CooperRoadMini’s MAZDA??

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A happy Mini owner usually has another vehicle or six in or around the garage. Our 66 Cooper S Resto-mod is more proof-of-concept than practical transportation, so our collection of Classic Survivors together add up to meet my needs for getting around our local area. Half a dozen relics that are only good for certain conditions. As up to half of these are not close to “usable” at any given time, The ones we rely on require attention from time to time. For me, that usually means UPGRADES!   Our 1974 Mazda Rotary Engine Pick-up is one such survivor and it has a heater! …And an interior that can be closed off to rain and cold, and we want our cool truck running again.  It’s been on the back-burner and the pile of  “I’ll get to that when the truck is fixed…” has grown.

A+ Gears in the Older 4-syncho Mini Cooper Gearbox

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Here I show the modification to the 22G1128 gearbox case that allows running a full late A+ Gearset from a Rod-change transmission. The modification allows the case to accept the 3-step layshaft that is needed for the A+ style laygear. This is a viable option as most of the small input bearing mainshafts have passed into oblivion, and finding a good set of gears, particularly second gear in the pre A+ helical pattern is getting difficult… and expensive.

Running A+ (or even the large bearing “intermediate gears prior to the A+, including the close-ratio 1275GT type if you can find these) provides a number of upgrades to address weaknesses. Besides the stronger 3-step layshaft and gear, you get the larger input bearing mainshaft, and the corresponding stronger input gear. The later gears also have a different coating on the synchro cones of the gears which lets the baulk-rings (synchros) work better, and is more durable (it has a black, almost “soft” when oily texture compared to the shiny metal of early gears).

This is a great upgrade, as the early small bearing type were used on tiny engines, and take a real beating when asked to perform with big-bore engines making 4 or 5 times the power and torque.

Next, I’ll be installing the differential, then we’ll confirm our Idler-gear end-float.

Oh Shift Forks! Back to the MOKE

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Well, as the seasons change and the days get awfully short, CooperRoadMini retreats into the R&D basement. We have space to leave half a dozen gearboxes taken apart all over the bench top and parts cleaner while we contemplate the next big improvement!

And here it is!   Years ago, I figured out that the 3-synchro remote gearboxes’ 1st/2nd brass shift-fork could be lightly clearanced to work in the 4-synchro 22G1128… probably when I didn’t have a good 22G889 (the “correct” 4-sync shift-fork), and cost of a new one was heading north of $150.  I made the mod whenever I could not come up with a good one.  I’ve noticed that the 22A611 3-sync shift fork is a much stouter casting and provides about 30% MORE brass in contact with the collar on the 1st/2nd hub slider…. Have a look at the video below.

In this case, I pulled the fork out of the old Moke 3-sync box, and it was in perfect condition, unlike most of the 4-sync versions which are usually knackered!   As our Moke is still using the “magic wand” shift linkage, this mod should really tighten up the stick-in-the-mud feeling that people expect with the magic wand!   The reader will kindly recall that our first gearbox suffered an idler bearing failure which destroyed the case and flywheel housing after about 750 miles, just when it was breaking in and shifting beautifully.   With our new case, we’ll be installing a full set of A+ standard ratio gears, modifying the case to accept the three-step layshaft.  We’ll keep the 3.44 final drive as it provided the perfect balance of acceleration and cruising speed for the Moke.