Austarion

OK I have started this thread to find out what exactly is involved in doing this conversion with a VR4 block. So far I have this info:

- W58 Supra Gearbox.
- Use std vr4 flywheel and pressure plate.
- different clutch and spiggot bearing.
- dellow bellhousing

If anyone has any more specific information it would help. Even if someone knows pricing for some parts.

And of course if anyone knows if there is anything forgotten. Also if you do this conversion, do you still have to move the block forward slightly so the CAS doesn't hit the firewall? Thanks

make sure you can still get the bellhousing B4 you buy g/box

of course, I have already emailed them :D

You will also need -

Fabricate different mounting brackets for rear of gearbox to chassis
adjustable length slave cylinder rod
You may need to shorten the tailshaft (measure first)
different speedo drive

who is making your bellhousing??dellow?
i thought they only did one for the wideblock engine?
interested in pricing and avalibility of them

im keen to get a solid list too as it is on my wish list as my gearbox shifts like a dog

theres always billhinchers bellhousings off projectzerog

which is the one i was looking at getting sometime down the track however the current exchange rate + shipping make it not such a good deal at the moment

well i will most likely be doing this in the very near future, so if no one can help, I will do up what Anthony did with the suspension listing what you need.

Oh and from what I have been told, Dellow goes to Narrow block.

youll need:

-dellow bellhousing
-supra box
-clutch fork
-toyota clutch
-spigot bearing
-thrust bearing
-crossmember bracket
-tailshaft yoke swapped
-speedo drive

to do this properly you will be looking at $1500 or so

S0LJAH wrote:who is making your bellhousing??dellow?
i thought they only did one for the wideblock engine?
interested in pricing and avalibility of them

im keen to get a solid list too as it is on my wish list as my gearbox shifts like a dog

theres always billhinchers bellhousings off projectzerog

which is the one i was looking at getting sometime down the track however the current exchange rate + shipping make it not such a good deal at the moment

dellow do both wide and narrow you just have to tell them what you want.

the bellhousing is around $430

bills ones from the US are much better finish but then you have to wait for him to make them and mail them here etc.. and the dollar sucks right now.

I think Ron ex Coltspeed do one as well. Not sure on pricing, but quality is probably better than dellow.

For tailshaft go to Gibbs truck parts in Labrador. Ask for a Hardy Spicer aftermarket gearbox yoke to suit the supra gearbox and they will modify your tailshaft to the correct length and weld the toyo uni on front.

Why do you want to run the VR4 block?

MrBishi wrote:I think Ron ex Coltspeed do one as well. Not sure on pricing, but quality is probably better than dellow.

For tailshaft go to Gibbs truck parts in Labrador. Ask for a Hardy Spicer aftermarket gearbox yoke to suit the supra gearbox and they will modify your tailshaft to the correct length and weld the toyo uni on front.

Why do you want to run the VR4 block?

Ron has been mates with the owner of dellow for ever so he gets his bellhousings from dellow!

Yep, there's nothing that Ron doesn't know about these things - he's an awesome source of information.

As already stated, he uses Dellow bellhousings.

I did this conversion about 12 months ago and have been very happy with it.

I needed a new tailshaft (Scorpion) as the old one (which was a Starion tailshaft) was too short.

You don't need a new clutch, just a new friction plate centre to match the W5* input shaft. I just bought a whole new friction plate as I'm lazy.

The most challenging bit is the rear cross-member. I bent a piece of 1-2mm sheet metal into the correct angles, then copied that onto a piece of 6mm plate (cut and weld) and then added strengthening gussets. It probably didn't need the gussets, but it's not sort of thing you want to take chances on...





Oh, and don't kid yourself that you HAVE to get a W58 gearbox - just work out which of the W5* series you need with respect to the shifter position and go for that. If it's freshly rebuilt, they're all (W55-58) strong enough.

the W55-58 are just different ratio's any of the shifters can be swapped between them to get it in the right position you need what they call the 21" shifter which is the one that sits back the furthest on the box for correct alignment

You'll find that a lot of people will argue with you if you're saying that it's only ratio's that are different between the series.

Personally, I wont argue as I don't know enough about them, but a quick search on other car forums will show a lot of chat about the differences between them.

Ron at Coltspeed acknowledges there are some internal differences but he reckons they're very minor and all of the w5* boxes are tough as nails if you're putting 500HP or less through them.

Ok thanks. This is some great information. I have a wreckers near by that will sell a W58 Supra box for $900. I don't think its rebuilt at all, but it does come with warranty. Which is very handy. But I am going to keep a look out for something else. Cheers.

Before you go with the supra box option, rethink the Mazda option: series 5 box should cost between $500 - $600 and has much better shift than the supra box from my research. You will find parts as easy to find and the factory bell housing when you locate one would be cheaper again than the Dellow one I am guessing.Also you can adjust the shifter location fairly easily. Lots of high torque and high HP engines with the series 5 box behind them making much more than 500hp.
P.S. I wonder how they compare on weight as I know the Mazda stuff is designed with weight in mind on the RX7