Hello,

I have a 122 which has been converted from an automatic to a manual shift gearbox some time ago. The transmission mount crossmember is of course about five to six inches further back than it would be for a manual, so the previous owners jurry-rigged an extender system of a thick peice of metal that bolts into the auto's tranny mount cross-member and extends forward to match up with the connection to the manual tranny. Obviously this is far from an optimal situation in my mind, so eventually I want to firm it up and figure out a better system.

The question I throw out is, does anybody out there have some creative ideas as to what I could do with the extra space of the former auto tranny housing under there, as far as putting in a different tranny or an overdrive unit? I'm not adverse to maybe a radical swap for a Ford T or Sentra tranny, but probably tend towards volvo parts only, like an M41+OD. I'm just thinking that I might be missing some creative options that somebody else may have run into having had an auto-tranny model that's been converted like mine...

Another thought I had was that I recently found a real cheap deal on a complete 240 with a FI-B20 and a tranny with an OD. What would be the obstacles to using such an engine and tranny combo to swap in and replace my present B18 with SU's?
When I looked at all the engine bay stuff in the 240, all the extra stuff looked kind of bewildering to get stuffed into my 122. There's something I like a lot about the elegance and simplicity of my present B18, and the manual-choke lever inside is an interesting quaint conversation peice for passengers. So many people my age don't even know what the heck such a thing is. I like to think that it's also somewhat of an anti-joyride theft device, because you have to know how to use and adjust one.

I'm probably not interested in super-tweaking this car for extra horse-power also down the road, but I would definately like to chop of some of the loud RPM sound I get cruising at todays highway speeds; Thus the enticing idea of the overdrive...

Thanks all! I hope I was clear enough,

Theo