thspeller

thspeller

Active Member
Hi All - quick one. I have a series 3 which in time I want to rebuild eventually. I don't have time or space now to do the whole thing but am itching to better my skills and get stuck into something. The gearbox is certainly something I will need to do as part of that (3rd gear pops out and 1st is stiff) but it's fine for the foreseeable. So.... to keep me occupied, I was therefore wondering whether I should buy a second hand gearbox from eBay to rebuild as a practice - if I am successful, I have a new box to sub in to my S3 eventually and lots of new skills/confidence. If I fail, I have some skills and a bucket of spares. Question is - does this sound stupid, what should I pay for a second hand box and what should you look out for when buying an old used one (unrestored they can look pretty tatty and rusty)? I have no experience but am a good learner and pretty handy with a toolbox. There are a few on eBay at the moment. Looking forward to the opinions on this. Tom
 
thspeller said:
Hi All - quick one. I have a series 3 which in time I want to rebuild eventually. I don't have time or space now to do the whole thing but am itching to better my skills and get stuck into something. The gearbox is certainly something I will need to do as part of that (3rd gear pops out and 1st is stiff) but it's fine for the foreseeable. So.... to keep me occupied, I was therefore wondering whether I should buy a second hand gearbox from eBay to rebuild as a practice - if I am successful, I have a new box to sub in to my S3 eventually and lots of new skills/confidence. If I fail, I have some skills and a bucket of spares. Question is - does this sound stupid, what should I pay for a second hand box and what should you look out for when buying an old used one (unrestored they can look pretty tatty and rusty)? I have no experience but am a good learner and pretty handy with a toolbox. There are a few on eBay at the moment. Looking forward to the opinions on this. Tom
Click to expand...
its a good idea and even better if you get the same suffix
 
Agree great idea I did just that and rebuilt a suffix B box thinking I would put it in , but seeing how easy it was rebuilt the suffix D box in my 84 series , sold the spare and got me money back
 
Thanks guys. Any ideas on sourcing a gearbox, what to look out for and cost? A lot on eBay look rusty / grubby - am sure they can be largely polished up but any tips welcome. Tom
 
thspeller said:
Thanks guys. Any ideas on sourcing a gearbox, what to look out for and cost? A lot on eBay look rusty / grubby - am sure they can be largely polished up but any tips welcome. Tom
Click to expand...
Where they are on the vehicle kind of necessitaes their condition externally ;)

You rebuild the inside and repaint the outside ;)
 
To find the same you nee to know the suffix code stamped on transfer box
https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/series-gearbox-codes.29144/
Got my spare off ebay
If all you need to do is strip down and put back together you can get one in any condition
I wouldn’t worry about crap on outside mine was well covered
Nic if it looks like is hasn’t been taken apart and all nuts and bolts there no rust is a bonus but inside may be better
 
There's not a lot about at the moment on ebay.... Been looking myself so if you find one it's probably me bidding against you :D
 
The key is that have been stored with oil in and been moved every now and then. If the gears have sat in water then they are useless.
 
Get a D suffix, I think the spares situation is better. Make sure you get the selector shafts, they are getting hard to find.
 
I rebuilt mine. Did a load of research on google forums etc... got the best parts I could see.. new old stock etc.., and made sure the suffix were all correct .. it’s not as bad as they make out . However mine not been used yet, so it may still blow up
 
Yours is a good idea, I did the same when I had a noise issue in my gearbox. I rebuilt a suffix D box and swapped it into my Land Rover, the existing box was a suffix A. I then stripped the A box, determined the fault and fixed it, (A loose set-bolt in the end of the layshaft). The rest of the box was in excellent condition so I put it back together all except new seals and put it into storage, I will put new seals in it if I ever need to fit the gearbox. It's comforting, knowing you've got a good spare gearbox. LR Direct are good for parts but get bearings from a local bearing supplier to avoid cheap Chinese ones.
 
I picked up a spare S3 box years ago for free....its been a massive source of spare parts for me...yes get one.

Nick.
 
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