Gear selection problem.

[Ralphypants]

Hi everyone, hopefully someone can help with a problem I have. I recently bought a vw gpr1 Jas beach Buggy 1972 with a rebuilt 1974 Range Rover 3.5 V8 engine with high lift cams & a 4 barrel Holley carb( covered 600 miles). Race clutch (new) & 4 speed short shift vw gearbox.
The issue I have is that when the car is up to temp 90c & has been driven well for 30 mins the gear selection which was fine is now notchy. When selecting 1st you can hear a bit of a crunch even with the clutch pedal to the floor. Several times I can’t get out of 3rd of select any gears from neutral, all is back to normal when the car is cold.
This car is unbelievable fun to drive only ruined 30-40 mins later with this gear change problem. Does anyone have any idea what the problem could be so that I can get on with having fun!
Thoughts so far are,
clutch cable stretching under heat.
Spigot bearing.
Wrong or insufficient oil.
Gear box knackered. (Told it’s good)
Clutch knackered. (Told it was new)

Also what other gearbox would fit into this vehicle so I can have 5 speeds & pull away quick in 1st whereas I can’t with what I have as I was told I would reduce the gearbox to scrap.
Your thought or better still a solution to this problem would be greatly appreciated.
Thinking caps on, hope to hear back soon.

Regards
Ralphypants.

[grumpy52]

You say a short shift VW box .
I am willing to bet this is a VW beetle box with a short shift linkage kit and an adapter plate to fit to the V8 .
I would be very suprised after this length of time if the box is not totally shagged .
It's been handling 3 times the power and torque that it was originally built for . Although they are tough old units it's had a hard life , it's been in a fun vehicle and could be 20+ years older than the buggy .

[Sardonicus]

When it next struggles to select go straight for reverse if it crutches/grinds whilst selecting and vehicle stationary you have a clutch not completely disengaging fault , I have seen some poor quality adapter plates over the years causing alignment issues etc but yours maybe nothing more than a worn/tired clutch or the cable needing adjustment , clutch problems generally get worse with heat or higher temps

[Ralphypants]

Thanks for your comments on this issue. Annoyingly it goes into reverse fine so does this mean it’s gearbox? I suspect it is as mentioned here. Why hook up a standard 46 yr old vw box to a souped up 3.5 V8 , what were they thinking!
Would another gearbox fit in or do I have to go with a Rancho type?

Thanks for getting back to me.

[stevieturbo]

Ralphypants said:

Thanks for your comments on this issue. Annoyingly it goes into reverse fine so does this mean it’s gearbox? I suspect it is as mentioned here. Why hook up a standard 46 yr old vw box to a souped up 3.5 V8 , what were they thinking!
Would another gearbox fit in or do I have to go with a Rancho type?

Thanks for getting back to me.

No doubt there are many gearbox options...just depends what you want to spend !

Is it an actual rear engine setup, or mid engine ? ie what sort of transaxle would you need ?

[Steve_D]

Get under and see if there is free play at the end of the cable. If there is then adjust the cable to remove the play. If the cable has no adjustment then add some spacers/washers.

Alternative gearboxes would be Porsche G50 or Renault 21, 25, 30. Not unusual for an Ultima to put 700 ponies through a G50 (only 508 through mine).

Steve