Given the premise that I want to put a 915 into my '75 914, what will I need to address? The R&P is flipped, flywheel and clutch are already handled. What are your recommendations for the following:

1. shifter/linkage
2. clutch cable
3. axles
4. trans mounts

Anything else?

I just spent 2 hours using search here on the club, and I don't have any consise aswers yet.

Thanks in advance,
Eric

if it still has the 911 nose cone on it, you can make a hanger taht also serves as a base for the linkage pivot.

clutch (go hyrdaulic?) or ive seen people use the stock pulley on its side mounted on the trans....


or you can go WEVO

I am in the process of converting a 915 to mount to a 3.2 to go into my new a/xer. All arrows point to WEVO products. http://www.wevo.com/
Hayden Burville is the owner, great guy, great products. I have Jeff Gamroth from Rothsport doing my tranny conversion, he recommended WEVO immediately. He also down played the Velios conversion kit, as have others.
I'm installing the side shift kit, gate shifter kit, bearing retainer, speedo block off, I'm going with the WEVO shifter that mounts on 915 shift tower as well as his shift linkage parts. I'll likely use the WEVO tranny mounts as well, they are semi-solid.

Total cost is in the neighborhood of $6,000.00.
You'll also need to convert the CV's to mate to the 915.
In addition I'm also installing the Quaife LSD during the R&P flip.

Good luck,

Gary

What pressure plate and clutch disc are you using?

search Patrick Motorsports...

search Patrick Motorsports and Bobby Hart...

these are what i was looking for.

not very complicated geometry...

again swine!

did the search, for some reason it didn't work.

looked at the Patrick Motorsports site, are you using the carbon/kevlar clutch disc and Centerforce pp kit that is around $830?

Is that better than the Renegade HD kit?

What's the current hot setup for high torque V8 conversions using 915?

The current hot set-up for high torque v8's is a 930, the 915 is falling from grace. People are starting to use G50's but that's a lot of work/$$$.

I've got the Renegade/Kennedy HD clutch/flywheel/plate setup.

Are there issues hooking up the WEVO kit to a sideshift chassis (different shift rods)?

Eric

QUOTE

Are there issues hooking up the WEVO kit to a sideshift chassis (different shift rods)?

Small amount of fab work, minor mods. The linkage needs to be extended some amount that is individual to each car.

Hmmm, WEVO! The quality is top notch, you would be hard pressed to find something better...IMHO!





Superlite Flywheel (11lbs)!!


Shifter in my car:


One piece bearing retainer in my tranny.

Check out Kennedy Engineered products for an Stage 2 aluminum RSR style 915 pressure plate and consider using a stock disc with it. This combo is supposed to be good to almost 500 HP. I had it on my car until I blew my 915 up and swapped it for a 930 box....Oh goody...something even more expensive to blow up? (I hope not!)

Bill

Bump... Anything else?

Eric

I would not, I repeat NOT recommend using the linkage setup shown in the photos posted by Aaron. Aside from small differences in mounting it is the same one as on my car. Nothing but a hassle. This is Rod Simpsons design and while it will work, it provides very poor shift feel. If you go this route (I believe it is the least expensive option) then pay close attention to alignment of all pivots. Lets just say it takes some fiddling with it to get it "right".
I'm still considering the cable setup from renegades, simply for the lower cost. Ideally though I will be installing the WEVO parts.
My 2 cents...

How much of a price difference between the cable shift and the wevo?

I have a 2nd flipped 915 gearbox sitting in my parts rack. I had the full blown WEVO box that I sold to Andy S. and with me pouring in money on the 911 I'm a little strapped for cash on my 914-6. I was looking at the cable setups and was curious.

Thanks,

Bill P.

WEVO sideshift kit, $2k.
Rengade cable shifter, around $800 - 1K.

I don't know how I feel about the cable shifter box on the tunnel...

Eric

I never liked the position of the shifter in my 914...maybe having a cable shift tower in a position of my choosing would be better...

I didn't know that the cable shift units were that low. I had the full blown treatment on my WEVO box....which included paying a shop to put in the WEVO tailshift internals. Not having to get into the box would be significantly cheaper.

Anyone shifted one before? What kind of feel?

Bill P.

Thanks for mentioning that. I've always felt that the shifter was just a little too far forward. This could be the chance to shift that back a little, maybe build a console between the seats with better storage, maybe cup holders too...

Eric

QUOTE (drgchapman @ Jan 25 2006, 12:17 PM)

I am in the process of converting a 915 to mount to a 3.2 to go into my new a/xer. All arrows point to WEVO products. http://www.wevo.com/ Hayden Burville is the owner, great guy, great products. I have Jeff Gamroth from Rothsport doing my tranny conversion, he recommended WEVO immediately. He also down played the Velios conversion kit, as have others. I'm installing the side shift kit, gate shifter kit, bearing retainer, speedo block off, I'm going with the WEVO shifter that mounts on 915 shift tower as well as his shift linkage parts. I'll likely use the WEVO tranny mounts as well, they are semi-solid. Total cost is in the neighborhood of $6,000.00. You'll also need to convert the CV's to mate to the 915. In addition I'm also installing the Quaife LSD during the R&P flip. Good luck, Gary

What was wrong with the Vellios kit? My car came with a 915 transmission converted to side shifter by a Vellios kit. Don't get me wrong, I believe that the WEVO product is as good as all the feedback says it is and if I didn't already have a converted 915 I would consider the WEVO conversion. But since I have the Vellios already I'm reluctant to just toss it out without some specific problems being presented.

anybody have the cable shift system installed? Pictures? Feel?

QUOTE

What was wrong with the Vellios kit? My car came with a 915 transmission converted to side shifter by a Vellios kit. Don't get me wrong, I believe that the WEVO product is as good as all the feedback says it is and if I didn't already have a converted 915 I would consider the WEVO conversion. But since I have the Vellios already I'm reluctant to just toss it out without some specific problems being presented.

I've had three people tell me the Velios is difficult to make work right. The castings are rough, not finished well. The engineering is not as good as the WEVO. We have a Porsche race shop in town, Rothsports. The owner says "POS", go WEVO. The guy I bought my /6 car from had one, he said he spent 6 hours filing and finishing the castings as they were so rough as to be hard to handle and looked like . Another club said all the same things. I don't have an opinion yet, just passing along other's experiences as they were shared with me.

So I bought a WEVO and am in the middle of having it installed by Rothsports. I can't wait to feel that 3.2 pushing me along.

I've got cables and love them, Bill you can come take my car for a drive if you'd like.

MikeP,

I too would love to check out the shift feel of your cable setup.
I've been a bit reluctant to proceed because I've never actually felt the action.
Could you post some further detail shots of the cable shift?
Attachment (at the transaxle and the shifter), actuation, the shifter setup, etc.
I've requested further photos/literature in the past from Renegades but havn't had any luck actually getting it.

Thanks!

Please...more pics of the cable stuff...interior..exiting the firewall..etc (if you can). I've got my 915 and within a few months of doing the work. Mind was set on Wevo but the cable stuff does intrigue me if it works properly.

I'll take some this weekend, the firewall entrancce exit isn't pretty but I'm having a custom back-pad that fits my cage installed so I've left it for the upholstery shop to mess with. I'll take pics of the shifter back with everything out of the way and post on Monday. I think I have one different angle on this computer let me look.

QUOTE (soloracer @ Jan 26 2006, 07:59 PM)

QUOTE (drgchapman @ Jan 25 2006, 12:17 PM) I am in the process of converting a 915 to mount to a 3.2 to go into my new a/xer.  All arrows point to WEVO products.  http://www.wevo.com/ Hayden Burville is the owner, great guy, great products.  I have Jeff Gamroth from Rothsport doing my tranny conversion, he recommended WEVO immediately.  He also down played the Velios conversion kit, as have others. I'm installing the side shift kit, gate shifter kit, bearing retainer, speedo block off, I'm going with the WEVO shifter that mounts on 915 shift tower as well as his shift linkage parts.  I'll likely use the WEVO tranny mounts as well, they are semi-solid. Total cost is in the neighborhood of $6,000.00. You'll also need to convert the CV's to mate to the 915. In addition I'm also installing the Quaife LSD during the R&P flip. Good luck, Gary What was wrong with the Vellios kit? My car came with a 915 transmission converted to side shifter by a Vellios kit. Don't get me wrong, I believe that the WEVO product is as good as all the feedback says it is and if I didn't already have a converted 915 I would consider the WEVO conversion. But since I have the Vellios already I'm reluctant to just toss it out without some specific problems being presented.

I guess,I'll feed in my 2CW.


I too have a Vellios unit on the back of my box.I got it brand new from someone else who gave up on a conversion.I picked it up about 9 months before Wevo let loose on their shift conversion.

Had I known that Wevo was gonna have a kit on the market sooner I'da held off purchasing my kit so as to compare apples to apples.And,I probably woulda bought a Wevo based on the quality of the product,and that is a fresh idea to an old issue.

That being said,I have to say,that I have detected a common theme in a lot of these kinds of threads.

That is,we seem to have 2 types of people.Those that aren't afraid of rolling up the sleeve,and getting the grease under the nails to work their cars,and maybe even learn something in the process,and those who are checkbook mechanics,who just drop off their goods on the doorstep of the local mechanic,and tell'm to send'm the bill.
The local mechanic becomes the decision maker for the respective customer.Playing one brand off against another.This brand is a POS,while this one over here is the next big thing.

So,if the Vellios unit needs "fiddling"to get it right,and I will say it does.Paying some guy $50.00-$75.00 an hour to get it to shift like HE thinks it should could be rather tiresome and yes expensive.But,then again if I was a shop owner,the longer I could work on something,the more money I would make.Yeah baby.

I worked with my unit for many hours,and it shifts pretty sweet,when compared to a stock 914 901 side shift box,and standard shifter.
Now,I don't even think about how to set it when i take my box apart.I know right where all the contact points need to be set.I took some time,but now I know for myself what works and what doesn't.
The Vellios unit is not a bad unit,it does take some fiddling,but I've BTDT,and won't need to do it no more.



Ron

Ron,

Fair enough.
I've spent hours rebuilding, adjusting and tweaking my mechanical linkage.
If I was really married to the idea of keeping it I could do some more fabrication and likely get a better, and more reliable shift feel.
I personally just feel it isn't a very good solution to the problem and want to evaluate and hopefully install a better option.

As for the Velios, I've heard mixed reviews but don't have any real-world experience to form an opinion.

I wouldn't pay a shop to tweak my linkage, it'd be a waste of $.
On the other hand, I probably would pay a good shop to install internal transaxle parts.

Thanks for all the input to this thread, hopefully it will prove a good resource for those looking to do such a conversion.

Page on 915 from my book ... 914-V8 Conversion Reference Manual ...

Wevo is $2k, what does the Vellios kit cost? If it was only $500 and needed some fiddling with to make it 75% as smooth as the $2k Wevo, seems like most would be money ahead to buy the V kit. Unless they are close in price.

I had (stil have) a velios kit on my 915 that I upgraded from. Shifting was pretty good, took some adjusting every now and then but I liked it. I've never shifted a WEVO box but the Velios isn't the "crap" some people make it out to be. That said, I'd take my cable shifter on the 930 over my solid linkage Velios on the 915 ANY day.

Hi Mike,

Thanks for the offer to check out your cable shift setup and I'll take you up on it.

I've got a 915 already flipped but if I go the WEVO route again (which I may) I then have to give the box to a mechanic to switch out the dongle inside again.

I'm hoping that the cable shifter gives enough positive feel that I can use that for track use (AX and TT).

Did the mounting hardward for the tranny come with the cable shift unit?


Thanks,

Bill P.

My cable shift isn't from a package company. The cables are just cut to length push pulls from a shop in the east bay, the shift tower is just a box with the necessary reverser for the H patern and the springs and stops for reverse. The bits and pieces are cheap, maybe $300 in materials. There is a significant amount of fabrication needed though. I opted to pay the extra $ and have Chris over at Bauer P Repair sort it for me. The theory behind these things is pretty simple but the specifics can be a bitch. I think he wants 8-9 hundred for his system front to back ready to roll. It is plenty positive for AX etc. The only slightly vauge feel is first from a dead stop and that is probably just the brand new synchros. Once you're moving it is very "positive." You'll see when you drive it, you just sort of put the lever where you know the gear is going to be and then it clicks in and you're good, just not a ton of feedback until the gear engages. I'd be interested to try a Renegade system for comparison. If we get some better weather next week lets get together for a drive.

The Vellios kit was also in the $1500 range, so it's no bargain either. I bought one and converted my 915 trans about 2 years ago.


I'd also say that it shifts mighty slick, but I did have to fiddle with the linkage. I think a lot has to do how well it is set up internally, the external part is pretty much identical to the late style sideshifter 914 transmission linkage.

Thanks for all the input. I decided to bite the bullet and ordered the WEVO tail/sideshifter kit. Should have the trans back with taller 4th, taller 5th and the WEVO installed in a couple of weeks. Then it'll sit in the garage until I pull the driveline as part of the big upgrade this summer.

Eric