Post by AdministratorWhat mods are you considering? I think a standard tranny can cope with more
or less anything you can get out of a V4 as long as it's good. The 95/96
tranny has a much stronger ring and pinion than the Sonett and is less prone
to blowing up. I think some use the older cast-iron gear housings as they
flex less than the ribbed alloy ones. But they're heavy.
The original V-4 transmissions ('67-8) did not have the ribs on the
case. The first I was aware of those was in the Sonetts. Although I
think they eventually made their way into the sedans, I'm not sure
when. The cast iron case for the 4-speed was a competition department
item that was never used in production. They're rare as hens teeth.
The old three-speed boxes were cast iron, but they're not
interchangable with the 4-speed, i.e., you can't take the guts out of
a 4-speed and put them into one of those 3-speed cases and run it with
a V-4. For one thing, the flange where the bell housing casting bolts
up is different.
My concern with transmissions and added power are more with the
bearings and gears. All new bearings would be wise in an old
transmission of unknown use, and most importantly for any
93/95/96/Sonett transmission, keep the oil clean. Every old-timer SAAB
mechanic I ever talked to was adamant about changing it every 6 months.
Post by AdministratorThe main concern with a HiPo V4 is the fibre timing gears. Replace them with
metal ones first thing before any other mods.
I ran my '67 V-4 for several years with the original fiber gears after
adding the 3/4 cam and the 28/36 DCD Weber carb and never had any
problem. I could easily pull 70 mph in third gear, and felt like there
was something left. Of course, as with big Fords and Chevies with the
four-barrel wide open, I couldn't run like that for long without
stopping at a gas station. But as long as I drove without stuffing my
foot to the floor, I had more power and got better gas mileage than
with the stock cam and original Solex carb.
The thing I'd be more concerned about with the increased power and
potentially higher rpms would be the bottom end rod bolts. There is a
replacement rod bolt, but I don't have the number handy. It's a
standard Ford part.
Post by AdministratorBe warned, V4 mods can get very expensive depending on how far you want to
go.
Any mods that you decide to make, I would talk to Jack Lawrence about
what you need to do to keep it together. Keeping it all together is
more important than having gobs of power.
Years ago I was in on a conversation with a guy who had just bought a
Can-Am car. He said that you could build your car to try to beat the
McLarens, and usually break, or you could build the car to finish, and
as far back as tenth you'd still make at least enough prize money to
pay your expenses for the weekend. He'd switched over to Can-Am from a
Continental car (pro Formula-A series) because the prize stucture in
Continental paid almost all the money to the first place car, and if
you were back in the pack you didn't even make enough to pay for the
weekend's lodging.
Andy in PDX OR
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