5-Speed Boxes

[Clueds]

Just got the following e-mail from E-Type Fabs (Uryk):

Anyone else had one before? Heard great things about them and struggled with Drivenman.

"Our world famous 5 speed gearboxes are now back on the market after an absence of three years – same quality as before but now improved.

This will come with all fixings, oil, angle drive and lever / knob but no clutch kit, bell, flywheel or speedo cable. The input shaft will accept a std Jaguar clutch. To suit all 6 cyl cars, 3.8 or 4.2 and 2+2 / V12 models. It is the same length as your existing and ready to bolt on with no mods to your prop, bell, clutch mechs, sheetmetal or interior.

The gearbox is now slimmer – same width as a Jaguar original - fifth gear is 0.75 and reverse is synchronised, so no crunching.

The lever comes out at the same place as the original with the swing being short and precise, the gearbox is quiet and strong having a torque rating of 300 lb/ft in first.

Availability this year is strictly limited to only twenty-four units, with more than half being signed up already.

Delivery – currently two weeks from order. We have a demonstrator on site for those of you wanting to “try before you buy”..! If you’re still interested or would like more info,. please don’t hesitate to get back in touch.

Best regards,
Uryk"

[Robbiee]

Hi
This is good news
I have one from Uryk that’s 4 years old
Fabulous box
No mods to car frame or tunnel needed
Crisp change
Reverse needs a shove but getting better
Robbie

[V12 Epyte]

I have also had a Uryk 5 speed box for a few years in my V12 FHC. I have been very pleased with it and no issues.
I have decided to try the overdrive route for my latest V12 OTS project as Uryks one's were not available when I enquired.
The cost of Uryk's new one's could be a factor.
Indicated cost of £8000 plus Vat

[alfazagato]

Any indication as to cost?
Stuart

[Robbiee]

Well in 2015 it was £4860 all in for short box (S1)!!
I put it in my 62 coupe..smooth
1700 RPM at 70 mph
Mostly I just use 4 gears and reserve the .72 ratio for longer cruising
So I guess it’ll be more now I guess

I’m keeping my original Non-synchro Moss box on my project early 62 OTS...love the lazy change and double declutching
Robbie

[Gfhug]

You can buy an awful lot of petrol for the price of a five speed box and then all the man hours to fit it.
If you want high speed cruising at lower revs a 2.88 diff will be a lot cheaper and much easier to fit surely

Geoff

[christopher storey]

Mixed feelings about this : these are very low volume productions , which means either that each customer is paying a very heavy share of the development cost, or worse still it is being left to the customers to do the development. A more substantive objection which I have is that the 5th gear at 0.75 is much too high - a car with a 3.07 axle will be geared in 5th at something like 33 mph/1000 rpm . And as the Yorkshire man screamed
"Haaaoooow much? "

[Heuer]

£8,000 plus fitting does sound a lo of money for the returns you will get. From experience I can tell you the 2.88 diff is too high and the 3.07 makes the car more derivable at low speeds. With modern traffic conditions and camera enforcement of speed limits I am not sure where the need for high speed cruising comes from. The E-Type is far more fun on back roads rather than trundling along motorways.

Heading into France used to be a delight but draconian speed enforcement weighs heavily on your mind as you are sampling what is left of the 'World's Greatest Racetrack'. Italy is a nightmare with lousy road surfaces, thousands of speed cameras and 30 mph limits on rural roads not to mention the traffic congestion and fuel scams.

With a 5 speed box and 2.88 diff I rarely can get out of third gear on UK roads other than motorways. Stick with the standard Jaguar box, a 3,07 diff and stop worrying about the engine revs.

[tinworm]

I am one who prefers the 3.31 diff and the all synchro gearbox (moss is ok but slow) with wide ratio - not to everyones taste probably. My reasons are - The E-type becomes very light on the front at speeds over 120mph - so I don't drive it that fast. The 3.07 leaves first gear a bit tall to me. Third gear acceleration is what makes the car what it is - a sports car - not a cruiser . A fifth gear is not necessary with such a wide spread of torque the XK engine gives.
These are my views only.

Barrie

[Robbiee]

I love the 5 speed but I agree with you ...I hardly use it 95% of the time. In retrospect I’m sure a standard box would be fine
I certainly wouldn’t spend £8000 plus on it now!
Robbie

[timhum]

I believe that in decisions of this kind the price is really irrelevant, its what the owners wants from their car. If you can't afford £8k for the conversion that doesn't make it bad. We all spend ludicrous amounts of money on our cars, we just have different priorities on how we spend it.
I've just spent a fortune putting FI on my TR3a, it gives an extra 30 bhp and changes its drivibility out of all recognition. Value for money - no, fun factor - huge.

all the best
Tim

[andrewh]

I think the 5 speed option really depends upon how you use your car and what diff ratio you have fitted. I have a standard Moss in my 3.8 with a 3.07. There is no doubt that it feels a little hectic if you want to really get a move on well over legal limits on Motor ways. That said, as I have a modern hi performance car with 7 gears, which rarely goes over 90 mph I am beginning to savour driving the E type at legal limits, maybe its my age. So all in all , a nice thing to fit but not for £8k, so I do think price comes into it. Nice but not for me on balance.

[Clueds]

Thanks for the replies, I guess it's deciding what I really want from my S1 (1964 FHC). No closer to deciding what to do!!

Think the price above of 8k is correct, spoken to Uryk and the boxes have all been tested on his own cars?? Anyone ever used one? Will let you know where I decide to go with this one

[Robbiee]

Great ‘box over last 9500 miles
But, as I said, probably only use the 5th gear 5% of the time.
It’s a personal thing
Happy hunting
Robbie

[MarkRado]

I've got a standard, well worn 3.8 engine with factory power (at the most). Mated to a 3.07 axle this leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to spirited driving on winding roads with uphill sections (lots of them in my country). I decided to install a 3.54 axle. Now I am missing a fifth gear on motorways . I might be tempted by Uryks box if it has a crispy Moss type shiftfeel.
But for that lot of money I could build up a second complete rear suspension unit with a 3.07 diff and change it over everytime when touring the continent

[Malc]

Why don’t you look at finding a Jaguar Type A overdrive ‘box from the ‘60s? I found one on from a 1968 420 on eBay five years ago and had it checked/rebuilt, total cost under £1,000. Similar ‘boxes are from the ‘S’ and the XJ6 of similar age. Cost to put it in with new clutch etc around £1,500 to £2,000, so total cost around £3,000. There are a couple of small modifications to the tunnel to be made (has to be slightly widened at the back and enlarged where the speedo drive fits) but it’s a joy at cruising speeds. You can either keep the original gear lever and have an external switch or use an XJ6 gear lever with the switch in the top of the lever.

[mgcjag]

Malc the o/d box wont fit in a fhc or ots....Steve

[Malc]

Steve - yes, just suddenly realised that it only fits the 2+2 but if you’ve got one, its a great mod!

[Peter Harrison]

I've had my ETF 5-speed box in for 3 years and 12,000 miles. No reliability problems and I really like the relaxed, tranquil cruising. Peter H

[abowie]

Is it just me?

I understand that the 5 speed options for E Types are limited, which is frustrating for those who want one.

What I don't see is how a small company with no particular experience in gearbox design can expect to compete with the amount of R&D that, say, Toyota or Borg Warner or Tremec or indeed Jaguar have put into their boxes.

Uryk's box has had at least 3 iterations that I know of since the billet aluminium version. It's "world famous", yet is only intermittently available in tiny numbers and keeps seeming to need redesign and "improvement". And it costs a fortune.

I can see that the few people who have these boxes are happy with them, albeit with less total miles on the boxes than I would drive in my road car in a year.

I know that Uryk has his supporters and that his stuff is recognised as being well made.

What I don't get is how someone can design a gearbox from scratch and claim to produce something that is better than boxes built by multinational companies that just make gearboxes which have been sold in their millions.