Well here we are on page four already! I have now managed to complete the hybrid conversion of the MT75 XR4X4i gearbox into a two wheel drive version to suit the V6. In short Ford only made a two wheel drive (RWD) MT75 box for the V6 for Germany (at least that's how I understand it). What I ended up with was a RWD 2 litre DOHC MT75 box and an XR4X4i V6 MT75 box. Obviously the latter has a transfer casing and extended rear end to facilitate the 4WD.
The trick is to take the front housing and first motion shaft from the XR4X4 box and the gearset and rear housing from the DOHC RWD box and combine them to make a V6 RWD box. Officially you need several special tools to do this job but I found that a 3lb copper mallet and some patience did just as well, proof will be in the driving experience though!
I will write up the procedure for doing the conversion and make it available soon I promise.
Yesterday I, along with my present work experience lad pulled the motor out of the Dragon and removed the type 9 box. Then we fitted the flywheel, flywheel bolts proved to be interesting in a masochistic sort of way. I phoned my local Ford dealer and spoke to a very helpful young lady in the parts department explaining what I was about and what I required. She told me there were two alternative bolt sizes depending on age so as its a 1991 motor that's what I opted for. Eight of the bloody things turned up, too short and wrong thread so I phoned them up and got a guy who really didn't want to know. According to him the "alternative" set is for a Mk6 Transit and no longer available? Amazing bearing in mind that the Cologne V6 was dead and buried before the Mk6 Tranny was born!
Anyway I dug out the original torque converter from the Granny and found that the flex plate bolts were perfect length as they were fitted with a 20mm (aprox) thick boss! Furrows now owe me £16 for eight bolts I didn't need!
Anyway we got the flywheel, clutch and gearbox bolted up to the motor and dropped the lot back into the chassis. This is when I found the gearstick was too far forward and the rear end of the box doesn't reach to the type 9 crossmember, damn!
But wait, because the bellhousing of the MT75 is narrower than the type 9 it will just fit between the original Locust chassis rails so I can now lower the engine by 50mm, this will also allow me to move the engine back in the chassis by 75mm I think which has got to be good for weight distribution, Eureka! Downside is it means I have to gas axe the beautifully fabricated engine mounting plates I made earlier.