Gearbox
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3000M
Ford 4 Speed Gearbox as standard. Pretty strong reliable gearbox, cast iron casing & bellhousing. Layshaft wear evident after year of use but generally last well.
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A 5 Speed gearbox conversion is a favourite for the 3000M (Ford Sierra), as are overdrive options. The Reliant Scimitar GTE had an overdrive gearbox fitted & so many second hand boxes complete or for spares are still available. As the Ford Gearboxes generally had the same gear casing bolt pattern, adapting other (better) Ford gearboxes has been possible, including the Cosworth Gearbox. For the 5 speed mod you'll need to shorten the propshaft nose by a small amount. More details to follow on this.
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4 Speed fitted to Essex 3 Litre V6 in the M series & Taimar
Pictures to follow shortly.
The four speed Ford Capri gearbox is the most common one found on the 3 litre cars. It is a little long in the tooth as far as performance is concerned, but a straight cut gear kit is available to make it more suitable for the "tuned" Essex engine. Many people opt for a 5 speed 'box, but this requires a bellhousing adaptor, and some go as far as fitting a Cosworth type gearbox..... Not much goes wrong with the 4 speed gearbox, main problem areas that do exist are:
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Oil seal leaks inside the bellhousing, but more common is the seal leaking at the propshaft end.
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Jumping out of second gear on deceleration (can be worn synchro hub/ring, or loose gearbox mount)
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Rear (and only) gearbox mount can disintegrate due to oil leaks getting onto the rubber coupling.
It is a bit of a myth that gearboxes are a nightmare to work on - in fact as long as you're a methodical person and have a bit of patience, there is no reason why you can't strip & rebuild it yourself. Parts for this gearbox are becoming scarce now, but keep an eye out for the online parts pages appearing soon - I intend to eventually keep a stock of the usual items which are required to keep your cogs spinning, or perhaps even stock exchange gearboxes which may be a more useful option...
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2500M
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1600M
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Propshaft
3000M
TVR made the propshaft to allow the Ford Gearbox to mate with the Jaguar or Triumph Diff.
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Differential & Half Shafts
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Salisbury
The 4HU diff was fitted, with optional Limited Slip
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TR6