is it true that the type 9 gearbox isnt strong enough to cope with the power from a 2l zetec,ive read somewhere that the mt 75 is a better choice.i thought the type 9 was bullet proof.allso is it a tight squize to get the ztec into a standard chassis.what mods if any are needed

Type 9 is not bullet proof however it is slimmer the the MT unit hence easier to get into the tunnel and you can pick up a replacement for £50 at scrap yard if you manage to break one !!!

do you have to cut mutch of the tunnel away to fit the mt 75

They used the type 9 in the XR4x4 which was a 2.8 v6. Not an immensly powerful engine I know but will have far more torque than the Zetec which is what the gearbox is really worried about.

Chris

I have actually reduced the size of the tunnel and fitted an MT75. Internal gap between H uprights at front of tunnel 215mm, distance between front set of K uprights 102mm. The gearbox fits in place even with the 6" dia output adaptor in place, (though I plan to remove this eventually). I chose the MT75 option because it is lighter and most importantly the gearchange is remote and can easily be repositioned to avoid contact with the dash, something which I believe is a problem when using a type 9.

Mick

Although I havn't finished my chassis yet the only changes I have made so far have been in the positioning of G1 & G2. G1 is moved quite a long way outboard to give clearance for the starter, I am considering adding a member to triangulate from part way along G1 to C and may well post a question about this in the future. If you havn't started your build yet I would strongly suggest you consider making the chassis taller, (25 - 35mm) as the Zetec is quite tall, it would also help if you obtain your nosecone early in the build as getting the engine under the nosecone and still maintaining good ground clearance is a bit of a challenge.

Mick

as chrisw says the type 9 was used on the ford v6's but with a longer input shaft and bellhousing. the v6's were i think upto about 150bhp.

I've heard of vauxhall's running type 9's (different bellhousings) @ 190+ bhp that snap second gear in half so somewhere between 150 -180 i would guess is the limit for the box...

Ned.