BritishV8 Forum

General Category => Healey Sports Cars => Topic started by: fsmith on February 12, 2011, 04:27:24 PM

Title: How to put a Borgwarner 5 speed tran in a 53 austin healey with chev 350 block
Post by: fsmith on February 12, 2011, 04:27:24 PM
.I have a 1953 Austin Healey with a 1970 chev sml block 350 ci and a three speed automatic tran. I bot a 5 speed manual tran to replace the automatic.
The the clutch arm bracket on the left side of the bell housing would block the gas pedal. I'm looking for a solution.  fsmith
Title: Re: How to put a Borgwarner 5 speed tran in a 53 austin healey with chev 350 block
Post by: HealeyRick on February 12, 2011, 06:21:41 PM
Take a look at BMC Autos hydraulic throw out bearing kit:  http://bmcautos.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=9
Title: Re: How to put a Borgwarner 5 speed tran in a 53 austin healey with chev 350 block
Post by: fsmith on February 15, 2011, 12:57:26 AM
I see 51 responses however I can't figure out how to get to them!
Title: Re: How to put a Borgwarner 5 speed tran in a 53 austin healey with chev 350 block
Post by: Moderator on February 16, 2011, 10:38:55 PM
I think you're confusing views with responses. The view counter only tells you how many people have pulled up this message thread and had a look. If they've had a look several times, that also drives up the count. You're seeing all the responses that have been entered by other message board members. (Your original post plus three responses equals four "posts".)

Why aren't there more responses? It's possible this question would get more conversation going if it were posted over in the "Drivetrain Issues" section of the message board, because it's not really a Healey-specific topic.

I think Rick's response was helpful. A hydraulic throw out bearing completely eliminates the throw-out fork, and makes an external clutch slave cylinder obsolete. I might elaborate that if you're not familiar with hydraulic throw out bearings you can find lots of comments about them and photos too by surfing this website, and the best way to start is probably by typing "HTOB" or "hydraulic throw out bearing" into the Google search box at the very top of the page. There are many makes and models... There are, however, other possible avenues to explore. For example, it might be possible to find a different bellhousing with the fork and slave clocked at a different angle. I don't recall exactly where I've seen it, but I know I've seen photos where people modified an existing bellhousing to change the position of the fork. On my MGB, the fork and slave cylinder wouldn't fit in the original (Buick) position, but I fixed that by cutting the fork short and relocating the slave cylinder further inboard.
Title: Re: How to put a Borgwarner 5 speed tran in a 53 austin healey with chev 350 block
Post by: jim on February 17, 2011, 08:42:38 PM
I use a Howe HTOB in my 59 sprite 3400 v6 with S10 5 speed it works out well
Picture378.jpg
Title: Re: How to put a Borgwarner 5 speed tran in a 53 austin healey with chev 350 block
Post by: J Man on March 07, 2011, 12:03:30 PM
i would be worried as to wether the trans will hold up behind a SBC
Title: Re: How to put a Borgwarner 5 speed tran in a 53 austin healey with chev 350 block
Post by: fredricj3 on April 16, 2011, 03:41:17 PM
i used an old style cheve bellhousing with attached mounts  ant cut a slot so the original 100 4 clutch would work.. its been working 50 years  fred