Hi, as some people probaly know i am modifying a saab 96 to take a zetec engine, this is going well, when i atcually get the chance to go home!

however while the gearbox will bolt up to the zetec ok i am not sure that it will take the extra power and torque particularly well, eventally i am going to break it!

there are some options i could get the gearbox rebuilt, which would be nice as i would retain the freewheel and column change but would only have 4 gears and the gearbox's live would be limited.

the other option that i am considering is using an audi gearbox, (i need a transaxle type gearbox) this will give me a stronger gearbox and possilbly six gears which would be cool, it should fit in the engine bay but obviously i need to make custom driveshafts etc.

so my first question is that are the bellhousings removable on audis? can get around that if i have too.

also how does the gear change mechanism work? i suspect it won't be compatable with a column change? what sort of gear linkage would work? this is only idle thought, does onyone have any decent pics of an audi transaxle most notably the gearchange bit, as i have only found rubbish pics to date.

many thanks

[Edited on 13/3/07 by trogdor]

IIRC the bell housings are integral. The changer tends to be a shaft that come out of the back of the box. In/out for for/aft motion, and it rotates for side to side on the gear lever. May be doable for a column shift with suitable cables/bell cranks.

Hi Trogdor,

To start with the simplest question; the only (after 1985) audigearbox I know of that has a separate bellhouse are some quattro boxes. These boxes were used in special models and can handle any power you want to throw at them. You could use one of them and weld up the middle diff. However are very, very heavy (steel) and long.

All 2wd transaxle boxes i know have an integrated bellhouse and are aluminium.

The question on how they shift is more difficult: what do you want? For you installation it sounds logical to go for a cable set-up one. A box like this is used by the dutch westfield dealer in his XTR4. Completly original, you only need longer cables.

The positioning of the selector on the box differs througout various models.

Then there are the ratio options. The basic layout of most audi boxes are identical. But for each engine they seem to develop a fresh set of ratio's. Most you can mix and match.

I would try to find a breaker specialised in audi. In the Nederlands I would go to www.audiparts.nl They have stacks of them and, more importantly, the info to go with it.

If you go with an audi box; why not also go for a 20V 2L engine? I am really happy with mine...:-))) Lighter than the Zetec, more power and torque out of the box and easier to tune.

One thing with the audi boxes; you won't find one with a LSD. If you want that you will need to buy one with the aftermarket specialists.

Or find one from a Porche boxer. Internally they are the same as the audi.

Hope it helps.

Mies.

that is helpful, i have no real idea of what i want as this is only a vage wondering! the column shift on the saab is a rod linkage with a universal joint that i suspect will not work in the same way as the audi's does, ie the selector goes in and out of the box for the side to side motion of a normal floor shifter and side to side to select the actual gears. I would of thought a normal floor shifter gearchange would work the other way around.

sorry if i described that badly

as for ratios i have no idea what i would want, reasonably close ratios and a higher 6th or 5th gear i guess.

the audi engine sounds good, the only reason i went zetec is that it will bolt up to the orginal gearbox, though how long is the audi engine as the zetec only just eeks in with the saab, its a short engine bay.

Hi Trogdor,

How much space do you have available? This may be the critical factor - Audi transaxles are quite chunky, while Renault ones are a bit more tapered, and something like a Lancia Fulvia is very long and thin. As Saab extended the car to fit the V4 from the 2-stroke days, the space available may be very limited.

It may be easier to just try and keep the saab box going

1 question - have you actually checked the engine against the box? Didn't the Saab 96 use the German Cologne V4 engine, which has a different mounting face from the Ford of Britain engines??

Regards

Andrew

look at suparuss's photo archive hes using a audi box in a mid engine car, i believe he has a few very good pics of his gear linkage i it

if you really wanted to do a serious bit of modifying to the saab how about quattro?

sorry maybe you dont want to venture down that road maybe id be best keeping quite

yep the gearbox will fit the zetec, it does need a bit of fettiling to get it to fit but nothing major.

I think audi boxes will fit as they don't seem much longer than the saab one. i can always massage the bulkhead a bit to make it fit.

The quattro idea sounds great, i was thinking of doing that, but it would require so much time and effort to do, fitting a new engine and gearbox is relatively simple compared to the mods you would have to do!

maybe a project for the furture tho......

[Edited on 14/3/07 by trogdor]

true, you would have to make a larger tranmision tunnel probabily, then i have never seen under a saab 96 but i'd say theres not much space about the rear axle line for a subframe and diff to be bolted in place.

all depends now much much time you have because i would see a lot of cuting required to do it only worth while if you really do want it

there isn't would have to cut the whole lot out and relocate the fuel tank etc. It is aload work that i may do for another project.

still, i would be interested to know low long an audi engine is? do they have any v6 engines that are relatively cheap and light?

well if you dont need the boot space then the fuel tank can go there just lik ethe way audi did it then selfs in many quattros

i dont know much about the V6 except it from the early 90's i believe so it should be fairly good, it might have a alloy block but i dont know for sure, would seen sencable for it to be alloy since they design all there cars with the engine infront of the front axle line

hmmm it is tempting to wack the zetec in for now then when the gearbox has bit the dust to put an v6 audi engine and gearbox in, wonder how the 155 section tyres would like that?

theres also that turbo lying in the boot doing nothing.........