Happy to say that I think I have all the bugs worked out, and am happily motoring on.
I've got about 50 or so miles on the unit now, and feel comfortable sharing my thoughts between the 2 units, and the quality of the current product which I have received.
on the Plus side.
1. Martin's kit is a very good quality unit, and he's gone to great lengths to ensure, at least for me, my customer satisfaction. The castings, and the machining are top of the shelf. Everything fit like it was supposed to. He's invested a lot of time and energy into this kit, and it really shows.
2. Very good vendor to work with during the waiting phase. He's a long way away, and sending a pile of money to someone you'll probably never meet in person can be a nail biter, but he's very in tune to these concerns, and was always accessible and very accommodating to allay one's nervousness.
3. With the kit installed, and adjusted, the shift quality is 100% improved over the Vellios unit.
I'll say now, I have a JWest shifter, Apex joints on a straight shift rod, and this combo combined w/the 916 kit, make for short, direct gear engagement. So far, knock on wood, each and every time. I feel I can now power shift with confidence.4. I now have a side shift kit on my 915 transmission that has FACTORY Part#'s on it, so I feel I've increased the resale value of the car relative to one day selling it.
On the down side..
1. Cost... With the Euro the way it is, the kit is now pretty pricey, but that is not Martin's fault nor should reflect on him. He works for a dollar just like we do. it's just to bad his dollar costs us $1.30.
2. No instructions included. What you get is a box of parts. If you don't know your way around a 915 box, you'll have to take it to someone who does. There was machining I needed done on mine, and some minor fitment of the shift shaft support, but nothing major.
Random Findings during the change out.
1. You'll need to thoroughly explain to Martin what you have for a 915 box so he can properly send you the correct parts for your conversion. IE: whether you have a mag case or an aluminum one. any mods you may have previously done to your trans. Billet retainer, Spray bar ETC... As I have found out, little things make a difference in the process going smoothly, or having some bumps in the road. He's designed the kits as if they were being installed, in completely stock Mechanical speedo(Mag Case), or Electric speedo (Aluminum Case) applications.
2. The support hole for the idler shaft in the nose cone needs to be chamfered. it'll come with sharp edges that'll tear the o-ring the first time you try to fit it. Chamfer that hole.
3. There is a set screw that locks down the shift lever to the shift shaft, inside the shift housing that bolts to the bottom of the transmission. LOCTITE this set screw before your final assembly. Failure to do so will result in the screw vibration loose. The shift quality will quickly begin to deteriorate until the internal shift lever falls of the shift shaft. When that happens, you'll have 0 gears, and a floppy shifter going nowhere. Ask me how I know..
All in all, I'm happy with the purchase and the process.
I should have bought it when he first put it on the market. But, I'm glad I finally got it behind me now. I'm copying this post in the vendor section
here's a few pics of the completion.
