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Sun May 25, 2003 5:37 pm

Folks,
Really want to know about the transmission of a mid engine baja. How it works? Reverse gears?
Cheers,
Nadeen

Sun May 25, 2003 9:50 pm

I think I remember seeing a few guys turning their whole transmision upside dowm and pointing it to the rear. I'm pretty sure the rest of them just put the ring gear on the opposite side of the pinion. The stock suspension is replaced with shock absorbers that suspend the car. I can't remember what they're called.

Fri Oct 07, 2011 2:13 am

I heard of this a while ago on an old corvair forum, someone had the suspicion that it wore the ring gear out but i cant remember what the verdict was, would it be easier to make it awd if it was mid engined?

Fri Oct 07, 2011 6:17 am

AWD?

It's probably be easier to buy an Outback.

Fri Oct 07, 2011 7:20 am

How would it be easier to make it AWD if it's mid-engined?

I've definitely heard of people flipping ring gears to make trannies go midship, and it may be OK. It depends on the specific transmission in question. I'm not 100% sure either way. In some (probably most) if you flip the ring gear things don't quite mesh like they should and clearances/tolerances/lash is not what it should be. It will wear much faster if it doesn't break outright (enough people have run them this way that it's not terribly likely that it'll just break).

A split bus tranny without RGBs or a bug tranny with them will both run in the correct direction when mounted in the middle.

I've given thought to a mid-engined baja myself, and the route I would take were I going that direction would be to get a 5-speed 914 tranny (and do the TIV!). They're not that expensive and fairly easy to find. 914s are also pretty light, so unless the car was flat out raced a lot it lead a pretty cush life.

Fri Oct 07, 2011 10:36 pm

Flip the ring gear in a type1 box to go midengine. A bus tranny has to be flipped upside down. A corvair spins the opposite direction so it runs on the backside of the gear which isn't ideal.