Audi 3U transaxles coming to America maybe

O.K. I spoke with Mark Sibley at MDA and he's going to check on the availability of some 3U boxes. These will probably be out of junk yards, but I'm sure they'll be in decent condition as he wouldn't try and locate boat anchors. I know two of you out there were interested, but I don't have a clue yet what these will cost. The exchange rate isn't the greatest right now, and I'm sure there will be some packing charges, but I'm curious how may are serious about obtaining one of these. By the way, I'm located about 35 miles Southeast of Columbus, Ohio.

Jim Downard

I am definitly interested in them


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I'm not excactly sure what the pricing will be yet, however, I suspect that used 3U's in England would be equivilent to the 5N's in the States. The kicker is the exchange rate. Currently sitting at $1.75 per pound. Mark will most likely add a little in for aquiring the boxes and packing them in the container, but I can't imagine too much additional in actual shipping charges. Now, those who live closer to Ohio would have the option of picking up the box for themselves and saving on shipping from Ohio to where ever, and at the same time checking out an MDA GT40 in it's virgin state. I'm not sure of the cheapest way to ship to Florida or other large distances. All in all, I think it would still be cheaper than buying a 5N box and changing the ring and pinion and/or the 5th gear ratio. I think MikeDD and one other was interested. Were you interested in just one or more. I'm not sure how many Mark could come up with but I'll ask in my next email.

Jim Downard

Changing the ring and pinion is a big deal.
Special tools etc. Changing 5th gear only looks
doable by average gearhead. I'll soon find out!

Hey Neal...how hard was it to install your Phantom Grip?
When are we going to get a road test?

MikeD

The Phantom grip install was very simple. Remove the spider retainer, shave a bit of material from opposing spiders, place the unit into the carrier and replace the spider retainer.



Work and family commitments have slowed things a bit. I have the next two weeks free and hope to make some progress, including the elusive road test! I'll let you know about first impressions.