

yes but the shifter is mounted senter

#20 _oikurtman_

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Posted 18 April 2007 - 08:36 PM

well has anyone got any other suggestions for a box that can handle a beating, requires little mods and is (relatively) cheap?

#21 _ChevLX_77_

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Posted 18 April 2007 - 11:07 PM

Mate ive got a saginaw and hydrulic set up in my SLR. The sags are really tuff box. They will handle a 308. they do however need a little grinding for the shifter.

#22 _oikurtman_

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Posted 19 April 2007 - 08:57 AM

how much is a little?

anyone know roughly how many ponies a saginaw can safely handle?

Cheers.

#23 _v8slrtorana_

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Posted 21 April 2007 - 10:43 PM

ok the butcher is back, i finally got a lend of my camera to take some shots of madmax. Now, it aint my car, so dont rev me :-)
This is the mess made by tring to fit a Hurst V gate shifter. Originally he did have a stock toploader shifter, but the hole required inlargement also.
These are the best pics i got, wish i took photos before the hole was covered up. But atleast you get a idea, maybe :<_<:
Madmax1
madmax
Im really sure the plate over lap is only 5mm, so thats a big hole :gun:

#24 _AquaSLR5000_

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Posted 22 April 2007 - 12:26 AM

I bought a UC hatch back of ebay awhile ago, it had a 253 and toplader fitted to it. The toploader has a standard ford shifter and it was in the car with out any mods to the tunnel in any way, shape or form. As far as I know it is a v8 box.
Saginaws will fit in the tunnel no worries, with only making the shifter hole bigger on one side (for a Hirst type shifter)
Muncies will fit only after a major reconstruction of the tunnel on the passenger side. similar to that of fitting the super T10's. Muncies are way better than Saginaws and both are hard to get parts for these days.
Go the Toploader!!!!!!!If you fit a hirst type shifter you will need to modify the shifter hole.

When doing tunnel mods, take your time and only do bit by bit small mods (bigger holes). It is a pain in the rear putting in and taking out gearboxes and shifters, but it is better to do it slow and painful, than just making a big hole and then patching it.

Get the gear box in and then fit the shifter!!

#25 _oikurtman_

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Posted 22 April 2007 - 09:16 AM

Cheers guys. Good info and pics there :spoton:

If you had a UC running a toploader with no tunnel mods, then I guess the question is, are LH/LX tunnels the same?




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