went down the scrappies today to source a type 9 ford gearbox but the guy wasn't sure which ford it was off.

he said he thought it was an early sierra item with the reverse by 1st gear.

he also said there were a few models of that gearbox - a cast steel version and a cast alloy version??? am assuming the alloy version is better for weight reasons.

can anyone spread light on this?

is it the best gearbox for a vaux xe 16v engine with a bell housing from yukspeed?

is the carlton g'box a straight fit?

any help will be much appreciated

Alloy one is MT75. Type 9 has seperate bellhousing.

yes, Carlton 'box bolts straight on to the XE 16v. The XE block is the same as the 2.0 8v OHC and the 1.8 8v OHC, as used in the Carlton. (and 1800 manta, which has the nice winged ally sump too as std)

why do people tend to go for the ford gearbox with the vaux engines then?

are the carlton boxes strong and reliable?

so is the type 9 a sierra box then?

thanks for the speedy replies!

Carlton (Getrag 240) box is pretty much as strong (actally really "as weak" as the Ford!

I have used both and broken both in std form. The key is that lots of aftermarket strong bits/nice ratios are available (from Quaife, Tran-X, BGH etc etc) for the Type 9, nothing is available for the Getrag 240.

(I also muck about with Mantas a lot and my 16v one blew up getrag boxes with familiar regualrity, but the Ford box is no better, although acceptable-ish in a light car like the locost)

suppose with the carlton box you save on the expence of changing the bell housing, spigot bearing, and clutch fork. which in my book is quite alot of money - £200+.

would u use a vaux prop shaft with a ford uv joint for the diff, or a ford prop with vaux uv joint for the g'box - or doesn't it matter that much!

might start to source a getrag240 tomorrow now!

yep, you save a lot of money using the getrag, and as long as you aren't planning any competition for your car then there should be no major problem.

Just watch out because most Carlton boxes have a rubber donut type coupling on the output, which is a pain. the manta 1800 one doesn't but is very rare! Some carlton boxes don't, I just can't remember which! (not sure if they did an 1800 carlton mk2 (pre 1987) if they did, this doesn't have the donut!

Propshaft wise, get both so you have both end fittings, and get a propshaft manufacturer (GKN at Minworth, Dunning and Fairbank in Yorks, Premier near Nuneaton, Reco-prop in Beds?) to put a new centre tube between the ends for you and rebalance it. Prop job should be £50-60.

Final point..... the internals of the manta 2.0 GTE box and the 1800 one are identical, but the front casings are different and the bellhousing is cast-in. However, manta GTE boxes are scrap money in good nick, and if you can find a broken 1800 box, the front casing will swap straight onto the GTE box. not a lot of people know that so if you come across a blown manta 1800 box, grab it and get a cheap GTE one for new internals!

Oh yes, lastly, Use the Astra 16v pressure plate for the clutch, and the 2.0 carlton friction plate and release bearing, or an uprated plate from mardi-gras motorsport who distribute helix clutches.

i have a manta gte box going if anyone needs it, and i'm meant to be getting a scrap 1800manta when the guy gets round to scrapping it...

Ned.

What bits are you having off the manta Ned? I'll have the sump if you don't want it!

been down the scrappies again and they've got some carlton boxes but they all have the rubber donuts on the output shaft.

can i still use this g'box cos i can have it for £30!

he said he'd never seen a carlton box without these rubber donuts.

It's probably a long time since he had a mk 2 carlton in, 1987 was the last year they were made and there aren't many left!

Have a look at how the "spider" (the bit the donut attaches to) fits the back of the 'box, it might come off easily enough and reveal a spline?? (usually there is a big bolt in the middle of the spider retaining it, but I don't know on the Carlton 'box.

why can't i leave that donut on the g'box and get a prop made up with the carlton uv joint?

i assume all that it does is makes it quieter and stops vibrations (???)