My Restoration

[NA_Goodness]

Happy birthday mate, havent checked up for a while

27 isnt too bad for an apprentice mechanic, I have a 39 year old guy in my Tafe class. He's a bit wierd, but still! Good luck with the rest of it!

[Godzilla32]

Thanks mate

Yeah i guess im not as old as some but still feel like i should have done it a few years earlier.

Anyway, today at work i finally managed to remove a sleeve that was halting the final disassembly of my gearbox. I was very pleased to get the sleeve off the counter shaft which enabled me to remove both the main shaft and counter shafts from the sandwich plate. So now i will organise a new sleeve (had to cut it) and all new seals and bearings. I planned to sand blast the gearbox case to freshen it up but to make the transfer case match it will have to get the same treatment. The problem is that i didnt really want to pull the transfer case apart. It wouldnt be a bad idea to check it all out and make sure everything is within spec but of course that will take more time. The other option is to paint the gearbox case and the transfer case without disassembling it. It would look fine but im a bit concerned about the durability of the paint. Thats the advantage to sand blasting it all.

Today after work i finally fitted the turbo oil return hoses, complete with new heat insulation cloth. Theres a number of similar small jobs that im trying to get finished up.

No progress pics at this stage but i will get some soon.

[VSPEC32]

The paint on my gearbox is holding up surprisingly well. Driving it everyday, rain or shine, so it is getting a decent workout. Then again, it's only been 6mths of driving.

Cheers

Brendan

[Godzilla32]

I was thinking to ask you that, now i dont have to Thanks for the reply Brendan. Did you use an etch primer on the alloy case before the top coat? All the alloy i've painted so far ive primed first for a little better adhesion. Im open to ideas with this one

[Duncan]

I bought a brand new gearbox from nissan for the targa car - it was painted silver over the ally. been lasting ok even despite the treatment it gets

[Godzilla32]

Hey Duncan, thanks for your input Maybe i should just go with the painting idea. I am thinking to strip down the transfer case now so the sand blasting is an option... I think i'll wait and see closer to the time and make my decision then.

I called about a rebuild kit for the gearbox today. A place in sydney can sell me a full kit for $330. Im not sure if that was trade, as i mentioned where i worked but didnt ask specifically for a trade price. They said the FS5R30 uses the same kit as the RB30 powered Patrol. Can anyone confirm?

[Duncan]

What is FS5R30, is it the gearbox code? I am certain that you can only use and rb26 specific gearbox rebuild kit, in comes with the bearings, series 3/r33 synchros etc. still all bolts into the r32 casing though. If you are talking to sydney about it, call award gearboxes in Rydalmere

[VSPEC32]

I was thinking to ask you that, now i dont have to Thanks for the reply Brendan. Did you use an etch primer on the alloy case before the top coat? All the alloy i've painted so far ive primed first for a little better adhesion. Im open to ideas with this one

I was lucky in that the casing had no guts so was easy to move around. I started with a degrease, and then had it acid dipped as well. Whether this helped or not I'm not sure. I gave it a good hit with the prepsol, then went at it with the VHT Nu-Cast Engine Enamel in Cast Aluminium (SP995) colour. I think I did 2-3 coats of that, making sure I'd masked up the relevant surfaces that needed protecting. Then I hit it with a couple of coats of VHT Brake, Caliper, Drum and Rotor Paint in Clear (SP730). I used the same process on the diff cover too.

As you can see from these pics, it came it well with a nice smooth surface which has so far made it very easy to clean:

http://www.sillbeer.com/images/driveline/b...fter-fitted.jpg (close up sort of)

http://www.sillbeer.com/images/engine/s13-...ox-drveside.jpg

In hind sight, I should have hit the top part of the sump as well to match the two colours up.

Cheers

Brendan

[Craved]

powdercoat it all:)

if everything is out of the box and case, they'll blast and coat it for ya..

[Godzilla32]

Sorry i somehow missed the idea of powdercoating it. Thats always an option isnt it. Only problem is extra expense and will it match the rest of the build?

What is FS5R30, is it the gearbox code? I am certain that you can only use and rb26 specific gearbox rebuild kit, in comes with the bearings, series 3/r33 synchros etc. still all bolts into the r32 casing though. If you are talking to sydney about it, call award gearboxes in Rydalmere

Yeah, FS5R30A is the model of the gearbox. Im yet to fully inspect it. So im not sure if i will need any new syncros yet. Thanks for the input on the rebuild kit. Only reason i called those guys was because i heard they did good prices, and they do. However now im not certain they have what im after. Anyone know of a Brisbane based shop that can supply me with well priced gearbox parts to suit? If not i'll try Award.

I was lucky in that the casing had no guts so was easy to move around. I started with a degrease, and then had it acid dipped as well. Whether this helped or not I'm not sure. I gave it a good hit with the prepsol, then went at it with the VHT Nu-Cast Engine Enamel in Cast Aluminium (SP995) colour. I think I did 2-3 coats of that, making sure I'd masked up the relevant surfaces that needed protecting. Then I hit it with a couple of coats of VHT Brake, Caliper, Drum and Rotor Paint in Clear (SP730). I used the same process on the diff cover too.

As you can see from these pics, it came it well with a nice smooth surface which has so far made it very easy to clean:

http://www.sillbeer.com/images/driveline/b...fter-fitted.jpg (close up sort of)

http://www.sillbeer.com/images/engine/s13-...ox-drveside.jpg

In hind sight, I should have hit the top part of the sump as well to match the two colours up.

Cheers

Brendan

Thanks for your reply Brendan. I would be quite happy with a finish similar to that. Although i have used a darker grey metallic on my rear diff inspection cover so if i do go with the painting option i might use that color instead and then follow up with the clear coat. It would be something different anyway Now i have to decide what i want to do.

[cowie165]

When I had my reverse gear lockout problem, the guys at All About Gearboxes at Greenacre mentioned how just about all the Nissan gearboxes are the same and said something about my GTR having the same gearbox as a Patrol?

This post isn't much help (it was over two years back). But thought I'd share that I'd heard about compatibility between Nissan boxes too.

FWIW

[Godzilla32]

No its all useful, and i thankyou for giving me your input

By the way the color i planned to perhaps use on my gearbox casing and transfer is the same as i've used on the exhaust manifold covers etc.

Edited May 29, 2008 by Godzilla32

[Craved]

will it match? that will depend on the colour choices the coater has, looks like a stamped steel or high metallic gun metal.

will cost a bit more than paint yes, but you wouldnt need to worry as much as normal paint as to whether it will last

just an option is all,

[Godzilla32]

Thanks mate i will diffinetly consider it Im getting very short of funds! So i'll save up and see what i can afford.

[stolen_s15]

Seems to be going strong Deren, never knew you had this much patience!!

I may be up in QLD in a few months, might have to catch up for a beer and a squiz at the beast!

[Godzilla32]

Hey Nick. How are ya? Yeh its been difficult at times but im quite patient I just have to remind myself that i'll have a sweet GTR by the end of it all. I was actually reading through the thread last night. I had forgotten how much work i have put into this project. In the next few months the engine will be back in, which will allow me to pretty much complete everything else in the engine bay. That will give me plenty to do!

I'd like to catch up for a beer, let me know when your here

Deren

[Godzilla32]

Got into work today for a few hours and completely disassembled the rest of the gearbox. It all went smoothly which was good for a change I've sorted out all the gearsets and wired them up together to minimise confusion during assembly. I put a few parts through the industrial hot washer at work and began the cleaning/inspection process. A couple of the gears got small disassembly chips, but they will be fine after a bit of polishing/grinding. Besides that it looks good so far, so hopefully i'll just replace all the bearings and seals. I need to find a gearbox part supplier in Brisbane that is familiar with the FS5R30A box from the R32 GTR. Can anyone help me out? Nissan quoted me a reasonable $430 for a full rebuild kit. Compared to the kit for $330 from Australian Trans in sydney thats pretty good. Im not sure whether or not the aftermarket kit from sydney is the right one either. So a local supplier would be great if anyone knows of one??

Sorry i forgot to take pics at work.

Deren

[GTRgeoff]

Good stuff Deren. Since I'm pretty crippled atm I'll have to bring my gearbox from the racecar over for a reco mate, once it comes out. Cash job of course . A top quality tuner smashed the syncros in 3-4 and at oil change the bits came out the bottom. I drive it like a race box anyway but it would be nice not to have a crunch when I forget to shift hard.

[Godzilla32]

Hey there Geoff How did he manage to stuff the syncros doing a tune? Or was this during a drive?

You want me to rebuild it for you?? I could take a look at it if thats what u mean. Always up for extra cash.

[GTRgeoff]

During the drive after the tune mate. Ham fisted was all it was. Down in Vic too but since I'll be selling it later I'll need to sort the box out.

First priority will be running it at the Nissan sprints at QR with Time Attack, then I'll work on getting the box out for you to earn some bucks from me.