Yep... very subjective, so I'll try and narrow down my criteria.
Reasonably priced (up to £250).
Lightweight.
Detachable bellhousing.
Decent aftermarket scene.
Capable of handling up to 250 ft/lbs of torque.
Slick shifting.
... oh, and lightweight! Did I already say lightweight!? 
I've heard that the Mazda 5-speed box is a corker, but there are quite a few variants... does anyone know which one is 'best'?
Any other suggestions?
Cheers.
[Edited on 18/1/12 by scootz]
BMW E36 3-series box is light & cheap and can take loads of power & torque (260 lb-ft in the M3, 370 lb-ft in the M5 which I suspect is the
same box). The five speed is supposed to be the stronger version.
IIRC it's about 30 kg.
Cheers Rodg... will check it out!
PS - meant to add that it must have a detachable bellhousing!
Do you know if the E36 one comes away (it's hard to tell from the pics I'm looking at).
No, it doesn't. Nothing an angle-grinder can't fix though... I'm sure it could be modded.
From what I remember the E36 box does NOT have a detachable bell housing.. However, I took it out of the car a year ago and didn't really pay
much attention so don't remember too well.
It's also extremely fat (think MT75 vs. Type 9) but is a reliable and very nice gearbox indeed.
Got one in the garage (somewhere) if you decide you want one to play around with.
Thanks guys!
omega v6 gearbox is a huge improvement over a type9 its 11kg lighter better gear change, will take bags of power, cheap as chips. only downside is that it doesn't have a detachable bell housing. on the plus side it will fit vauxhall and saab engines so there are plenty of options for good easy power.
11kg's lighter than a Type 9... ???
That'd put it in the low 20's (kg). 
Just had a look... it is dinky! 
I'd need a bespoke (longer) input shaft to make it work though 
The older Getrag 265 (E30 I think) is supposed to be pretty strong too, it does have a detachable bellhousing
Getrag 265 out of the Jags are getting rare especially for £250. But it is a good 'box.
How about a Supra 'box, maybe be a Getrag and it has a detachable bell housing.
quote:
Originally posted by scootz
Just had a look... it is dinky!
I'd need a bespoke (longer) input shaft to make it work though
The mazda 5 Speed is good but doesn't have a detatchable bell housing. The 6 speed is better and known to handle more torque/power.
It is more bulky than a Type 9 and doesn't fit in all 7 chassis. Ask me how I know!
The Toyota W58 box from 1980's Supras is great, but they are getting hard to find now. They do have separaqte bellhousings.
Geoff
Get a Borg Warner T5 from USA. Bell housings are available for nearly every common day engine for these. May be a little more than £250 though, by the
time it gets here. Maybe check for the american car wreckers in Oxfordshire, near the yank airbases.
Cheers,
Nev.
Cheers all! Off for more 'virtual' rummaging to see what's available!
quote:
Originally posted by fesycresy
Getrag 265 out of the Jags are getting rare especially for £250. But it is a good 'box.
How about a Supra 'box, maybe be a Getrag and it has a detachable bell housing.
these are however fitted in high end BMW's, nice box make sure you get the prop, flywheel etc as they make good
money when a complete package. yes for the 3 series box,light strong very cheap ,easy to find,hydraulic clutch,downsides are bellhousing is integral,also the problem i had to solve when i used on an alfa v6 the input splines are a long way back due to the type of flywheel bmw use,this means input into clutch needs mod or shorten box which i did.phil
Cheers Phil.
PS - Meant to update the thread to say that I found an RX7 Turbo box dirt cheap, so I'm going to give that a whirl.
PPS- Yes, I know it's not that light 
