WTB: 18rc tranny manual

[driftonedge]

hello every one. i have a 1970 toyota corona markll and i belive i have a 18rc. and wantin to do a manual swap so i need a manual tranny, and clutch padel,etc... pic below if its not a 18rc.

[stepho]

It's a 1900cc 8R-C.
Just like a 2000cc 18R-C except a little smaller inside
Looks like you have an RT80L.
Good reliable cars.

The mechanical part of the transplant is easy.
Any W50 gearbox that used to be behind an 8R, 18R or 20R will fit.
Donor cars are Celicas, Coronas and pickups from roughly 1970 to roughly 1980.
You can also use the W55, W56, W57 or W58 from behind the same cars after 1980 but you may need to customise the gearbox crossmember.
They all accept the same drive shaft that you have now.

Caveats:
Gearboxes from different models have the gear stick coming up in slightly diuffernt places.
You will have to measure where the transmission tunnel hole is in relation to the engine and then get a gearbox that comes up in the same place.
Just to make it hard, the W50 and W55 have about 3 flavours each, each one identical except for gear stick position.
Also beware that you need the bellhousing that matches an R series engine.
A W50 from an early Cressida is the same as the W50 from an early Celica but they have different bellhousings.

The real trouble will be sourcing a clutch pedal and clutch master cylinder and in modifying the centre console to accept the manual gearstick instead of the T bar.

Don't forget to bypass the neutral/park switch - otherwise you won't be able to start the engine.


- Stepho

[driftonedge]

thanks man that's helps sooo much you have no idea. how about a 22r tranny from the pickup? by the way i have a rt72. how Good and reliable is it??? what can i do to make it better maybe even faster?? do any 18rc stuff fit on? soo many qeustion so many to learn.

[stepho]

The 8R-C and 18R-c share many parts except for the pistons (not sure about rods and crank).
You can do a direct swap to any 18R engine with no drama.
You can also swap to any 20R (2200cc), 21R (2000cc) or 22R (2400cc) with little drama apart from getting the correct sump (front or rear bulge most clear your crossmember).

By the time the 22R engine came out Toyota had changed from you steel case manual gearbox to an alloy case.
It bolts straight up to the engine and accepts the same drive shaft but the gearbox crossmember will need to be modified (needs extra arms welded on because it bolts to the chassis in a different place).
Most Toyota gearboxes had multiple versions with the gearstick further forwards or backwards.
Measure and compare before you buy.

I made a small typo on the first reply.
The 1900 Corona is an RT83, not an RT80 (which was 1500cc).
Here are some specs on it.
http://members.iinet.net/~stepho/cor...htm#corona83pr

The RT72 Corona Mark II hardtop is a good reliable car.
They last forever and are easy to work on when they eventual break.
Getting quite rare now so it could be quite a head turner if done with a clean and simple paint job.
It has the same engine and gearbox as the RT83 Corona and accepts the same upgrades.
Here are some specs on it.
http://members.iinet.net/~stepho/cre...htm#markII72pr

Both cars are very similar to the early Celicas and shared many parts.
So the following Celica FAQ will cover many topics on your cars (especially for the engine).
http://members.iinet.net/~stepho/celfaq.txt

If you have reasonable mechanical skills then my recommendation is to drop in a 22R (carb) or 22R-E (EFI) with a mild cam and add a complete aftermarket exhaust system (including aftermarket exhaust manifold).
If you're more skilled or more daring then go for the Lexus 1UZ-FE.
Keep one car driving on the road and the other car in the workshop.
At suitable times (every 6 months?) swap them over.
Eventually both cars will be show stoppers.
My own mistake was to attempt to modify my '77 Celica while driving it to work.
Too many jobs were rushed (Monday morning looms) and I'm having to redo most of it.

- Stepho