Blue Monster's gearbox conversion progress

cisco

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Last week, I had the gearbox split-open, inspected and re-assembled to make sure everything was sweet before installation.

The results were very good. Its in virtually brand new condition inside. The 5th gear fork has some very minor wear marks on it, which basically shows that it is used and now brand new. The front retainer is also the same. But both items are very close to new condition and definately not in need of replacement. Apart from that, all gears, syncros and bearings are in perfect condition.

The driveshafts have been serviced with new grease and boots now also.

Errol from Datrats has been helping me source a clutch and I'm just awaiting its arrival. Its going to be a heavy duty exedy brand 190mm GA16DE pulsar clutch. Bolts up to the micra's flywheel perfectly.

So everything is on track, so hopefully blue monster will be back in action by next weekend.
 

cisco

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Yeehah! For sure fellas. We need this Melbourne HYPER meet to happen. I'd be keen to head down within the next couple of months once bluey was back in action.

Sent my existing clutch to Errol today. He needs it to confirm the fitment of the new one. Wow what a thorough guy. Wanted to see my old clutch before ordering the new one.

He's also going to add it to his micra parts page as a GA16DE 190mm upgraded clutch option.

So its going to take until the end of the week for him to get the old clutch, then another week after that until the new one arrives. Oh well, not this weekend, but the one after I think now. I've got plenty of other stuff to fix and do in the meantime while the car is not drivable, so its all good.
 

CMF_White Knight

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Well White Knight is sort of running.
The elect.water pump is proving troublesome. A wiring issue.
Can't get the auto.sensor to read so the bloody pump is running all the time so the motor is always dead cold ( the new radiator sure is 200% more efficent than the standard)or we have to disconnect it.
Running rough as guts but needs a lot more tuning but oh great to hear White Knight run.
Somewhere along the line we have misplaced the speedo cable as well. Who needs it anyway??
Starter motor which is from the Nissan EXA gearbox also not engaging the Micra flywheel all the time. Some adj. needed.
So close.
Well might as well let you know currently sourcing a smaller supercharger pulley which will take boost from 10psi up to around 14psi.The internals/ gearbox/clutch will handle it so why not? REad on the site that makes the smaller pulley they got supercharger meltdown after running at 18psi so still within safety limits.FIRE IT UP.
 

cisco

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Come on White Knight!

Just some minor teething issues by the sounds of it.

If you get super-stuck, the N15 31A gearbox is a direct bolt on, and your micra starter motor plugs straight in. But sounds like Laurey/Errol will have it sorted ASAP.

I'm hanging to see your car running 14psi. That's going to smoke most cars on the road. You're going to be smoking the tyres up aswell muhahaha.

Yes, hanging for us all to hook up in Melb.
 

CMF_White Knight

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Well electric water pump okay. Was a wire not earthing properly ( Aghh!!!)
Just have to get the starter motor 100%. Engages most of the time but sometimes not.
Air/fuel mixture not 100% yet but close.
Man it sounds good.
Got that distinct rattle type noise when cold due to the forged pistons which is normal( no not the timing chain!!)
Gee heart rate is now really up.
1000 kl just slow and steady and then onto the dyno but hopefully by then the smaller supercahrger pully will also be in place.
FIRE IT UP.
 

cisco

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Gee that was quick. Its sounding great.

Yes blue monster sounds like a tractor when you first turn it on when its cold. Good old forgies.

Yes fire up white monster..
 

cisco

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Allright Errol is on fire.

He received my old clutch today and ordered the new one straight away. It fits!

So clutch is on its way to my door, should have by mid next week. We're just about ready for action.
 

CMF_Geoff W

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Cisco:
May I ask how much your new clutch was? I'm very interested as I will be putting in a new one when I rebuild the engine/gearbox before refitting.

White Monster:
Your car sounds like it is progressing nicely. My only question is can you contain yourself while running in this new engine?

 

cisco

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$430 inc. delivery

The micra heavy duty exedy one is only $180, but its smaller diameter and much weaker. The upgraded 190mm pulsar one has 57% more clamping force over factory, plus the larger diameter.

In clutches, diameter is king, so I reckon its worth every cent to install the larger pulsar one. Only after stuffing up 1 micra clutch, that will equal the cost of the pulsar one.
 

mik

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Do you guys only switch the Clutch?
Or does anyone know if you can switch the pressure plate too?
Thanks a lot to you guys.
If you weren't there, a lot of modifications wouldn't be made (including mine), thanks a lot.
 

cisco

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Both the pressure plate and friction plate are 190mm diameter (pulsar clutch). Micra's are both 180mm.

You could possibly interchange only one of them, but not recommended and not too much point.

Yep the entire clutch assembly bolts up perfectly to the micra's flywheel.
 

CMF_White Knight

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Ahh thats grrrrreat Cisco. Another upgrade which is a direct bolt on. Yes it will make the clutch awesome and see it you can fry this sucker!!
Yes I will be taking it easy Geoff. Spent too much money and if she blew again it would become a garden ornament.
Anyway until we do an upgrade on the ECU it will be gentle gently.
Scouring N.Z. at the moment for a smaller supercharger pulley as evidently on the Toyota Levin which ran the 4AGZE supercharger the pulley was 105mm against mine which is 125mm.
That is a considerable diff.and will lift me from the current 10psi up to ??
 

cisco

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Know what you mean. Blue monster is close to being a garden ornament also, but I have a feeling this latest 31V/pulsar-clutch combo will be the goods. Then I will be content with the power I'm making right now. Its not worth trying to gain 10kw more and then snapping something. It would be close to the mechanical limits and torque ratings (if not well beyond them) as it is.

You need that crazy pulley, white monster is becoming a true monster.

I think my clutch will have arrived in the morning. Going to commence the re-install tomorrow evening. Should be back in action by this weekend. Mmm LSD.
 

cisco

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Cheers mate.

Tonight's the night. I just cracked open a beer.
I'm heading out to the garage in a sec to install it all.

Got some supplies from Repco today including a clutch alignment tool.

Fire up bluey.
 

cisco

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Oh and PS:

Errol's clutch arrived today.
Wow what a nice piece of work. You can see the heavy duty fingers clearly. They are chunkier and thicker than the other old clutch. Clamping force looks 57% increased heh like what they quote. Should be a winner for strength.

This should be the maximum clutch that any of us will need unless you're pushing BIG KW!
 

cisco

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I was happy to invest a week in sending the old clutch down so that it could be tested to fit before ordering the new one. I was happy with that extra customer service.

Then another week for the clutch to arrive. All up approx 3 weeks just waiting. But I didn't care because Errol is so damn helpful and nice and genuine.

Now the clutch arrived today. But hey it doesn't fit at all. The hole sizes on the pressure plate are all approx 1cm way off. Its way out of wack with the JUN flywheel. Not even a hope of squeezing it on, it just doesn't line up any which way.
 

cisco

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Errol is sorting something out tomorrow. He's going to the exedy factory to play around with pressure plates I think to make something fit. Zoiks. This one's going back express post.
 

cisco

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Wow, Errol just rang me at 10:40pm. What a legend.

He has been so apolagetic its not funny. David, I know what you are talking about. His heart is dead set in it.

He ordered the clutch to the correct specs from exedy, but they packaged and sent the wrong one - far out. They actually make the pressure plates custom in Melbourne, which is very cool.

Tomorrow Errol's taking it over and making it to the measurements of the other one, but with this one's extra clamping force. Should be magic. Then he's express posting it up here. I'm sending this pressure plate back down there.

Bummer that its a weekend and Australia's postage comes to a stand still, but its good to know he really cares and he's onto it ASAP. It wasn't his fault. He's offered to pay for all the postages again, what a legend. You don't get that kind of service very often.

We had a cool yarn about stuff and he told me about his background and career etc. He is very strong on customer service.
 

cisco

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Spot on.

Over the weekend sometime I will update the web page some more and include some better links to Errol's micra parts page.

Should get the correct clutch early next week now. There's still some other stuff I can do to bluey this weekend, so its all good.
 

cisco

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Errol sorted out today.

Turns out my old pressure plate was some rare item from Germany off a toyota. The guys who did the original turbo conversion must have worked that all out and sourced it from somewhere.

So no, a factory GA16 pressure plate as it comes, does not fit, but..

Errol had exedy in Melbourne re-manufacture my old pressure plate today to the specs of the new one. I.e. they did a diaphram transplant onto the old cover. Its all finished and I will by Tuesday at the latest.

The other good news is that Errol is now making 190mm centre versions of his lightweight flywheels. These will be compatible with a 190mm clutch that he is going to offer for the micra. He's working on this right now, and its looking very good, so soon he should be releasing lightweight flywheels with 190mm centres and 190mm clutch kits for other turbo micras.

Way to go Errol.
 

CMF_fred

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I'm giddy with anticipation guys! (as prob u r)
so, let me get this straight the rs5f31a and rs5f31v are straight g'box swaps and will I need custom drive shafts or the micra ones do? looks like datrats is the place to shop!
 

cisco

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Hey fred.

Yes those two boxes will both mate up to the cg13de (providing they are the right model bellhousing - which is FB40). So you really want an RS5F31A/V FB40.

Custom shafts (unless you can find anything else that fits) for fitting the 31A box. The 31V boxes are rarer, so either custom shafts, or if you can find a set of the Japanese march factory shafts that some cars had, then that's a bonus. I fluked finding a complete gearbox/shaft set when I was in Japan. But I wouldn't want to snap these shafts as they are quite rare.
 

CMF_fred

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right! thanx cisco..... the search begins.... I think I know someone who knows someone, where I can get custom shafts...... Gotta firm that up, huh? Obviously, the 31V is the golden child if there is a plan for power but the 31A will get u out of trouble..... anyway, u guys stay up to late!
 

cisco

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Yeah bloody hell, Errol is such a legend.

Rings me up to discuss in person, rang me last night at 10:40pm because he was worried about me being stuck without my car. hahahaha. You just can't beat that kind of service.

Errol is all over it. I think he will slowly grow his range of micra performance parts. So its just going to get even better. As Errol said to me today "We are going through all the hard yards and R&D stages now. Once this is all done, soon enough, people will be able to buy all this stuff that we've worked out." So true. Once you sort out the clutch situation for turbo micras, you'll be able to buy a "micra turbo clutch kit" from Errol off the shelf ready to go and pre-tested. Just great.
 

cisco

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Ok. I just swapped over the hubs.

Now I have the stock micra hubs with the smaller splines back in. Only had to quickly remove the outer wheel bearing very quickly, so just re-packed it with grease and re-used no dramas.

So we're ready to bolt the new box and shafts in totally now.

I'm going to go and clean then paint my front calipers in a sec. Nice BLACK.
 

cisco

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All right, after some paint stripping, we have blue coloured pads and BLACK calipers.
 

CMF_fred

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Don't u guys ever sleep.... thanx for the tips, I've got a noisey diff or something there so if its serious I'll haveta do this end of the drivetrain first, I was hopeing to get some turbo infrastructure in this year...money and time......
 

cisco

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Yep sorry I got that idea from Seano king of black calipers.
He invented the colour black :)
 

cisco

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But I have added a subtle improvement:
Black calipers, but with blue pads.Mmm, it just has that subtle edge sorry mate.
 

cisco

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This is the rebuilt clutch Errol posted it up today air express. Should get her in the morning.

This one doesn't have the uprated fingers like the one I was originally sent. So it will basically be the same as the one I had. I think it will last for a long time. I think possibly the custom shafts were adding a bit of strain to the drivetrain. It was a heavy drivetrain setup previously, but ultra tough.
 

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