Tech
Gallery
 |
Running out of revs on the motorway? |
|
Fuel economy needs improving? |
|
Existing gearbox past its best? |
|
Feel the need for speed? |
|
Four speeds not enough to impress your mates? |
Ready to fit
Whether your run a Marina, an Ital, or a Marina based kit car, this kit has been created by Marina & Marlin owners for you.
The unique feature of our design is that it allows you to take a Ford Type 9 V6 gearbox and with our adaptor, bolt it onto the back of your Marina bellhousing - without altering the Marina clutch mechanism!
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it a complete bolt on and drive-away kit?
No - we looked at providing a total solution and it turned out to be very expensive; this way you can put a package together to suit your own car and your own budget. You supply the gearbox, altered propshaft, gearbox mount and speedo cable - you might want to use all new or reconditioned parts, you might want to use a gearbox already laying in the back of your garage or in a car in your local scrap yard - your car - your budget - your choice.
How come you can use the Marina clutch?
The 1.8 & 1.7 Marina and Ford Type 9 gearboxes share two key common dimensions, a 25.4mm (1 inch ) diameter input shaft and 23 splines on the shaft for the clutch plate.
Why use the Ford Type 9 V6 and not the 4 cylinder gearbox?
The Marina bellhousing is unusually deep compared to many others, this meant that BL specified Marina gearboxes with long input shafts. The Marina input shaft is longer than the standard four cylinder Ford Sierra or Capri Type 9 input shaft, leaving no space for our adaptor plate. The adaptor plate places the splined section of the standard Ford gearbox too far away from the clutch plate, so the standard Ford 'box will not fit without modifying the Marina clutch cover and replacing the clutch plate, it was something we didn't want to have to include in a kit, as it would increase the cost. The Type 9 V6 input shaft is longer than the Marinas', which means we can position the splines in exactly the right place to match the Marina clutch, with the excess taken up by the adaptor plate (depending on your engine, you may need to trim the end of the input shaft slightly). What we wanted was a spec which minimized engineering and maximized 'bolt-ability' straight out of the box.
Update - the latest information that we have from a reputable gearbox company is that it is possible to retro fit a V6 input shaft into a "4 cylinder" short shaft gearbox; so for those of you with a short shaft 'box in the back of the garage, you could have this done as part of a rebuild. We recommend that you speak to your local gearbox company for more details.
Do I have to get any machining done?
Yes
|
The Ford input shaft sleeve needs turning down very slightly to fit the Marina clutch bearing support sleeve, unless you have a lathe it's something best left to a machine shop (see Tech Gallery). |
|
Cut down the Marina propshaft and change the front end to a Ford fitting to match the gearbox and have it re-balanced. |
|
The Marina bellhousing will need three existing holes opening out and a small area ground flat, you could do the bellhousing work yourself if you are handy with power tools and round files or you could pass it to an engineering shop (see Tech Gallery). |
Full instructions and pictures are included with the kit.
Do I have to cut the bodywork?
The Ford gearbox tail shaft is no wider than the Marina's, so it fits very well in the transmission tunnel. However, it is longer than the Marina's and as a consequence, the gear stick comes up about 4 inches closer to hand; this means that you will have to move the gear stick hole back a little in the transmission tunnel - closer to your driving position.
What Fords used the Type 9 V6 gearbox?
|
Sierra V6s (except very late ones which used the MT75 gearbox) |
|
Granada V6s (except late cars and all Scorpios which used the MT75 gearbox), also believed to be Ford Merkur in the US. |
|
Capri Mk3 V6s |
|
Some Transit 2.5 Diesels (this has a different first gear ratio and the wrong number of teeth on the speedo drive) |
Warning
- There are some V6 Ford Type 9 gearboxes with an extra plate bolted
on the front of the gearbox face to secure an internal layshaft, our
adaptor kit is not designed to accept this version. It’s
a ‘rare’ type and unsuitable as the cut out for the housing prevents
the use of the lower gearbox/bell fixing necessary for extra weight of
the box.
Which Marina engines can I use?
All 1.8 'B' series, 1.7 or 2.0 'O' series engines and all A series and A plus Marina/Ital engines.
Note: 1.8, 1.7 & 2.0 litre conversions require no changes to the Marina/Ital clutch mechanism. An 'A' series / A+ conversion will require the use of a 1.8/1.7 Marina clutch plate and some extra machining on the inside of the clutch release bearing carrier to fit the Sierra input shaft sleeve, or the use of a 1.8/1.7 clutch release bearing carrier.
What do I get in the adaptor kit?
The kit includes:
|
the BL to Ford adaptor |
|
all bolts & washers required |
|
special Ford to BL spigot bearing |
|
special Bellhousing to Adaptor gasket |
|
full instructions and measurements |
How do I mount the gearbox in the car?
Marina - the standard gearbox crossmember should be replaced with a lightly modified Sierra gearbox crossmember and rubber bush. All the modifications required are described in the instruction manual .
Kit Car - a modified Ford Escort Mk2 crossmember and bush has worked very well in a Marlin and may work equally well in other models.
I have some other questions - who do I ask?
Prototype on the bench
