That always astonished me: likely because a tough enough bronze alloy wasnt available?
Regarding the quality and fit of new bearings - I had my Moss rebuilt by a specialist in Sydney. His solution for these was to buy the Hoffman bearings and have the snap ring grooved at correct location. I looked up my account - cost of grooving was 60 bucks. FWIW. My box is great.
I have details somewhere - will look up if interested. Paul
I have heard other instances re-grooving NLA bearings
there was/maybe still is a Moss gearbox rebuild specialist in Victoria that had new 1st & 2ng gears & synchros re-made, but he would not sell any parts, only rebuild the entire box.
He had a very good reputation. Ed N from the pre-XK/pub list would know his name
Maybe he has to tweak the gears to get them to work right. Shame because I’m afraid shipping an 80 pound gearbox to Victoria would cost as much as the rebuild service.
So Hoffman bearings are actually available and none of the parts specialists are using them? Why?
ROAD TRIP!!!
Stop by in Denver, and I’ll help ya drive the Bunny!
Are there roads going there? I took that to mean Victoria Australia.
Dang: I thought ya meant Victoria, BC…
I just bought a refurbished trans for my ‘64 Land Rover from a specialist in England. There are fewer and fewer people who will touch them, as it’s getting to be a case of collecting rare NOS bits, or dealing with the crap shoot of aftermarket parts.
The guy I bought mine from budgets 5-6 hours of cleaning up the gear teeth edges with a dremel, and then builds up the whole assembly in a cut-away case, so he can ensure the parts play well with others…a certain percentage of new gears just go straight in the trash.
Air freighting an entire trans AND transfer case from England to SoCal was surprisingly reasonable. I have to imagine an E-type box would weigh 1/3 as much, and fit in a box 1/4 the size…might be worth exploring.
Oh gosh: I just experienced pain, by seeing that: memories!!!
Don’t be such a softie…the whole truck is a model of design efficiency…just look at this simple steering diagram, if you doubt me.
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My specialist and his Dad have forgotten more about old Jaguars than most others know. At the time he showed me a new rebuild (another mechanic) that he had been asked to re-rebuild. The new bearing in the fist motion shaft had significant bearing clearance permitting unacceptable lateral movement. Convinced a simple soul like yours truly, with aplomb. I have the part numbers for the original bearings and the matching Hoffman bearings - let me know. Paul
It’s the weight, not the design!!! 
I also don’t doubt you: remember, I worked on the beasts.
JB Sports Engineering offer all-synchro gear sets for the Moss box. They specialise in Morgan’s but offer a conversion for the E-Type if you ask them. https://jb-engineering.co.uk/?page_id=80
David
Wow, I’ve officially gone from too few options to too many
Have you heard of anyone who’s taken advantage of their services for a Moss box conversion? Or for anything for that matter? I’m unfamiliar with them. It’s an interesting concept. I wonder if they’re using the guts from a 4.2 box.
I have one limitation in this endeavor and that is time to experiment and time to fail. My garage is small and is perched atop a steep hill so I don’t have room for an extraction or to roll the car out into the drive because it will keep rolling. Drew is kindly offering up his shop but I need to keep the duration to a minimum. This is why doing something like shipping it off to Australia isn’t an option.
I shudder to think what that kit must cost…
Regards,
Ray L.
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I definitely will Paul. I haven’t yet dug through the box to see if I have an original set of old bearings I can measure. If so, I’ll compare those in all dimensions to what I was sent from the parts vendor. if they vary at all, I’ll look into finding Hoffman bearings. I know a pretty competent machinist who could cut those slots for me in under a week. They’ll probably be less than thrilled about cutting hardened steel but will just charge me enough for a new bit.
Years ago, someone on this list related how they shipped an E-type gear box utilizing an Igloo cooler as a shipping container. Tough and cheap and can be used for their intended purpose once delivered. Two layers of robust plastic with an inch or so of insulating foam between them to absorb impacts. Seems like it would be a very good shipping container. Just remove the handles, latch and drain spout (put those in the cooler) and have the shipper run some bands around the cooler to keep it closed and you are good to go.
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Ray
About $5000 last time I checked. The conversion was designed for Morgan race cars where reliability is paramount.
Although they also offer a “kit” they usually insist on doing the work themselves to be able to offer a full warranty.
David
Bearing races are hard, but not uber-hard. I’ve cut them myself on my little lathe, using a carbide insert too, with no problems. A machine shop should have no problem at all.
Regards,
Ray L.
You’d have to REALLY love your Moss box to spend $5K rebuilding it, give you could buy a VASTLY better modern 5-speed for almost the same money…
Regards,
Ray L.
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