Manual-auto Conversion

[Rollasrus]

OK I know autos are for people with one leg and I drive a truck for a living so shifting gears is no big deal at all for me but I have other reasons for this.

My suzuki sierra with its 4kc motor is gonns enter soon in a 4wd comp (once i put my non smokey 4k in) The only motorsport I know of where we modify our cars to go slower :)

Under the current rules i somehow still scrape into standard class.

So to help it crawl in low range much better up hills I have considered putting an auto box in.

My question is what would this involve to bolt up a corolla auto box to my currently configured for manual 4k??

Also what is the size difference between my current k50 box and an auto box? mainly length and how fat it is in the middle?

Also i have heard there is a trimatic, some toyota 3 speed and a 2 speed toyoglide, would not preferr the 2 speed as the car stil gets driven on the road and most 4wd trips happen out of Sydney, which one would be best? what sort of dollars for one/whre to get one?

Basically any help to actually make my sierra crawl better without ratio changes??

[Rob74coupe]

OK I know autos are for people with one leg and I drive a truck for a living so shifting gears is no big deal at all for me but I have other reasons for this.

My suzuki sierra with its 4kc motor is gonns enter soon in a 4wd comp (once i put my non smokey 4k in) The only motorsport I know of where we modify our cars to go slower :)

Under the current rules i somehow still scrape into standard class.

So to help it crawl in low range much better up hills I have considered putting an auto box in.

My question is what would this involve to bolt up a corolla auto box to my currently configured for manual 4k??

Also what is the size difference between my current k50 box and an auto box? mainly length and how fat it is in the middle?

Also i have heard there is a trimatic, some toyota 3 speed and a 2 speed toyoglide, would not preferr the 2 speed as the car stil gets driven on the road and most 4wd trips happen out of Sydney, which one would be best? what sort of dollars for one/whre to get one?

Basically any help to actually make my sierra crawl better without ratio changes??

 

in my opinion there is far to much of a gap between 1st and 2nd on a 2speed toyoglide, if you just wanted to crawl up a 45 degree incline in first i guess it would do but id much rather have a 5 speed with the diff ratio changed to make a similar 1st ratio as on a 2 speed than actually have a 2 speed itself

 

 

p.s as soon as i get a 5 speed you can have my 2 speed for postage costs if you want, i was told i can use the same tailshaft wether its a 2/4 or 5 speed so i guess you can too!

 

 

cheers,

rob

[Rollasrus]

many thanks mate

I know gearing reductions will happen (in a little while I hope) but part of the rules for the class I am gonna compete in (standard class) only allows original factory gearing. So I am trying to work the rule book a little by fitting an auto cause an auto has the torque converter slippage which enables a slower crawl speed to try to compensate for my standard gearing and much bigger offroad tires.

[Rob74coupe]

many thanks mate

I know gearing reductions will happen (in a little while I hope) but part of the rules for the class I am gonna compete in (standard class) only allows original factory gearing. So I am trying to work the rule book a little by fitting an auto cause an auto has the torque converter slippage which enables a slower crawl speed to try to compensate for my standard gearing and much bigger offroad tires.

 

 

fair enough, if it helps I'm pretty sure the 2 speed usually comes with a 4.3 ratio diff and the manual gets 4 or 4.1... not to sure though so don't quote me, someone on here probably knows... the 4.3 might just be the wagon ratio.. ill go check for a diff code on my plate now and let you know what ratio it is..=

 

edit: just realised that wont help as you don't have a rolla

 

rob

 

also i forgot to actually answer your question, you don't need anything (apart from a 2 speed, flex-plate and torque converter...) it just bolts up.. there might be a dowel/dowel hole or two missing/extra but no real biggie, also the ke20 rolla gearbox crossmember fits the auto and manual, you should just be able to slot your x-member holes

 

also i don't know if any of this applies for the traumatic, only the 2/3 speed toyoglide

Edited August 2, 2008 by Rob74coupe

[Rob74coupe]

also if you don't mind me asking, why does your suzuki have a toyota 4k motor and still compete in stock class??

 

 

cheers,

rob

[Rollasrus]

also if you don't mind me asking, why does your suzuki have a toyota 4k motor and still compete in stock class??

Well i asked the organisers of the comp (nissan patrol club) about my 4k being non standard and they said because it has similar power outputs on paper and same capacity as a 1.3 sierra (so in their eyes I have no extra advantage) they would make an exception and consider mine in standard class. What they did not reaise is that mine being an 82 model was before the 1.3 sierra came out (it was originally a 1 litre) and having a 1.6 vitara carby on it and no anti pollution gear on it it will hopefully be pretty grunty indeed when I put it in to replace my worn out 4k in there at the moment.

 

I am just hoping an auto box that bolts to the motor will fitt in easily, also wondering does a kick down cable need to be fitted up as well or is there a way i can have an auto configured that I gotta shift it manually?

So would any of the corolla autos fitt where a manual 5 speed goes?? I would preferr a 3 speed I think only cause of the extra gear for some on road driving ability.

[Rob74coupe]

Well i asked the organisers of the comp (nissan patrol club) about my 4k being non standard and they said because it has similar power outputs on paper and same capacity as a 1.3 sierra (so in their eyes I have no extra advantage) they would make an exception and consider mine in standard class. What they did not reaise is that mine being an 82 model was before the 1.3 sierra came out (it was originally a 1 litre) and having a 1.6 vitara carby on it and no anti pollution gear on it it will hopefully be pretty grunty indeed when I put it in to replace my worn out 4k in there at the moment.

 

I am just hoping an auto box that bolts to the motor will fitt in easily, also wondering does a kick down cable need to be fitted up as well or is there a way i can have an auto configured that I gotta shift it manually?

So would any of the corolla autos fitt where a manual 5 speed goes?? I would preferr a 3 speed I think only cause of the extra gear for some on road driving ability.

 

why not use a 5 or 7k and put the 4k sticker on the rocker cover :)

[Rollasrus]

why not use a 5 or 7k and put the 4k sticker on the rocker cover :)

 

don't worry it has crossed my mind :)

 

Yes I could proably get away with it if the car was not used on the road as well Problem that i have is that the sierra is already engineered and road legal with the 4k motor, plus all the 4wd cars in comps need to be road registered.

Anyways I am just after info/details/work involved in changing my manual box to an auto at this stage.

[Rob74coupe]

don't worry it has crossed my mind :)

 

Yes I could proably get away with it if the car was not used on the road as well Problem that i have is that the sierra is already engineered and road legal with the 4k motor, plus all the 4wd cars in comps need to be road registered.

Anyways I am just after info/details/work involved in changing my manual box to an auto at this stage.

 

 

it'd be a straight swap, as long as you don't mind not getting an engineers certificate for an extra 300cc's... I'm not planning to :)

 

 

cheers,

rob

 

p.s. i doubt any copper is gonna defect your suzuki for having a 5k in it

[Rollasrus]

Thought about that but I already have a 4k in it thats buggered and another good 4k that should be going in soon, this is why I tought when its all apart I can throw an auto in as well

[towe001]

I'd go the trimatic. Easy enough to modify to handle more power, easy enough to convert to manual shift, good range of after-market products for it.

You'll have to re-do the gearbox to fit the auto. it sits further back and i believe the output splines on the auto are different to the manual.

 

Bit of a shame your running in the stock class otherwise you could also hook up a second serria hi-low box for an extra, extra low gear.

[Rollasrus]

You'll have to re-do the gearbox to fit the auto. it sits further back and i believe the output splines on the auto are different to the manual.

Bit of a shame your running in the stock class otherwise you could also hook up a second serria hi-low box for an extra, extra low gear.

Wondering what you mean when you say I gotta redo the gearbox,

Nobody that i know of runs twin transfer cases in a sierra cause although its standard low range reduction is about 2.2:1 you can get 4.16's 5.14's and even 6.5's which gives over 200% reduction than standard low range, so only one case is ever needed.

I would preferr to run in standard class cause I have a better chance of a placing due to the rules on the cars compared to the class up where reduction gears, diff locks, much bigger tires etc are allowed, this is why i am wanting to put an auto box tomake me more competitive within the rule book.

[towe001]

My bad. I meant the mounting point where the gearbox mounts fit up to on the chassis. It'd have to be moved back a couple of inches. There's some info on it on the forum somewhere, have a search, something along the lines of "KE55 auto conversion"

I'm pretty sure a mate of mine was thinking of doing it to his serria. He found on the Outer-limits forum.

But anyway i like the way the transfer case is connected to the g'box. Really opens up the range of gearboxes

[Rollasrus]

ok I think I am down to some nitty gritty questions

Are the tailshafts off the 5 speed and the autos the same. Mainly the output yoke spline is what I am worried about??

And the actual length of the box, is it the exact same length as the 5 speed manual?

To help it seems that I may be getting a 3 speed trimatic, seems to be the easierst to find, although not totally sure for certain.

 

If the spline is different I am gonna have to get the output yoke off an auto and adapt it to connect to the uni and input flange that goes into my suzuki transferr case

And if the auto is longer than the manual i have to relocate my transferr case back with new chasis mounting points etc. Luckily having a seperate ladder frams chasis makes this a whole lot easier with some scrap steel plate, an angle gringer and a mig welder, BUT WOULD PREFERR NOT TO IF I CAN GET AWAY WITH IT

[irokin]

ok I think I am down to some nitty gritty questions

Are the tailshafts off the 5 speed and the autos the same. Mainly the output yoke spline is what I am worried about??

And the actual length of the box, is it the exact same length as the 5 speed manual?

To help it seems that I may be getting a 3 speed trimatic, seems to be the easierst to find, although not totally sure for certain.

 

No the splines are very different. Length wise off the top of my head I don't remember. At a guess I don't think its any longer.