Vendor Market

Stunning work. Thank you for giving us another option.

Do you have distribution in the US?

I am interested in US pricing info as well

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1980 LE, chrome bumpers, lowered, Cobra classic rs seats, Moss Supercharger, APT supercharger cam, ARP studs, Advanced Distributors 25D, TT header and exhaust

With the favorable exchange rate and even adding on the international freight, the conversion is a bargain.

Just for reference the exchange rate is about X 1.225

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CAUTION!!
Life's uncertain, eat dessert first
Know the rules well so you can break them effectively. Dalai Lama

Journal index
https://www.mgexp.com/journal/Charles-Durning.2966/toc

G,day,
Any planned for the MGC.
Later Mal in au.

Hi folks,
Anybody bought and installed one of these kits, this side of the water?
Care to comment on the whole exercise, purchase, installation etc. including the driving experience !!
Cheers
steve

I installed one of these kits maybe 5 months ago.

This is the best 5-speed kit for an MGB, period. (unless you have a 3-synchro, narrow tunnel car. I hope they are working on a kit for early Bs as well.)

If you want to stay original, sure, go with a factory overdrive setup. If you are not concerned with show car originality, this is the stuff.

I have done several Datsun conversions, probably a dozen Sierra/T9 conversions in various models. This is better. The shifter is lovely, everything was a drop-in fit. It was the fastest-bleeding MGB clutch system ever. I was actually giggling at the end over how well the installation went. I had two teeny suggestions for the vendor and they have adopted my fixes, so I can't come up with a single criticism at this point.

And that's all I have to say about that!

I was just thinking about these on Saturday as I was running 80mph+ down the interstate in 4th.

The last post may have sold me. Do you mind providing more detail on your suggestions that they adopted?

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1980 LE, chrome bumpers, lowered, Cobra classic rs seats, Moss Supercharger, APT supercharger cam, ARP studs, Advanced Distributors 25D, TT header and exhaust

As the owner of the B that Andy Bradley mentioned, I also give it a two thumbs up.

It does everything my previous two 4spd+OD trannies did, and does it better in every respect. First gear is long enough to be useful and the other gears work out well.

I'll need to have my Speedo recalibrated to match but it's worth it.

Alec, great kit! Find yourself an outlet on this side of the pond and I bet you'll sell these like hot cakes! Any estimate of shipping to the states, specifically the Portland, OR area?

Curious how you accommodate the original speedo? I see you provide a cable, but how do you account for various TPM speedos? I'm asking, of course, because I have the solution! :-)
Take a look at Classic Speed.

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Brian
CEO, Classic Automotive Innovations
http://www.classicautoinnovations.com

(too many classic come and go, so I've given up listing them...)

I bought a Vitesse MX-5 conversion for my 1968 MGB. I'm ready to put engine+trans back in the car, but I cannot figure out the two places where I'm supposed to put in the trans oil. The directions say "The main case and shift case have separate oil, and should be filled as follows:" and gives the volumes of oil for each place, but no details about which plugs to remove to put in the oil. One square plug on the side is an obvious fill point, but where's the other? Any help will be most appreciated. Thanks!

PS- I know this is an old thread, but I've looked all over the forum and I haven't seen an answer to this.

I got an answer from sales@vitesse-ltd.com about filling the trans with oil:
Starting with the Shift housing using the oil supplied, remove the blue plastic plug where the Gear-lever fits, using the small oil bottle fill with approx. 330ml (CAPACITY: 290-330ml), this should just cover the shift mechanism, install gear-lever as per the instructions.

To fill the main case remove the square filler plug on the side of the transmission case just behind the bell housing, fill the gearbox with the supplied oil with gearbox upright until the level has reached the filler plug hole. Re-fit the filler plug.

This has now completed your oil fill.

Please ensure the white plastic bung remains in the prop shaft hole in the rear of the gearbox if you are installing the gearbox pre-filled with oil. Please note the gear oil will leak from here if no plug is fitted on installation.

Hope that's helpful to other Vitesse customers. I'm looking forward to getting this out on the freeway!

I put this kit into my early (3 March 1963) MGB. My 3 synchro gearbox was flawless, but the car was noisy at highway speeds and that was tiresome. I bought the kit directly from Vitesse before I knew it was not quite right for my early B.

The Vitesse bell housing bolted right up to the engine, but wouldn't accept the stock Lucas starter, so I now use a smaller gear reduction starter. Fitting the speedo angle drive is very tight with my car's narrow tunnel, but it can be done with difficulty. The shifter hit the aft section of the hole in the tunnel when in 2d and the gears until I bent some sheet metal. A good local speedo shop made a small gearbox that fits in the speedo cable to correct the ratios for an accurate speedometer. The new transmission crossmember fits the body very well, but it's a very difficult fit for the forward engine mounts, almost as though the entire unit is about 1/2" to 3/4" too long between the mounts, making it a difficult fit.

Given all that, it's an incredibly fine kit and a huge improvement and I have no regrets. Cruising on American highways at speed is pleasant. The shifting is effortless. The ratios are perfect for the torque characteristics of a stock 3 main engine with standard flywheel. It's still an MGB - light and fun to drive, but it's like a new car! I drive the car more than ever because it's so much more fun now.

I put this into my late model B several months ago and I am very pleased. It is a joy to drive.

Ordering: I purchased from Frontline. They were easy to deal with (except for time zone challenge). Delivery and packing were no problem at all.

In use: Lighter and more reliable than the OD gearbox. Quick and smooth shifting. MUCH more useable 2nd gear. No more accidentally hitting reverse during a 3-2 downshift! Far easier to bleed the clutch.

Installation: as per instructions. The only challenging part was trying to push the tail up over the crossmember. It is a tight fit! I shed no tears for the permanent removal of the removable crossmember!

They didn’t send me an MX-5 clutch alignment tool. I had to borrow one from a friend.

Feedback for Vitesse: the shifter was way too tall. In 2nd gear, it interfered with my hands on the steering wheel. I had to shorten and rethread it down several inches.

I was not a fan of the supplied, round, “8 ball” shifter knob. I don’t think that suited the car at all. I had Mike make me a new one. It looks beautiful!

Brad

Alec,

I tried revisiting your website to inquiry of a kit for my 64 3 main B. It states "sold out". I bought a kit for my 66 5 main a couple of years ago, and wanted to consider another.

Have you turned everything over to Moss? Let me know, and if not, I'd like to get in contact with you again.

Looks like Alec doesn't monitor the Forum anymore.

Does anyone know if Vitesse is still selling direct, or do you know have to go through Frontline, or Moss?