Recon Gearboxes

After too much buggering about with dodgy used gearboxes, I have decided to take the rather expensive plunge of getting a recon gearbox for my SIII.

I well understand the reasons behind the large differences in prices from different specialists, but I would like to know what other peoples experiences have been?

In short:

David Beaumont seem to have happy customers, but a suspiciously good price.

Whitehouse and Son seem to be considered the best in the country, but are too expensive for me really.

AW transmissions seem clued up, but again rather expensive (although they are local to me)

Is there anything else anyone else can add?

send it to JM for a refurb ?

Ashcroft transmissions? (but they might get their series boxes done by whitehouse now, could be wrong)

If you cost up a few new parts, you will soon reach the cost of a whitehouse box. You know it makes sense.

SpringDon said:

Ashcroft transmissions? (but they might get their series boxes done by whitehouse now, could be wrong)

If you cost up a few new parts, you will soon reach the cost of a whitehouse box. You know it makes sense.

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+1 boxes are very old now and decent parts arent getting cheaper,though i dont know about whitehouse but i wouldnt be looking for the cheapest

Have a look at Reconditioned Gearboxes

Are there no gearbox egspurts on here?

no i don't no of any heard jamesmartin can do a good dodge job tho

Trust me me now.

Get your smelly box over to mr James Martin.

Mr JM knows his stuff.

My box has been rebuilt by mr JM with all new internals Barr one bearing that we are still waiting for. Fingers crossed for monday.

An overdrive will also be fitted. I am actually hoping the box will be like new.

The whole mamma jamma has just got back from city gearboxes in Coventry. First impressions are very goo, all very smart and a long list of new parts (basically everything but the mainshaft). 12 month warranty, shall see how it goes

How much?

I'm amused by Synchro Gearboxes reference to the LT77 as being based on an old Jaguar design - with the implication that this goes back to the 1940's.

In fact Jaguar used a 4 speed box made by Moss (who also made them for Morgan and some others). This was a 3 synchro box - and Jaguar replaced it with their own 4 speed synchro box in about 1962 (with the intro of the 4.2 engine I think). A few years later Jaguar developed their own 5 speed box which they didn't put into production and was rather more than an extra gear stuck into their existing box.

Jaguar may well have designed the LT77 - but it was not very old when it was put into production and was a new design.

I'd read before the main box was based on a pre war Rover unit?

Yes the original series main gearbox is basically what was the current Rover saloon gearbox - which was quite new at the start of WW2. I think the earlier one had gears arranged with their teeth in a 'V' shape to eliminate end thrust.

In the late 30's most manufacturers produced gearboxes with synchro on 2nd, 3rd and top. Rover left the Land Rover without synchro on 2nd (and 1st) till Series 3 and presumably thought the synchro on 3rd and top was so good that (apart from a change in engagement tooth shape in about 1980) that it was continued till the end in 1984.