| Author | Message | ||
| Paul Prideaux (Paul355c)
Junior Member Username: Paul355c Post Number: 53 Registered: 10-2001 |
See, I need to keep it in really good shape so Rob Lay will eventually buy it.  Paul, it's still a mystery what went wrong. All of my connections in the Challenge arena and my local Ferrari dealer tell me the 355 gearboxes are rock solid and rarely fail. My theory is that a nut retaining a shaft backed off and the shaft got out of alignment and some unfriendly gears came into contact. I found one transaxle, recently rebuilt by Ferrari of Houston, for $14,500. The one I bought was used and was $7,500. From my research, I believe this is a good price. It came from a 10k mile car and it is from a reputable source. Yes, the swap was pretty easy, compared to pulling the transmission out of a conventional car with front engine and rear wheel drive. I feel really good about the project. I don't like spending money but I like taking on a project like this and having it turn out well. Here are some more photos of the new tranny going in. Notice the fiberglass heat shield on the clutch cover to keep the exhaust from overheating the clutch. This is unique to Challenge cars. It was heartbreaking to cover up the prancing horse on the aluminum clutch cover.      | ||
| Greg Owens (Owens84qv)
Member Username: Owens84qv Post Number: 405 Registered: 10-2001 |
Paul, the car looks completely different now that I've seen the graphics you've applied to the car...looks really good. It was so good to see you post again...I saw the title of the post and knew it had to be you. Let me know when you've got everything hooked up and tested. I'm extremely impressed with the work you've undertaken from the beginning with this car. Take care and call sometime!! | ||
| Paul Newman (Newman)
Junior Member Username: Newman Post Number: 209 Registered: 12-2001 |
Nice car,Paul. what exactly went wrong with the gearbox and what did the used one cost? Looks like an easy swap. | ||
| Paul Prideaux (Paul355c)
Junior Member Username: Paul355c Post Number: 52 Registered: 10-2001 |
Well, let's try that again.    | ||
| Paul Prideaux (Paul355c)
Junior Member Username: Paul355c Post Number: 51 Registered: 10-2001 |
For those that may be interested, here are some photos of my recent project to replace the transaxle in my 355 Challenge car. I had a gearbox failure and I bought a used tranny to put in the car while I have the original one rebuilt. The process was not that difficult. Since the tranny is in the back, access is very easy. I welcome any questions.  |