I've only built the earliest version, when they first came out. I had to add a "stop" to my reverse shift rail, as an over shift would cause it to stick in reverse. The nose cone has no provision for reverse light switch, thus no built in stop. The newer one looks way nicer ..
I have only built one..the late version. It was a long time ago and the customer is still running it. There were no issues and assembly was pretty straight forward. I would hate to even guess what the kit costs nowadays...
The kit is $1650. Then you must buy two sets of close ratio gears for 3rd and 4th.
Thanks for the tip, Paul.
This gearbox was bought new back in the late 70s and assembled locally by someone who knew VW transmissions. The customer told him to not deviate from the instructions and that if there was a problem, he wanted to consult with Gene. The mechanic didn't listen and went ahead and did a bunch of "modifications" Because of this, the customer didn't want to run the gearbox. It has been sitting ever since and now he wants me to check it out.
I got kit #5, and waited a few months for Gene to make the first 5-spd locking shifter to go with the kit. Some parts required a bit of additional clearancing to assemble, but the reverse overshift was the only real issue (requiring disassembly to install set screw in shift rail). The shifter required a bit of massaging, too. No dramatic modifications required, just normal aftermarket diligence required.
I have both designs. The older design works fine. The only issue is the intermediate plate. Over a period of time it has leaked.
The new design has several areas one must be very verse on building vw trans. The biggest issue I have with this newer unit is the loose press fit. When I pull this one apart very soon I will be looking at fixing that issue.
