Hello... from New Zealand.

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Russell King

:) Hi to everyone here. Long time admirer of GT40's. Found this forum when I was looking for information on transaxels and gearboxes . I have a homebuilt Lamborghini Countach replica , about 3/4 size that was built in 1986 from scratch. The car is running a Chev V6 and VW 4 speed transaxel .I purchased this car in November 2005 . Have been having problems with the gearbox and axels , so decided to reasearch web for info. Have recently purchased a 911/915 Porsche 5speed gearbox to replace the failing VW one . Hope that this site or members will be able to help me with some installation problems I now am facing . Great site , plenty of advice.
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Russ Noble

GT40s Supporter
Lifetime Supporter
Hi Russell, welcome to the forum. Lots of info here but I don't think there will be much on the 915. They are a bit marginal for GT40 use and I haven't noticed anyone who uses them here yet. Should be fine behind your V6 though I would think.

I believe Trevor Crowe runs one behind a 5 litre Rover V8 in his race/rally Skoda without too many problems. Could be worth a ring, I presume you know how to get hold of him?

Cheers
 
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Any_Key

welcome.
No offence, but that dosn't look much like a Lamborghini Countach.

What engine are you running? Chevy V6 is a little to vague for me.
 
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Russell King

Hi Russ, yes after reading through all the tech forums , I agree not a lot of info on the 915 transaxle. But you may be the one that could assist me. Would you know if the crown wheel can be swapped over in this (1974) version of the 915 transaxle? If so it would solve a height issue problem I have with rotating the transaxle 180 degrees .

Any_key , no offence taken , but car was modeled on the earlier 1974/78 LP 400 Countach series with the later front spoiler design and rear wing added. A little research on google will show you pictures of this , Chev V6 229 cubic in. , which is an ok power plant for a car of this size and low weight. As a little research showed that you are from the States , which would make you more familiar with the models of Countach over there with all the flared guards , moulded bumpers and added side mouldings which in my opinion slightly detract from the original shape of the Countach.
 
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Jim Cowden

I have a 40 at work that is running a 915.
It is behind a 350chev the owner is not kind to it but it seems to have stood the test of time.
Russel this car has had the crown wheel swaped and the trans flipped.
It has had a lot of welding work on one side of the diff housing so I would say something didnt fit.
The other thing is the detents for the gate shift is in the gearstick on a porch(or porsche).
The detent springs have to be done externaly but aparently someone in the USA does a gate mod (internal) for these boxes.
The owner has sorced one I can ask if you like.
But you may have already solved this issue.

I spent part of my child hood in Cambridge.
But they asked me to leave.

Jim
 
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Russell King

Thanks for the reply Jim . All the info that I have found on the 915 transaxle shows that it is more than strong enough for my engine as its rated up to 450 hp . The problem I have is that I am trying to avoid flipping the transaxle because of height issues with axle shafts. If I did flip it I would have to do modifications to chassis rails and suspension (added costs) also then would have to re-certify the car and that would cause more work to comply with current certification requirements .
I shouldn't have a problem with gear shift or linkages as I will be modifing the current VW set up.
I have emailed Renegade Hybrids and hopefully they will be able to answer my questions .

Cambridge is a nice place , I am originally from Auckland.
Don't hold that against me...
 
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Russ Noble

GT40s Supporter
Lifetime Supporter
Jim, I think that if you flip the trans there is no need to swap the crown wheel. Maybe the welding is for something else......

Russell, Trevor is running his motor high, so has not flipped the trans so must have swapped the crownwheel. Give him a ring I'm sure he'll tell you what's involved.

PS I worked in the Waikato for a couple of years last century, Cambridge IS a nice town
 
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Russell King

Great , thanks for that Russ , will try to contact him. If I have problems on that would you be able to point me in the right directions ?
 
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Lynn Larsen

Lynn Larsen
Russel,

If you change your mind and want some top notch goodies for you 915, the guys at the link below can fix you UP! They have an Aussie contact as well. Windrush Evolutions. If nothing else, check out their stuff just to see what they have. It's not cheap, but it's quality.

A buddy of mine, an Aussie expatriot, had a DRB (he is a boyhood friend of Denis') with a 915 in it. He is now building the Li'l Big Rig, which is a kit to turn a full size Chevy or Dodge pickup into a miniature semi. I am not sure how busy he is, but I can tell you that, if he has time, he'll be happy to help you. His name is Bob Williams and here is his website: Li'l Big Rig

Regards,
Lynn
 
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Russell King

Thanks , Lynn . A great site , has some very interesting info ... but a bit out of my price range tho' ...lol... but does have something that other members of this site maybe interested in , a rapid prototype design/build model system ... ideal for those interested in creating their own gearbox/transmission or other parts.
Not sure if your friend would be able to help on the 915 as from what I understand , in most instances where the 915 is used it is flipped so that the engine and transaxle is lowered for better C of G . If I don't have any luck with the other contacts given to me I will email him and ask . Thanks for the assistance.
 
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Jim Cowden

Russell
I had to go into wotk and I took a closer look at that 915 trans.
It hasnt been fliped over but like I said a lot of welding has been done on the case (diff housing) .
Its all the way around not like it had a let go its like its had a major mod for clearance.
Jim
 
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Lynn Larsen

Lynn Larsen
Russel,

I am pretty sure is was right side up as he had engineered his own hydraulics for the clutch and the slave was on top of the transaxle not underneath of it like the flipped G50 is. I am assuming they both have similar layouts for throwout fork access and starter location.

Regards,
Lynn
 
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Russell King

Thanks for that Jim , any chance of some pictures ?
Russ have contacted Trevor Crowe , confirms that his 915 wasn't flipped and crown wheel was swapped over . Only differences were that his was from SC model 78-82 series ? Not sure what that means , looks like will have to search the net for the info.
Lynn have sent an email to Bob Williams , thanks , will see what he has to say. Meanwhile of to do some more research...
 
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Russ Noble

GT40s Supporter
Lifetime Supporter
So... Did he have to weld anything? I can't imagine Trevor going to that sort of trouble.......He's a pretty switched on fella, my impression is that he always finds the simple solution......

Cheers
 
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Russell King

No , no welding involved... but his was a later version ... doing some research digging on mine ... so far, magnesium casing ... about 12lbs lighter than later ali ones ... just can't find decent enough pictures to determine if the casings are different in shape.
 
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Jim Cowden

I dont know the reason for this.Looks risky
You wanted a pic so here it is.
 

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Russ Noble

GT40s Supporter
Lifetime Supporter
Hmmmm. Not very pretty. Hard to tell from the photo but looks more like gluing broken pieces together rather than a nice even build up to allow internal machining.
 
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