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MG MGB Technical - Early 3-synchro laygear

Hi everyone,
I recently bought a bunch of Brit car parts, much of it NOS, and among them was a 22H54 laygear. I am in eventual need of a 3-synchro box for an in-the-wings project but I'm wondering -
a) If the likelihood of needing another laygear is great enough that I should hang on to it or do laygears on those trannies wear so little that I may as well sell it, and
b) Am I much more likely to end up finding a later 3-synchro in the first place, thus making the first conundrum moot?
So how about it, have you 3-synchro guys had many laygear problems?
Thanks in advance, Wade
Wade Keene

This spring I had a rebuild from the oil cooler to the drive shaft, with a full rebuild of the tranny,engine, etc. and indeed, the laygear and layshaft on my 3sp synchro needed to be replaced ( had about 90,000 miles). Wear was slight , but noticable and took the precaution to replace. Where I you I would keep the part, my layshaft was about $40.00 and the laygear about $200.00 Regards, Kenneth
Kenneth von Wolf Lewis

Good second hand ones go for 3-400 Cnd$. I have more trouble with the bearings than the cluster. I would keep it. If it is new, you will wan to find a matching first gear.

Pete
Pete

Wade - Keep the cluster gear!!! The three synchro boxes eat lay shafts and gears for breakfast. I don't remember which end takes all the thrust, but that end tends to wear very fast since there is only one set of needle bearings there. Cheers - Dave
David DuBois

Here is another idea: use the gear cluster as a barganing tool to move-up to a 4 sync tranny. (Dave is not kidding when he says that the 3 sync tranies eat parts like pop-corn. ) They are not hard to convert to and your MG hobby will not consist of collecting gearboxes and parts. ;-)

Pete
Pete

Thanks guys, I think I'll hang on to it unless it looks like I'll end up with a later 3-synchro. I don't have any desire to "move up" to a 4-synchro for the '65 (or whatever, there's little more than a tub, so I can make it whatever I want :)), I have a '70 and plan on building the '65 as a '65 (probably a replica of a factory rally car) so I have something different than I already have.
By the way, I've heard some people bemoan the fact that 3-synchros don't have synchro on 1st. I've had MGs since I was 16, for oh jeez, 17 years off and on now, including a '71 GT, the present '70, and a '72 midget (no 1st gear synchro of course) and cannot imagine why anyone would use an MG stump-puller 1st gear from anything other than a dead stop. So whats the point? I know the 4synchro has other advantages, but how can the ability to downshift into 1st be one of them?
Wade Keene

Wade, Quite agree with you re the 1st gear non synchro issue. My first ever car was a TR-2 with only top three synchro as where the next several cars, my current 67 BGT is top 3 synchro and like you I only need the 1st gear to start from dead stops and that only really on upgrades. Have never needed to downshift to first, even when my Trs or MGBs copuld do so. Regards, Kenneth
Kenneth von Wolf Lewis

This thread was discussed between 10/11/2001 and 11/11/2001

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