Can anyone help me identify this gearbox ?
It’s a long tailshaft GBxxx gearbox, missing central stabilizer pad, with shift knob going straight up, no quirky shifter mechanism/cover. Very early Mk1 ? But why different shifter location ?
Yes, pretty sure that is a Mk 1. They had a different top cover to the other cars. That said, it is missing the square pad on the top of the bellhousing to mount the rear engine stabiliser, which I think the Mk1 had. Maybe it has had a different bellhousing fitted, but the gearlever setup certainly looks like Mk1. Very early Mk1’s had a strange cranked lever, but this looks like the normal one.
Somewhere over the internet I’ve read that such early Mk1s used to have engine stabiliser attached to bellhousing using some special interconnect bracket going to regular tranny bolt locations. I think I might rebuild something this style if only I knew how did the original look like. Anyone has any idea / info / picture of this ‘ding’ ? Or even a part# ?
It could have been reasonably thick steel, right angle plate that goes into the two topmost bolts shouldn’t be too difficult to make and is much easier than getting another bellhousing - the plate doesn’t have to be that solid since it just stabilizes. I think that’s easier than the bellhousing swap. Factory part would be better of course…
Seems it should use 3 top bolts so could be wider, but would just … 3-4mm plate be enough without bending ? I wonder how it was made by factory …
In this photo from the book “Jaguar Mk1 & Mk2 Gold Portfolio” by R.M.Clarke you can almost see the bracket used in Mk1 engine stabilizer.
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That is what I had in my early -56 2,4L. The stabiliser bracket is fixed to the bellhousing with two of the big bolts fixed to the upper engine block. The early bellhouse lacks the upper mounting holes for the later bracket and also the shaft seal is a different arrangement than on later cars. I could not easily fit a mk2 gearbox to existing early 2,4 bellhouse, instead I fitted the mk2 gearbox complete with mk2 bellhouse. The gearbox top was a straight swap to get the gearstick in the early more forward position. Starter motor and clutch release forks are no different. Flywheel and clutch is smaller for the 2,4 than the 3,4 and 3,8.
When I bought my Mk2 back in 2000, it had Mk1 rear axle and a bellhouse without stabilizer fixing place (but Mk2 gearbox with OD). Maybe the bellhouse was also from Mk1.
I did not figure out need for bracket for stabilizer (I did not have that book then) so I purchased a Mk2 bellhousing and put it in to be able to use stabilizer.
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