Toyota 5 Speed Conversion 2007-2008

 

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5 Speed Home

Gear Ratio

Kit Contents

Kit Assembly

Installation

Critical Specs

Engine Install

Finishing Up

Interior Mods

W58 Option

Calibrate Speedo

 

 

 

Toyota 5 Speed Conversion

There are a few "modern" conversions that have always piqued my interests, among them: Dan Masters Wire Harness (done that), Rick Patton's Throttle Body Injection (done that), Jack Drew's Stub Axles (done that), Aluminum Radiator (Yup....done), Brake Upgrade (Started), Herman Van den Akker's Toyota 5 Speed (in progress) & Richard Goods' Nissan Differential (also in progress). So.......obviously by the heading up top,  this section is about the 5 Speed Conversion. There will be another section about the Nissan differential being cleaned up in my basements along with the brake upgrade.

So what's required to put a Toyota 5 speed in your Triumph? Well..........obviously a Toyota 5 speed transmission from an '82-'85 Celica/Supra or an '84-'96 Truck. I stayed away from the trucks for two reasons: 1st gear is a lot lower (stump puller so to speak) and you never know if they've been used to plow snow which can really beat up a truck and its drive train. These units also go by the designation of W58 and are encased in an all aluminum housing. Just because the housing is aluminum don't think you'll be seeing a big weight savings over the stock TR6 4 speed. The Toyota weighed in at 74 pounds while my TR6 unit was 73 pounds. If I had an overdrive unit, it would have added about 30 more pounds to the stock total. So basically there's no weight savings for me but if you've got an overdrive unit you will be a significant savings.

When I found one from an '83 Celica on eBay for $65 plus $60 shipping.....I grabbed it. When it arrived I was a little concerned.

Look at the bent bolts and bent flange cover!! What have I bought??

As it turns out the cover gets knocked off and the flange gets removed. Luckily the threads in the housing weren't damaged either so everything is OK. It did require quite a bit of cleaning with an assortment of wire wheels to get it looking presentable. Well...actually it didn't need to be cleaned at all but this was the one opportunity I'd have to "buff" it up. The pictures don't really do it justice.

Dirty Clean... the tranny shop guys loved it!

After a few phone calls with Herman, I found out what I had to do to "prep" the tranny for installation. Depending on the condition of your tranny, you may or may not have to remove the ring you see below. The ONLY way to get it out is with a hacksaw. You can't knock it out because there's a small flange below it that gets in the way.

This ring needs to go And with it removed
It took a hacksaw to cut it out. You can't "knock" it out.

Once I got the ring out I discovered that the speedometer worm gear in the housing was floating free. This gear rides on a shaft and engages the plastic speedometer drive. The metal clip that holds it in place was missing. A search of the web turned up a parts catalog with the needed parts and an email to my TBI friend and NAPA store owner, Rick Patton, secured the parts in no time. Herman recommends temporarily removing the plastic speedometer drive as it provides easy access to cleaning out the bottom of the gear shift housing.

Worm Gear was missing a securing clip Remove the bolt on left to pull the speedo gear
This is the internal plastic speedo gear that engages the metal worm gear

I brought it to a very reputable transmission shop which replaced the two seals, installed the worm gear clip and declared it a transmission in excellent shape........whew............ I had shades of a $400 rebuild in my brain which was no longer a concern. That little worm gear clip is impossible to install without removing the tail-stock on the transmission to gain easy access to the shaft, gear and clip holes. Considering what's involved, the $100 I paid for this work was well worth the price.

NOTE WELL: If you should find one of these W58 transmissions and it needs new bearings................you are in for a very expensive service visit. The bearings CAN NOT be replaced with out tearing the whole transmission apart. If you find one with sloppy end play at either shaft end..... move on to another tranny.

NEXT......Gear Ratio