Shipfitters Disease Hits!

Every time I would drive the 109, I would be reminded that someday soon we would have to do something about the transmission. Second gear was nearly impossible to engage when the transmission was cold and the "neutral" position was like a huge living room the stick could roam around in before finding a gear to engage.

I longed for a five speed and read all I could find about NV4500's and what it took to fit them to a 109. Then I started looking at what they cost and that was the end of that dream.

I called Herm the Overdrive Guy (http://www.hermtheoverdriveguy.com/) located in southern Washington state and learned about the 3 speed Ford RTS transmission he could provide. The price (around $1100) was more reasonable than the NV4500 but I wasn't sold.

I looked into SM420's and NP435s. Much more reasonably priced and easy to find on craigslist, but they do not have an overdrive.

With any of these options, there was the cost of the custom install--new mounts for the transfer case and transmission, possibly new prop shafts, etc.

Rovers North sold reconditioned Series III transmissions for about $2000 plus shipping (which I ballpark at about $200). This would bolt right in with no custom work but I did not see the sense of spending that kind of money on a transmission that, by all accounts, is not strong enough to be used with the Chevy 6 cylinder engine.

Then Gord'n checked with Ashcroft (http://www.ashcroft-transmissions.co.uk/) and found the perfect combination: a short bellhousing R380 (50a Suffix L) plus Ashcroft's Series 5 speed kit which mates the R380 to the Series transfer case. In addition to getting a 5 speed transmission that is strong enough to handle the Chevy engine, this set up does not require any custom work to mount it to the 109 chassis! This combination does push the engine forward 4 inches but again, the timing of this upgrade works in our favor. Gord'n was going to cut the existing mounts for the Chevy off our old chassis and weld them onto the new galvanized chassis so all he has to do is mount them 4 inches forward of where they would have gone. Total cost for the R380 and 5 speed kit with shipping from the UK, about $2400.

In my opinion, this is the best kind of Shipfitter's Disease--for $200 or so more than the cost of a direct replacement, we end up with a much stronger transmission with overdrive that lets us keep the selectable 2WD/4WD and does not required any custom work!

The combination of the 5 speed R380 and the 3.54 differentials will make the 109 a much more comfortable ride.