RS Motorsport :: Classic Speed Restored

Hi all,

I have a 4 speed behind the pinto with a quaife gearset and I like to think I exercise a good bit of mechanical sympathy when I drive but from what I understand i'm still pushing the limits of the gearbox's strength as it stands (I have somewhere a bit over 200hp at the flywheel) Can anyone comment on the effectiveness of the alloy top covers quaife sell?

I understand the concept but would very much like to know if someone can share any objective experience with them? I'm really just trying to determine if the advantage of fitting one is actually quantifiable beyond the technical validity of the concept alone.

Cheers,
Llewellyn

How long have you been using the box and how many rev's are you using and are you doing any hard launches with it as there are a number of issues that can pop up and a top is not going to cure all

The box is fairly new but as I bought the car this way, other than the receipts passed onto me with the purchase and my impression of the previous owners driving manner I can't really draw any accurate discursions on the true condition. I have barely used it since I got it though (about to change).
I rev it to about 7500 and use slicks but try not to launch hard. I have the intention of doing some hillclimbs with it though so there will probably be some tyre warming action to come.
I guess I just ask because according to what Iv'e read i'm pushing the limit of the Quaiffe clubman gearset and I was about to order a few small bits from burtons and thought if it made a notable difference to the life of the box then it's a relatively cheap addition.
Other than the theory though (which is sound enough)I can't turn up any objective comment on their effectiveness in the real world though, I guess if someone could say it theoretically adds 10hp or so the the capacity of the box at high revs is what I was hoping to hear. Although I know enough to understand even that doesn't mean much in the real world. was hoping someone such as yourself Danny would be able to comment as i'm sure you've seen alot more than me when it comes to these boxes.

I'm going to sound like a bit of a prick here but I would be inclined to think the power figure is a little optimistic or the box hasn't done very much at all as usually the top is the firs thing you do with a 4 speed as they twist the housings and with the helical cut boxes being the worst as I myself destroyed a rocket box housing with only 180hp.
If you intend to do hillclimbs and it definetly does have 200 hp then you will need to keep an eye on it with even an alloy top on it and if you plan on running it in circuits for actual races you will have to keep a decent maintenance regime.
If you run it over 8000 rpm for periods it should fling the blocker bars out and "can" also have issues with the gears eating into the mainshaft from oil starvation and without a solid top they can bind up the selector shaft especially in 3rd gear
What capacity is the engine and where is peak power and do you plan to circuit race it

Mate, I don't take you as being a prick for saying such things. I appreciate you sharing your experience and advice so freely. As for the motor it is 2.34 litres, somewhere around 13:1 compression (i think) and has a decent cam. I have a dyno sheet showing 200hp at the wheels and peak power at 7500. The sheet was supplied by the previous owner who was a very genuine bloke. I know dyno sheets are just a ballpark at the best of times but i'm pretty inclined to assume it's a fair figure.

As for the box, the gears are straight cut as opposed to helical. Other than the odd hillclimb, The only circuit work i'll do at this stage are track days and supersprints, my main goal is to do a tarmac rally either late 2013 or the following year. Either way I'm far more interested in driving in a manner that ensures the car doesn't explode rather than stand on the podium.

As for the rest of your post, that's a good explanation and exactly what I was looking for. Sounds like it's a worthy addition.

Cheers,
Llewellyn

If you intend to do those sort of events with the box I would look at trading up to a 5speed as they don't have the tendendy to try and spread the housing as the load is more centred to the rear face of the housing and the sandwich plate. The T9's also have a better cluster bearing set up as well

Did you buy the car off Les Palmer?

Danny,
Yes it's Les's old car. Maybe a 5 speed will be in it's future at some stage but until this one explodes I can't justify the expense. I have already tamed it down a little from how he had it setup to run on a more readily available (and cheaper) fuel, but not by much. I'll just fit one of those tops and ensure I drive with some mechanical sympathy until that day comes.

Mk1_Oz,
the figure of 2.34 was a rounded figure, I can't remember the exact figure but it's somewhere in the 2.33's from memory, I remember trying to work it out just after I bought the car and reaching the conclusion I was just under by a bees dick. I'm not 100% sure though as I had some confusing info on bore and stroke that may only be truly determined by removing the head, which I'm not about to do at this stage without good reason. Either way, a tarmac rally is a long term goal and the car needs plenty of other things done to get to that point so i'm not thinking too hard about such things right now. And if worst comes to worst I have the older short block that came with the car so I can throw that in if need be.

Oh well I'm going to sound like a prick now. But if it's Les's old car it will survive on a 4 speed for now as I would personally get my own dyno figures as a base line as the genuine guy you bought it off was genuine enough that he entered the car as under 2lt (even though we all had a fair idea of it's real capacity and other Escort guys continue to do the same now). But he was still beaten by alot of others and with the figures that were claimed it shouldn't have and I don't know maybe it didn't handle as he used to run it with lots of front bar so I don't know know but I wouldn't be stressing about the box just yet. Just get out with the thing and start developing it to suit you

That's alright mate, still takes alot more than that to offend me. As far as how Les conducted himself and how genuine the bloke may be or not, I won't get into a conversation about that.
As far as the car goes, I have been in touch independantly with the company that built the motor so am fairly satisfied with the specs, capacity and what bits went into it. I'm also pretty satisfied it was presented to me pretty genuinely. Either way like I even suggested, any dyno sheet accurate or not must be taken with a grain of salt and if it does fall short of what was suggested then i'm still confident it has the potential in it, and quite frankly I don't care much about numbers at this point. Like you suggested, I'm more interested in getting out there, driving it and developing it.
Incidently it's come a fair way since I bought it in my opinion, and my ability not being a factor, I'm pretty certain it has a bit more to offer as a complete package than last time it raced.

Good points made mate. And Danny is right just use it until it breaks then upgrade it.

Dyno sheets mean nothing once you're at a race meeting!