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Project “Silver Bullet” — Part 3

20K views 79 replies 20 participants last post by  supraholic 
#1 ·
Hi Gang,

It’s been almost 8 years since I’ve done any mechanical mods to my car. However, that will change this winter as I will be installing a fully built R154 transmission with all the Marlin Crawler goodies (rebuilt by Dirftmotion) along with OS Giken Grand Touring twin plate clutch, including hydraulic release bearing upgrade. The W58 has held up ok but the clutch is now slipping as I go over 12 psi of boost. I also noticed I’ve got a rear main seal leak so I’ll be installing a new one while I’m swapping the trans (could be why the clutch is slipping as well).

Stay tuned for more to come on this thread once I get the trans shipped back from Driftmotion. I just put her on the lift today for winter hibernation and to get ready for the trans swap:



-Dan
 
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#4 ·
You can't get the damn thing in gear. 2nd and sometimes 3rd I have all kinds of problems getting it into gear at high RPM. Plus they are prone to leaking at high power and if you break anything you're SOL. There are far better choices these days for what people want for used R154s.
 
#5 ·
I picked up my used R154 from another forum member 6 years ago and if I recall I paid just a few hundred bucks. Been sitting in storage ever since so figured I’d use it. I’ve heard good things about Driftmotion rebuilds w/upgraded Marlin Crawler forks; and they even sell brand new R154’s now. But alas, the last time I drove a supra with a R154 was back when I owned an ‘88 Turbo 12+ years ago—I don’t remember it being too bad...

Agree, paying $2k+ for a used 154 is crazy, imho.
 
#6 ·
High RPM lock outs definitely forced me to upgrade.
 
#8 ·
PGS gearset.
 
#9 ·
I just looked it up...$4500 for gearset swap---YIKES! No doubt, these gears look bulletproof but i hope to do my entire R154 trans swap (w/fully rebuilt trans incl. all MC parts) plus brand new dual-plate clutch w/hydraulic T/O bearing...all for about the same price of just these gears alone.
 
#10 ·
I bought a new R154 from Driftmotion last year and shifts great at high RPM'S, but have only driven it @1000 miles with a 1jz stock twins at 17 psi.
I blew 2 W58's with the steel center plates all in 5th gear just accelerating on a pass. Now I have to buy another one for my other 84 Supra 1jz which also
blew 5th gear on a W58 just passing.Then maybe the upgrades will be complete.
 

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#11 ·
Really, whats the alternative though. Fitting a T56 is a PITA and super expensive. The 6 speed in the 370z is really affordable, but the swap kit puts it way beyond the cost of a marlin crawler upgraded r154, and people complain about the shift quality all day in the 370z too. Seems like the 6 speeds in modern muscles cars are the only way to go these days. People bitch endlessly about the ones in the new Tacomas, IS250s, Altezza etc. I wish Toyota still made their own rwd manual tranny.
 
#12 ·
T56 magnum. You can spend a 1000 on an r154 and then 2000 rebuilding it with all the bells and whistles. Or you can spend $3200 and get a brand new t56 delivered to your door from Summit. If you break anything on the r154 you're screwed and have to start over.
 
#13 ·
Upgrading to a Dog Box was the best thing I ever did. After years and years of using regular transmissions, it was time to do what I dreamed of doing.

Even someone actually made his signature with my name in it. I love it.
 
#14 ·
Sure, a t56 box, but whats the bell, flywheel, output shaft and all the ancillaries that need to be replaced cost? And who has actually done it? I did some searching and couldn't find any build threads with a completed swap. Will is getting close. I seem to remember somewhere too that the transmission width is huge on those and it won't fit in the stock tunnel. If you have to do a complete tunnel replacement like with the v160, its far from a practical or cost effective swap. FYI I have a good buddy who built an insane twin turbo 1uz ra2x Celica and he had about $8k Cdn into his complete t56 swap. And he broke the tranny too, and had some quality issues. I think that 8k may have included the cost of the replacement box, but still its not exactly cheap.
 
#15 ·
The t56 magnum is narrower than the R154 and can put the shifter in the stock location. It's been done with v8 with no tunnel mods. Several bellhousings exist for the 2jz. There are bolt in swap kits for the mk4. Technically speaking the magnum is actually a newer tr6060 for the aftermarket.
 
#17 · (Edited)
SilverMK2: you got me curious...Google quickly found Grannas Racing and they make a complete T56 Magnum swap kit for multiple imports w/2JZ engine swaps, including the MKIII: https://www.grannasracing.com/colle...mk3-supra-t56-magnum-swap-kit-2jz-mkiii-jza70 . Check out the fitment pics in this link...I contacted the owner to get his thoughts on if this would also drop into the MK2. Mechanical speedo adoption is another question I had...Keep you guys posted.

Net/net, if there's a chance I can make this work, I might be selling my rebuilt R154 and try this setup instead...I'm game for something different. The total package would cost $2100 more (apples-to-apples) but 6-speed, brand new tranny, up to 700 lbft tq, fairly unique, and plenty of aftermarket parts...might be worth it. Hmmmm.
 
#18 ·
Mechanical speedo you can take the tail housing off the trans and there are place that machine the mechanical speedo drive features. The pads are there, but they don't machine them. There are many different speedo gears for almost any combination available.

Unless they'll build you a mount the grannas kit isn't that helpful. They use a QuickTime bellhousing you can buy anywhere. Clutch you can get new disc's from osg and use what you have. Shifter use the rear plate, but flip it so it's forward. Reverse sensor there is a low profile Ford one out there.

Note also the t56 is better geared for like a 3.9 or 4.10 rear end. 6th is super tall on the Gm geared version.
 
#19 ·
I've run many R154's, My personal opinion is if you have all the parts and are scared of blowing up the W58, which would happen soon if you run 400tq. Its a stronger transmission. I have driven numerous R154's from MC rebuilds I've done, to minty low mileage ones. They drive like a truck, I have missed gears while pulling, and have only ever broken 1. If your already spending money. It might be better to look at other options and sell your whole kit to upgrade to something newer and will drive better. If your not spending much money to put the R154 in, (driveshaft mainly) then do it. Otherwise If I had a choice I personally would be looking into better options. I haven't done my due diligence so thats all I can say. Good luck, Beautiful car.
 
#20 · (Edited)
SilverMK2--Thanks for the info sir! Regarding optimal gearing, looks like there there's two different gearing options for the T56 Magnum to choose from:

1. 2.66, 1.78, 1.30, 1.00, .80, .63
2. 2.97, 2.10, 1.46, 1.00, .74, .50

For comparison, the W58 ratios are: 3.285, 1.894, 1.275, 1.00, 0.78

I'm currently running a 3.73 rear end. What would be the optimal choice above for my setup?

raysupra--You are thinking exactly what I'm thinking...and leveraging all the diligence you've done is a time and money saver for me in the long run! Thanks for the advice!

-Dan

EDIT: I found a gear ratio calculator online and input the options above. #1 above is the best option. 6th gear ratio for #2 above puts the car over 100 at 2500 RPM with 3.73 rear end and the tire size I’m running. Not a practical cruising speed unfortunately. Lol.
 
#25 ·
...
puts the car over 100 at 2500 RPM with 3.73 rear end and the tire size I’m running. Not a practical cruising speed unfortunately. Lol.
In Germany, almost! But we're not there.
 
#21 ·
#23 ·
Well, I took the plunge. My minty fresh, fully built-by-Driftmotion R154 trans (w/ALL Marlin Crawler goodies) will soon be up for sale once I get it back from them. I just picked up the "universal" T56 Magnum conversion kit from Grannas Racing w/ClutchMasters FX850 dual plate clutch. Joel is running a Black Friday deal so I saved an additional $450 off on the kit. Bonus.

I'm super pumped. And as usual, this forum finds a way to spend more money than I planned. So thank you all for your ideas, insight and recommendations. I'll be sure to update pics and the entire install process in this thread so stay tuned...

-Dan
 
#24 ·
Awesome. I really like the CM 850 clutch, too. Been using it with a street/race disc setup, and it drives very nice on the street.
 
#26 · (Edited)
UPDATE! Santa Claus stopped by in the big brown truck today and dropped this off:


I’m pumped.



Picked up an MKIV replica shift knob with T56 shift pattern. Sweet:



Awaiting the clutch to arrive tomorrow then traveling for work the next couple of weeks. Hoping to dig into this project in mid-December and through the holidays...

-Dan

EDIT: clutch arrived!
 
#29 ·
Progress today! Got the W58 out along with installation of new rear main seal and new T/O bearing that came with Grannas kit. Got the Magnum all prepped and ready for a test fit but was at a good stopping point this evening to spend time with the fam on Christmas Eve. Will dig back in on Wednesday.

Happy Holidays everyone!!




Flipped the shifter around and resealed the housing:

 
#30 · (Edited)
GREAT NEWS—IT FITS! But there’s definitely very little room to spare...

So here’s the deal...first I test fitted the bell housing and had to do a couple minor modifications.



1. I had to move the 4 hard lines at the front of the tunnel:

Also, you can see where I had to massage the tunnel a little bit to clear the side of the bell (just below the hard lines).

Here’s where I moved the top two hard lines (fuel supply and rear brake line feed) to the top of the tunnel, and the bottom two lines (fuel return and fuel tank vapor) to the bottom of the tunnel:


2. With a test of the Bell housing again I decided to cut off two tabs at the top of the bell to give more clearance. You can see the cut marks in this pic:



Cutoff wheel made quick work and brushed on some black chassis paint to prevent rusting on the cut marks...more clearance...nice:


So with the bell fitting nice, it was time to test fit the trans. Pucker time!

3. First minor issue I ran across sliding the trans into place was at the shifter opening. I knew the shifter would fit perfectly in the unmodified hole once in its final resting position. However, notice the shifter handle stud on the trans protrudes about 3 inches—as compared to W58 where the shifter comes out completely giving more top side clearance when angling the trans into position. Net/net, I couldn’t get enough trans angle to clear the output spline into the bell hosing while also clearing the shifter stud into the shifter opening. I trimmed about 1/2” off the rear side of the shifter opening and problem solved.

The shifter location in the opening is about 1/2” more forward than the W58. PERFECT.




4. With the tail of the trans lifted as high as I could get it without any interference, I still need to raise it another half inch or so. Here you can see where the rear of the trans hangs down; I’d like to try and get to even with the frame rails at minimum:



Looking down from the front of the car, oil pan in the foreground, you can see at the far end where the rear of the trans hangs a little lower than the bottom of the bell. Another 1/2-3/4” higher and will be good:


There’s enough clearance at the top rear of the tunnel to raise another 1/2-3/4”:


...but I will need to massage a couple more spots on the trans tunnel to clear and move the two hard lines i moved to the top of the tunnel back down towards the bottom to clear the bell.

I’ll post the next update once all these final tweaks are made and the trans is in for the final time. Yahoo!! The T56 Magnum fits in the MK2!!

-Dan
 
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