another L box in MY/Brumby thread

[steptoe]

but this one should be different from others found in here.

When I did my first L Series 5 speed dual range 4WD box into my 84 Brumby - no one shouted or even hinted to machine the 225mm flywheel from an EA81 to a 21mm step (MY is 23mm) and simply use an L Series 4WD clutch. That suggestion has risen recently here or USMB.

Previously mine was done on a tight budget, retained fairly new 200mm clutch pressure plate, used Holden Gemini 1600 rear wheel drive petrol clutch disc, and L throw out bearing that ran further up the clutch spring fingers than desirable - so I had a foot must go to floor to clutch type pedal - lasted 220,000km or so.

The 'hole' in the middle of clutch fingers is bigger on L Series clutches compared to MY. I had the MY pressure plate, so did not get best mate up. Clutch combo never failed, never let me down, did a lot of hard work though on inspection has a few cracks in the Gemini plate now .

This time am prepping a 225mm EA81 flywheel. Got the friction plate facing stone ground and next stop is the old fella with a lathe to machine the pressure plate surface down to 21mm step. Lathe job to avoid hassles of grinding down the ring gear - which would shift teeth at least 3mm further away from starter pinion drive, and reduce the width of ring gear teeth.

The final job should look like the pressure plate is sittting in a neat recess surrounded by ring gear. Means no starter motor spacer to be used and correctly matched clutch.

[RSR 555]

Just fit an EJ engine and box then you get 5 speed AWD and power to burn

[steptoe]

that niggling use of the word 'just' appears agiain. When Paul fits an EJ to that twin port twin carbed MY wagon - put it up in the for sale threads won't you I am stil to wear my EA series supply out in the search for more non engineer cert required power ....

what's up Paul, FB down or banned you ? Your presence in here is always appreciated

[Silverbullet]

This is very relevant to my interests now, I'm looking at purchasing clutch parts so I can finally drop the twin port engine into the wagon

So Jonno, with this machining mod to the std EA81 flywheel, you can use everything out of an EA82 clutch kit? i.e friction plate, pressure plate, throw out bearing? Phizinza Thomas said to me he just used everything std EA81 stuff but with an EA82 friction plate which I was thinking of doing to avoid machining jobs, but it seems for someone like me with no clutch parts to start with you can't just buy a friction disc on its own or mix and match parts of a kit. If this little mod means I can just buy an EA82 clutch kit and use everything in it I think it would be the way to go.

[Nubaru]

YOU MAY FIND A CLUTCH PLACE will be able to order in the seprate components and a knowledgable counter person help you fit everything together in theory

[steptoe]

Yes Sam, that is the theory to use the entire EA82 clutch kit between this modded flywheel and the L Series EA82 4WD five speed - stuff still sitting around the floor in one room, shelf in the shed

if you follow Phiz's idea just hold an EA82 clutch throw out bearing against the EA81 - 200 or 225 mm pressure plates and think you will see ...maybe will work like my previous job did, but bearing does not push on the finger tips, more 10 or 15mm up from where an EA81 bearing pushes on EA81 pressure plate from the finger ends and where EA82 bearing pushes on EA82 pressure plate. I was always hitting floor with pedal to avoid crunch time !

[Silverbullet]

In theory? Is that flywheel you had machined still sitting somewhere waiting to be used?

Makes sense about the MY pressure plate and L bearing not being an ideal match. I'm going to use the L clutch pedal+cable with its extended cable throw but still I'd like a clutch that doesn't need 100% travel or is excessively heavy. If that little grinding job makes life easier not having to mix and match parts and end up with a nice feeling clutch I think I'll try and go that way. In theory It should end up feeling like any clutch pedal in any L series, right? Even though its still cable operated, the pedal in Dads car is a million times easier than in the Brum.

[Bantum]

I'm thinking the same : get most of the clutch bits from a 4WD EA82 L series :

• Disc
• Pressure Plate
• Through Out Bearing
• Lever
• Cable
• Pedal + Box

Obviously need a L series 4WD Box + Then get the EA81 Fly Wheel machined to suit ...

Does that sound right ? Am I missing anything ?


Ciao, Bantum ...

[Silverbullet]

Yep that's about right Bantum. Except I've modded the MY pedal box to mount an L series clutch pedal only. Well the pedal goes on the pivot fine, you just need to make a little block to bolt the L cable end to and get the angle reasonably right.

[steptoe]

I have done one MY with L pedal, L cable (with 10mm alloy block spacer on MY pedal box side) and everything EA82 4WD clutch as an update over the 200mm EA81 pressure plate, Gemini friction plate, EA82 fork and bearing and is yes, a typical easy on the left leg components clutch operation. A new cable can do similar in some cases

And, yet to fit the machined flywheel from a year ago .... would mean replacing a fairly new clutch and clutch cable ...but, think the clutch has got oil on it as some take offs now sound like a wet clutched auto trans with confused kickdown adjustment , the diff is getting a bit whinier though may just be the oil selection once again, or the 70,000km I have put on its now 430,000km - always had the whine those 70,000 km! . But every shift up and down is like new.

Also taking time to decide whether 3.7 or 3.9 box goes in. The 3.9 matching rear diff been sitting about a few years with my so marked "SUBARU' pin punch jambed in the inner DOJ pin hole - recently got that sorted . The 3.9 box been sitting around for so many years not funny - bought it from a QANTAS pilot (hello Phil !) whose method of relaxation was to rebuild these old EA 4WD boxes - this one was from a parts importer, never fitted at his place either . Phil was a Subie tragic with approx one car for each day of the week, being forced to sell up to move



Bantum, don't really need EA82 pedal box - just the pedal and the cable, chop the MY cable mount off the side, and sort of a mounting block to mount the L cable on to MY pedal box. I used 10mm alloy bar. Tip would be to test fit for the angle of cable direction and make one hole through the pedal box, bolt up, test fit the angle again before deciding just where second hole should be made in pedal box watching for a nice compromise of just how the inner grinds against the outer cable at the pedal end. Think I favoured its angle when at most depressed, loaded position.

Or use L pedal box and space the box about 27mm from the firewall/toeboard with long nuts, extender studs etc, use and extend MY acc pedal by a few mm

[pedroj]

Hi Steptoe,
from your experience how much clearance is there between the body and the new L series gearbox? also what did you do about CV's to connect it back up as I believe the spline count is different?

I have had 4 brumby's now and each time I go through the process of thinking about a 5 speed gearbox as I would like to also user shorter diff ratios to improve its low down speed around the small farm (10 acres) and still be able to use it on the open road to go to work (40Km each way).

Is there any options for different diff ratios in the L series box and do you know what they might be?

Thanks in Advance
Peter.

[steptoe]

clearance is fine Pedro as long as you remove a threaded boss casting - if look at the box from the rear - is upper right hand side. I didnt know about it until after and was a hard job cutting it off insitu.

For ease, make sure donor box is same spline count as Brumby should be 23. If box comes from an efi or turbo L Series manual likely have 25 spline stubs.

Never quite worked out if there was a rule to what the 3.9:1 diffs came in on the L's
My 3.9 has 23 spline stubs for front wheels. Only choice of 3.7 or 3.9 diff ratios, mind you, auto 4WD 3 speeds, front diff was 3.45 , rear 3.7. The 3.45 would be a good one to snaffle for FWD only for highway cruising

[El_Freddo]

Never quite worked out if there was a rule to what the 3.9:1 diffs came in on the L's

AFAIK the 3.9s only came out in the series 1 L series ('84-'87ish).

auto 4WD 3 speeds, front diff was 3.45 , rear 3.7. The 3.45 would be a good one to snaffle for FWD only for highway cruising

I've got an L series that was auto, rear diff ratio is 3.9:1. I've only ever known the autos to be 3.9 in the rear (for the 3spd L's).

Front ring and pinion gears do not fit into manual gearboxes from the auto

Cheers

Bennie

[steptoe]

maybe the rare 3 speed 4WD single range turbo autos came with 3.7:1 ?

[Silverbullet]

Well here we go then Flywheel friction surface machined and the step reduced. Next I have to order an L series clutch kit, find some engine mounts and the engine is going in.

Hope your theory holds true Jonno!

[steptoe]

mine was done on a machine still sporting imperial measures - cost a box of beer

Mounts I used are MY box mounts, left going on left side, right on right, with mount to box holes elongated to suit. Chop off that useless threaded boss top rear right side Sam

I hope I am right too

Fit L cable, L pedal to MY pedal box

[coxy]

MY gearbox mounting rubbers, Modify MY steel mounts to suit the L 5 speed by elongating the holes which I did and then tigged the slots back into a hole again.

Passenger side (LH) MY mount modify by making a pie shaped cut to the steel mounting for the five speed so the MY rubber mounting sits vertical as it was designed to rather than at an angle roughly 8mm tapering doen to zero squeeze the thing together and one side lines up perfectly to weld back together.

The other side needs another cut and moving inward to line up as the original mounting splays outward so when you shorten it to make it vertical to mount the Rubber MY gearbox mount correctly one side does not line up easy to do and understand when you make the cut.

I used those thin 1mm cutting disks and cut all bar maybe 6mm rather than cut of fully to change the angle worked perfectly.

EA81 225mm clutch machined to 21mm step is perfect allowing a full EA82 L series clutch to be used.

But you still have to space the starter motor because the L five speed is different where the starter mounts to suit the EA82 Flywheel which sits further forward than the EA81 Flywheel there is no way out of that other than using matching Engines and Boxes ex factory.

L series cable and make sure you get the L series pedal box, What I did was used spot weld drills and a grinder to neatly remove the original Brumby Clutch cable mounting.

Then taking the cutting disk to the L series Pedal box mad one cut in line with the mounting face for the firewall about 20 mm from that face and in line with it.

The other cut was made about 15mm past the raised section of the L series Pedal box where the cable mounts thus removing that whole section from the L series pedal box.

Taking the longer L series pedal pivot shaft and swapping it with the Brumby MY one I then fitted up the clutch pedal and the outer bracket from the L series that sits outside the cable and bolts onto the pivot shaft after bolting the section removed from the L series pedal box tighten everything up and clamp it together thus making sure the section you previously cut out of the L series that the clutch cable fits to.

What you have now is the section removed from the L series pedal box that neatly fits on top of the MY pedal box needed for the cable attachment, because the outer removable plate bolts onto the pivot shaft you have made certain the position of the mounting distance wise is exactly as it is for the L series.

Because you cut the section out of the L series pedal box in two cuts straight through including the folded edges, You will now find this sits perfectly on top of the MY Pedal box and everything lines up as it should, All that is required now is to Mig or Tig weld the L series section on top of the MY pedal box.

Because the width of the MY pedal box is slightly narrower than the L series I then used a 4mm thick 35mm OD washer on the outside of the L series Clutch pedal thus moving the L pedal inward compared to the MY pedal because of a different bend.

I then bent the L pedal outward at the first bend about 45mm from the pivot shaft and then the last bend closer to the pedal pad was bent the other way to align the pedal pad the end result was better than the factory MY clutch pedal location wise.

Yes I have gone into a lot more detail in that area otherwise people will think they just need a L series cable and maybe the Clutch pedal to make it work and yes you can make that work but not properly and if the conversion is not done right you end up being dissapointed and nobody wins that game.

Seems from the attached Photo that will allow you all to make sense of what I have just written my new Microsoft Lumia 640 phone actually takes real good closeup shots