5-speed LSD Thing

[oasis]

Originally Posted by yetibone

I have an early 914/901 in my Superbeetle and it works fantastic. The ratios were already correct for the Type IV, and the only mods necessary were replacing the front housing, and shiftrod with 911/901 peices, and flipping the diff. Bug@5speed makes the front housings now, so you don't have to beat the bushes for a hard-to-find 911/901 piece. I thought that making those changes were much easier, and less expensive than changing gear ratios in a 911/901 to work best with a four cylinder engine.

Noted. Thanks!

Originally Posted by yetibone

You'll need to find a 914/901 gearbox with a 'tailshifter' configuration. They were used in the earlier 914 cars.

It was my understanding from investigating 914s that these were known for their vagueness and "slop," and that's why they were changed for the 1973 model year.

Originally Posted by yetibone

Using either 901 is cheaper than a Berg 5 speed ... The limited slip will be ungodly expensive any way you do it in a 901, unless you luck up, and find a gearbox that already has one that the race car guys haven't found yet.

So, no one makes a limited slip for a 901? I need to scrounge, beg, or steal? Does the LSD consideration make the Berg more plausible if I decide to be set in that frame of mind? (I am not a Berg fan but I will do what I have to do.)

[yetibone]

The sloppyness of a tailshifter has to do with the linkage between the shifter, and the transmission in a 914. The gearbox itself isn't a problem. I wouldn't say that mine shifts as tightly as a 915 in a Carrera, but it's a good shifting unit.

Quaiffe makes a LSD for a 901. There's a recent thread about it. http://www.germanlook.com/Forums/showthread.php?t=9429 $1600, or something like that.

[oasis]

I don't even remember what site where I thought I saw it (and a quick search here came up empty) but I thought a limited slip in one of Jake's trannies was a $1,500 extra. At least that is how I remembered it, and that was before I found the Type IV for my 1302 and went with one of his trannies with a super diff.

(Don't get me wrong. I'm not scoffing at $1,600 as chump change. I'm just rimmaging through my head what I might want to do, and this price is not totally unexpected.)

Again sticking with the 5-speed theme and an LSD, you would recommend a 901 from a 914 and a Quaiffe. Would you recommend a different transmission or a different linkage to get rid of the sloppiness? Is a short shifter another possible consideration? And would I be able to custom gear it to whatever the remaining parameters of the Thing would be?

(Please bear with me if some of this requires repeating answers. I also don't mind other approaches to consider.)

[yetibone]

For ease of installation, and being relatively inexpensive, a 901 is the best choice in my opinion. A 915 installed would require more modification to the car, and a Hewland transaxle would cost way to much for civilian use. The LSD in anything will add the price you've expected to any option, unless you just luck up on finding one in the 5 speed you choose. A berg 5 conversion will likely cost more than a LSD for any Porsche transaxle.

You won't be using any of an early 914's linkages, so the sloppiness associated with them will not be an issue. Most of the linkage parts you'll need for a conversion is from a Type I, with the exceptions of the coupler to connect the shift rod to the gearbox which is needed from a 911, and the shifter itself coming from a 914, or early 911 because of the wider gate for a three rail shift pattern.

I consider the shifting quality in mine to be on par with a stock Beetle. I haven't missed shifts, or had to row at the shifter to get into the next gear. It always feels positive, and easy to use. The shift pattern takes getting used to. I've never had a car with a dogleg shift pattern before.

Theres a technical article in this site, and some print articles from magazines floating around outlining the installation in a Beetle. Doing the same in a 181 shouldn't be much different.

[oasis]

Excellent. That sums things up very nicely for now. With that as a base, I can search a little more confidently if I get to an area I want to pursue.

I kind of like first gear in the dogleg position. My stream of consciousness led me to thinking about a real low first and using second through fifth as most would use first through fourth in a four-speed. (I kind of like it in 914s as well as I can see second through fifth being "driving gears" and first as a "get started" gear.)

Anyway, thanks for the valuable information. It's going into my folder.