FS5W63A datzenmike?

[Janksun]

is this the FS5W63A? From what I've read this is a dogleg transmission, but all doglegs should be short, but this trans is 31.5 inches.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[datsunaholic]

Not all doglegs are short, but long doglegs are rare in the US because they weren't used here.  I still haven't heard a definitive answer as to what they were used in, though I suspect they were used in L20B equipped 910 bluebirds.

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

You can shift it and find out for sure. Also, dogleg transmissions had a load bolt on the bottom or side of trans to apply preload to the tapered countershaft bearings. If you can see that load bolt then it is a dogleg. I don't know why everyone wants a dogleg trans though. I'd rather have a regular old Z or ZX 5 speed..

[ggzilla]

Look for '63' cast into the housing.

[Dime Dave]

The long ones were a JDM product. 610 & 710 SSS going from memory.

 

Quick way to tell a dog leg (visually) is the big nut on the bottom side (forward of the trans mount).

 

[datzenmike]

The long ones were a JDM product. 610 & 710 SSS going from memory.

 

Quick way to tell a dog leg (visually) is the big nut on the bottom side (forward of the trans mount).

 

.

This nut supports a post with a pivot on top that gives R above 1st. Otherwise the shift pattern would look like this...

1.2.4

R.3.5

 

As Doug said we did not get these here on any of our cars. The JDM and Asian 610/(710?)  got them with the L18SSS dual SU motor. These were also available on the European 910s in SSS trim L18 dual SUs. These cars were shorter than our 6 cylinder 'Bluebirds', or ours were stretched to accommodate them.

 

These long doglegs most likely came to our shores still attached to low mileage import motors from Japan in the '80s. These were cheaper than rebuilding the L16/18 that were wearing out. I have a manifold and set of SUs that probably came on a similar motor. These were usually removed and thrown away as they did not 'fit' our customer's cars. I suspect that all of our peanut heads also came this way.

[Janksun]

Cool thanks for all the info!

[Dime Dave]

How the gear linkage and bell crank in a Dogleg 5 speed works.

 

The bell crank in a dogleg 5 speed is used to change the direction of movement of the 4-5 shift rod and associated coupling ring internally within the gearbox. The physical gear positions within the dogleg are also different when compared to a standard 4 or 5 speed to allow for an OD top gear ratio.

In the dogleg the 1st & reverse gears are physically located behind the transmission center plate in the tail shaft housing (typically were 5th and reverse are in a standard OD 5 speed). 1st and reverse are controlled by the same shift rod and coupling ring. When the shifter linkage moves back and forth, the shift rod it is engaging moves back and forth to move the coupler ring onto the gear being selected.

When you shift the dogleg from 1st to 2nd, the action of crossing the "H" changes the shift rod/coupling ring you are using. So by crossing the "H" for 2nd gear, you exit the 1/R shift rod and the shifter linkage engages the 2-3 shift rod. By pushing the shift lever forward for 2nd, the fulcrum at the base of the lever moves the shifter linkage rearward and that moves the 2-3 shift rod/coupling ring rearward, pushing the 2-3 coupler ring onto 2nd gear, engaging it (2nd is physically the first gear set forward of the center plate inside the transmission).

By pulling the shift lever straight back for 3nd it moves the 2-3 shift rod/coupling ring forward to engage 3rd gear (3rd is the 2nd set of gears forward of the center plate).

 

Now when you shift from 3rd to 4th the shift linkage again crosses the “H” leaving the 2-3 shift rod and it now engages, not the 4-5 shift rod directly, but the end of the “bell crank” inside the tail shaft housing which is connected at the other end to the 4-5 shift rod/coupling ring. So by pushing the shift lever forward for 4th, it pulls the shift linkage rearward. The shift linkage, now engaged in the end of the bell crank, pulls that end of the bell crank rearward. Thru the pivot action of the bell crank it pushes the 4-5 shift rod/coupling ring forward to engage 4th gear. 

 

4th gear is a 1:1 ratio and is not really a gear per say. When you engage 4th the coupling ring locks the input shaft directly to the main shaft of transmission. This transfers power directly from the input shaft to the driveshaft without going thru any of the gears within the transmission.

 

Now when you pull the shift lever toward the rear for 5th, the linkage reverses all the 4th gear selection action and moves the coupler ring rearward onto 5th gear (OD), engaging it.

 

So in a standard OD 5 speed the physical location of the gears are different than in a dogleg. This is done to allow for an OD ratio in 5th.

 

Physical gear locations, front to rear of the transmission

OD 5 speed, 4-3-2-1 and 5th
The dogleg, 4-5-3-2 and 1st

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

OK, I've been wrong before...

 

Thanks for clearing that up Mike.