Repost...this time my message is there...79 Transmission into a 83 GSL
 

Hey, my friend just recently aquired a 1983 Rx7 GSL. The car is in damn good shape everywhere but the Transmission. There is a heavy ratchetting noise and it is lacking power. He has a 1979 LM Rx7 with a good transmission. I found that the rear end of the transmission and the shift lever are set up differently...Could someone help me figure out how to make this work?! I need serious help before Sunday the 25th.

I understand that the pressure plate will not bolt up...so we will most likely just use the pressure plate and maybe even flywheel off the 79...if we have to...Help!

I think that you are going to have fitment problems. The first of which is the gear shift position, as you mentioned. I actually had a similar problem when I bought my SE. The third gear was destroyed. I bought a transmission locally, not knowing the differences at the time. The guy selling the transmission thought it was out of an '82 but it was really out of a '79 or '80.

A guy I know was able to modify the two boxes so that I would have a good transmission that would fit. I don't know the extent of the modifications. I do know that one transmission used roll pins while the other used screws. He used the earlier bell housing (I don't think it made a difference) and the '84 rear section.
I used the '84 flywheel and clutch without any problems.

You won't be able to use the 79' flywheel because it is different weight and its built in counterweight is matched to different weight rotors. Also the clutch/pressure plate is different because the '79 uses a 215 mm clutch and the '83 uses a 225 mm.

I would recommend local wrecking yards or check the regional sections on this forum. Maybe someone local to you will have a transmission that will fit better.

Hope this helps some.

Kent

More than you know! Thanks!

the clutches really aren't a big deal because the splines on the shaft are the same... however, i would STRONGLY disagree with trying to fit a SA tranny into an FB body... the swap works one way,, but not the other. the shift linkage is displaced 3 or 4 inches farther forward in the SA, and is a single unit with the tranny housing. with the fb, a shifter pod is placed a few inches back, in a seperate piece. it's easy to modify the linkages to fit, but in your case, you'll have to hack up the interior of the car to get the 79 tranny to fit. plus, they're not that well engineered. get a later model tranny with all the bugs worked out. there's a reason they change the specs on these cars

Yeah...we spent hours on it and couldn't come up with a good solution...I know a guy named Bud out here who is going to sell me an 83 tranny with 20000 miles on it! So, all works out!