Classic Transmission

16/05/2026

FORD 3+OVERDRIVE - the perfect solution in a fuel crisis

Instead of 4th being 1:1 like the earlier Toploader , this gearbox makes 3rd 1:1 allowing 4th to be an overdrive gear.

This allows you to go faster and also gives more fuel economy on the highway as you won’t have to rev so high.

These were being used in Ford Mustangs before the T5 came along.

26/04/2026

Tremec TUET7000 , part of the T56 evolution towards TR6060

01/04/2026

T56 - preventative fix

This gearbox was designed for America’s muscle cars and it fit the requirement perfectly. However Holden and Aussie Ford fitted it to family saloons and utes which often pulled heavy loads for prolonged periods.

A common failure I used to see in the Commodore and Falcon T56 gearboxes was the thrust collar behind 6th gear welding to the bearing. The loaded gear would press hard against the collar spinning it on the bearing without any oil getting in between the two parts. The collar would start to weld and as both collar and gear expanded with the excess heat the gear would also start to fuse.

As you go through the images you’ll see the original part , where it sits in the assembly and then the modified part. This surprisingly simply fix made a huge difference.

31/03/2026

FOR SALE - listed on trademe

Holden V8 M20 Gearbox - Rebuilt 4 speed

10 gearboxes came apart to provide the best gears , hubs and synchros available.

New: Input shaft , Heavy Duty Front Bearing Retainer , Bearings and Seals.

This runs a 3.05 first gear ratio , so it's very close to the 2.95 ratio used in the VN-VS T5 and T5G (VK-VL). This shares the same driveshaft and mounting points as the trimatic auto transmission so it is an easy conversion.

Will fit behind 253 , 308 and 304 engines.

26/03/2026

23/03/2026

Return to the world of Cobra

Recently we made a house call to ensure the clutch setup was clearing completely when the pedal was depressed. This check needs to be performed on all cars that have had drivetrain changes, aftermarket clutch component installs, manual conversions or are suffering from poor gear shifting.

This particular Cobra replica benefits from an LS1 engine and 6spd Tremec gearbox. Carbon fibre replaces the traditional chrome and wood grain giving it a modern feel.

I say return to the world of AC Cobra because a long time ago I worked for a transmission workshop run by a Cobra enthusiast who headed the club so plenty of these cars in their many forms crossed my path regularly over that nearly 14 year period.

11/02/2026

RACE CAR REPAIR: one of Brock’s specials.

Recently we repaired a Holden M21 from one of the 30 special edition VH Commodores that GMNZ asked Peter Brock to help produce at their Trentham plant.

GMNZ wanted to win the Benson and Hedges racing series and homologation rules of production car racing at the time required that a minimum of 25 units had to be assembled. 29 white cars and 1 black (for the GMNZ manager) were built.

Because Brock could strip out the pollution equipment in New Zealand unlike Australia law requirements the output of these cars could exceed what he was working on over the ditch.

This particular Holden 4 Speed had blown teeth on 4th , however the wear from racing causing the geartrain to thrust back and forth under load was evident so we had to replace a few more parts than normal.

09/11/2025

T56 - nobody does it better

Before leaving to go check out the UK car scene in mid 2013 I’d already recorded over 250 T56 rebuilds in my log books. Some of this was due to Holden new car warranty (clutch issues from the start) , but largely because I had been the rebuilder for the NZV8 race ute series.

This 6 speed Tremec transmission really is the best when it comes to manual overdrive gearboxes. Sure it was later revised and transformed into the TR6060 , however the original T56 wasn’t over complicated and could confidently manage high power applications.

Check out the pics and you’ll see how it goes together.

28/09/2025

Ford Toploader vs Ford T5

Hopefully these images help answer some questions in regard to what is the best option if you are going to give the car a hard time.

Toploader are the bigger gears with the coarse tooth pitch , T5 are the smaller gears with the finer tooth pitch.

13/09/2025

We never need to cut and weld inputs especially when it comes to T5. However it’s a regular conversation so these pics might help some of you.

A common example is wanting to use a 6 cylinder Commodore or Falcon T5 gearbox to replace a Holden V8 T5. Over the years we’ve seen these modified inputs break through the join.

Another example is fitting the S10 T5 behind a Small Block Chev so we’ve included a pic of these 21 tooth inputs also.