Date:         Tue, 9 May 95 09:56:41 bst
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         A.C.Erskine@lut.ac.uk (Andy Erskine)
Subject:      Re: 914 trans in a bus?

>
>
>        >I was wondering if it would be possible to swap a 914 5-speed
>>transmission into my 73 bus.  There is one for sale in the paper for
>>$100. It sure would be nice to have a 5th gear, and closer ratios (I'm
>>assuming with 5 gears the ratios would be closer).  Anyone have
>>experience with this?  I know the engine turns it in the wrong direction,
>>but I heard once that there was some shaft that could be reversed, or
>>something.  Help?

>The ring and pinion can be flopped to the other side, but I would not recommend
>it. If you were to look at the way the ring & pinion mate, and you were to move
>the R&P to the other side of the tranny, you have changed surfaces of the gears
>that will carry the load. This will work, don't get me wrong, but it will
>probably be a noisy beast.Just my $.02

The gears will still be driving in the same direction though, so the faces 
will mate the same way. I don't know the specifics of putting one of these 
boxes in a bus but I do know several people who have put them in Beetles. 
There is a slight clearance problem but that probably won't occur in the bus.

Andy E.

A.C.Erskine@lut.ac.uk