1CleanSC

Long story short, I am going to be buying a FULL R154 SWAP (trans, 2.5 in aluminum driveshaft, master, steel braided lines, crossmember, and pedals)

HOWEVER, the owner has informed me that it grinds going from 2nd into 3rd at high revs (synchro most likely).

THE BIG QUESTION: (Two Options)

A) Buy the Ultimate R154 Rebuild Kit from SupraStore.com (http://www.suprastore.com/ulrbukitfsh.html) WITH the optioned 3-4 billet shift forks and have it rebuilt by a shop.

B) Buy the same kit mentioned above, BUT use the PDF I found that describes how to FULLY DISASSEMBLE an R154 and rebuild it with my step dad and his dad who are HIGHLY mechanically inclined BUT have never rebuild and R154 before. http://www.swaqvalley.com/TSRM/14_MT.pdf

I am all for option B as long as my Grandfather (who has the most experience out of the 3 of us) has the time and feels comfortable working on it. It will save me A LOT OF MONEY even though it will be more time consuming overall.

So now you have the info, lets hear the opinions of the SC and R154 owners in the thread.

1CleanSC

Someone... Anyone... Please help me.

mecheng10

I think you should just go for it.
Sometimes you have to run before you can walk.

just take your time, be patience, and do it right.
That guide looks like it pretty much explains everything you need to do.

Ali SC3

iTrader: (10)

can't go wrong with Marlin crawler parts. just depends what you are comfortable with doing and what turn around time you need. If you can take your time it can be done, check out Khan's r154 thread on here I think he did something similar.

1CleanSC

I am in no rush so turn around time is wide open. Can you link me to the thread?

Ali SC3

iTrader: (10)

nevermind it was 8052jz's biuld thread
scroll down some post 335
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/bui...-build-23.html

also moving this thread to performance/maintenance.

akora12

iTrader: (5)

I've always said I'd tear apart 10 motors before touching a tranny, but I'd still go for it if you have the time and tools. There's no better way to learn than getting your hands dirty!

emoFTW

iTrader: (1)

I broke my 3rd-4th gear fork on my r154. I'd prefer to have it rebuilt by a shop. I'm torn between Driftmotion (1199.00) or Jacks Transmissions (1699.00). Jacks offers a warranty and claims to be able to make the r154 smoother. And they replace the hubs/sleeves. I'm looking at their stg. 3 rebuild. Jacks is a very very well known shop in the racing world/transmission building.

emoFTW

iTrader: (1)

I wouldn't just have any shop rebuild it. I've heard horror stories about people not setting the preload correctly and having things eff'd up. Whether there his truth to that or not I do not know. I've just heard off people saying that it was hard to build an r154 correctly.

KahnBB6

iTrader: (5)

I didn't even think about trying to rebuild my R154 by myself If I had more transmission experience, way more time and money and a second car I might have though.

Having watched some R150 rebuild tutorials it doesn't look impossible at all. I didn't have the tools and presses necessary.

1CleanSC, I'd recommend sending it to a good shop. Driftmotion does good work-- I've used them for my differential. Jack's apparently does too. For my R154 I used SpeedForSale in Georgia. Their standard charge (if you provide all the necessary parts) is about $550. There is always Marlin but they are the most expensive and time consuming.

If you use Driftmotion they can supply all the heavy duty rebuild parts, additional MC parts (bearing plate retainer, 1st gear thrust washer, 1-2 fork) and their own billet 3-4 fork.

I guess Suprastore carries the same stuff?

Buying ALL the parts and rebuild parts for this swap isn't cheap. Spending the cash to get the transmission rebuilt definitely adds to that pain but it's all relative. A W58 is about the same cost in labor to have rebuilt. It's all the beefed up parts that add to the cost of an R154 rebuild.

I've been very happy with mine after the first 1,000 miles of break-in.

jwin

iTrader: (16)

With that much money spent to beef up an r154 why not swap to a v160?

1CleanSC

Even though the price is fairly close to a used V160 after the rebuild I am fairly certain you have to do transmission tunnel modifications to make it fit. This is my daily driver and I don't need any extra time spent enlarging the tunnel when my mechanic is going to have enough on his plate swapping from auto to manual.

jwin

iTrader: (16)

The tunnel is 76 bucks and it makes your auto to manual swap very Oem you can install all the right boots for the swap.. Drill out spot welds and rivet the new one in place.

KahnBB6

iTrader: (5)

This is actually true. It's not that costly to make a V160 fit as long as the tunnels are still available.

Just because a V160 is so strong doesn't mean that there aren't worn out used ones for sale. Sometimes even the Getrag boxes need rebuilding too.

I guess beefing up an R154 gets you close to V160 territory but it's still going to be more expensive. I guess it also depends on what someone wants from their car. I went specifically with an older R154, converted it and rebuilt it because its plug and play with my early SC and I also am not planning for more than 450hp. It's very easy to look at the performance options for these cars and go straight for the most expensive stuff because it's a slippery slope.

Ali SC3

iTrader: (10)

Used v160 is almost as much as a gamble as a used R154, they are generally in better shape but they are also much more expensive = risk.
But if you put your money into the rebuilt R154 at least you know you have something that should last a while without issues.
A V160 can wear like any other trans, so to really compare prices compare a rebuilt V160 or a new v160 to a rebuilt R154.