Automatic drag transaxle

[Frallan]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTWgf9AhJWo

Rohan in the winning car in the right lane.

[Frallan]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfilpBvqwDA

Another one. Very nice!

[Frallan]

Quote Rohan;
"the tranny in our car has done over 240 full-power passes without a single complaint. I think the R&D scares many off the idea over here. We bought our car from Dave Greiner (Proformance Motoring) a few years ago, essentially as a turnkey setup. It's no show car, but it's quick! Engine is 2543cc (88mm stroke x 96mm bore) with Turbonetics T04 turbo (17.5lb boost - spools up at about 5000rpm), drawthrough Holley 750 DP with 100hp nitrous injection in the plenum"

More: " The auto is from a late T3 Transporter / Audi trans, Munsinger 4500 stall, reverse shift manual valve body, 930 CVs. The shifter is a B&N Pro-ratchet and it's great. The video in your link (looking at the dash) shows a qualifying run where I was battling a turbo overboost problem - it was wanting to creep after about 4200rpm on stage, and I was short-shifting a little to save the boost (had risen to 27psi due to a vacuum leak)."

[Frallan]

That is the engine in Rohans car.

[Frallan]

Text that is from 2007-8 and describes the engine and gearbox.
I have taken it from Daves Website. He gave OK.

"The engine was reassembled using mostly new parts, although some of the old motor remained. The new factory
magnesium case was machined for the 88mm Bugpack crank, chromoly H-beam rods were used with ARP 2000 bolts,
long Century cylinders and Wiseco forged pistons. The Heads are Comp Eliminators ported by AJ Sims with 46mm x
37mm stainless steel valves, K-800 valve springs and Manley titanium retainers. The header was custom built by Keith
out of 1-3/4 tubing and feeds a turbonetic TO-4 turbo with a super H intake and a P- exhaust. The carburetor is a
modified 750cfm Holley 4-barrel with a vacuum secondary. The car has a full MSD ignition with a 7A-L box and a
boost retard module. A 900cfm Predator carburetor has also been tried but troubles with the launch and the
automatic transmission caused us to go back to the Holley.

Yes, the transmission is a 3-speed automatic box that came out of a VW Vanagon. It has been converted to a reverse
manual valve body, which means that it has to be shifted, but is done through a B&M ratcheting shifter. The
Munsinger high stall converter allows the car to be power braked to 4000rpm and launched, then shifted at 7200rpm
without lifting off of the throttle. The car is also equipped with an NOS nitrous kit. And we have used jetting that has
given us a 50hp to 125hp boost. The car is heavy with the cast iron gearbox housing, the IRS rear suspension and
Porsche 930 CV's. The driver and car weigh in together at about 1950 lbs. The car has run a best time of 10.25 @
128mph at the now defunct Carslbad Raceway. But we now keep it detuned to the 10.80 range to keep the
maintenance low. The torque converter absorbs about 50-60 hp, but the trans has gone over 150 launches without
any breakage."

[560]

Great to here about the auto trans. I think this will be in the next car build for me.

Mike

[Frallan]

well looks like i am in luck i have found a shop that can take care of the 003 for me they are going to rebuild it trans and diff in trade for my 091 and maybe a lil in cash but it turns out this guy is the one who was building the transmissions for the pizzo bros back in the day and he really know his stuff so i should be all set up now he knows what it is going into and is going to build it accordingly including a custom converter

Michaelnofziger, any news you wish to share?
Can you share the name of the transbuilder? Kenny Melancon is mentioned in Hot Vw´s. Is this him?
Contact number or name of shop?

[Legallyfast]

Looking through this, any further updates? I would like to do an automatic.

[Piledriver]

Picked up a complete 003 setup with shifter etc from a 69 fasty, found a place that can reman the stock paper-based frictions and bands with Raybestos hipo carbon metallic lining, and have a Vanagon ~3K stall tq converter handy.

We'll see how it goes. Its not an 090 but it fits like factory (in a type3, anyway) , and has a 3.69 R&P so the gearing is still decent on the highway.

Vacuum modulator will be getting a custom piston feeding an external PWM controlled valve from my MS3,..

I should at least be able to stick the 2.5L on it without dropping $$$$ into a VW manual just so it can survive a few dozen drag launches before munching the R&P. Looks like total cost with master rebuild kit and hipo frictions and a fill with Redline D4 or D6***, about $500 including the trans, shifter/flex plate and tq converter.

***so if it leaks ATF into the GL4 gear oil, its internally leaking GL4 rated ATF into it, annoying but likely non-fatal.
I'd like to try D4 in the diff but the parts are too hard to find to risk, and *Redline doesn't recommend it with the hypoid R&P, EDIT they said it MIGHT work but not their recommended choice.

[petew]

I'm coming in late on this... but I watched this vid a while back with Christian Von Koenigsegg. Their 1300hp car has no gear box. I'll repeat that, NO gear box.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glf_k4qGBAA

It just has a very snazzy lock up torque converter (TC) and a differential. Now, I don't know how they do reverse, but it doesn't seem impossible to me.

Why not dispense with the transaxle and just build something like this?
You could choose;
Whatever diff you like
Whatever LSD you want
Whatever TC you want
Whatever stator/stall rate

Seems to me there's 65 years of AT parts to choose from and lots of compact diffs now too. In comparatively light cars like we have, should be no dramas. If he can get it to stand up to 1200hp, then the 500hp mentioned by the OP should be no trouble. Plenty of small block chevy style bits would stand up to it.

[Piledriver]

One enabler on the Regera is that car is a hybrid--- has direct drive electric motors and an 800v battery system.
As stated in the video, It can do 0-60 in ~4 seconds even if its completely out of gasoline, just using the rear electric motor... It has one up front too. (AWD of course, I assume that counts towards the cars 1500 HP)
That capability itself largely ~eliminates the need for the normal gearbox on the gas engine.
Same idea could simplify a Prius as well.

[petew]

He also said the car will go 0-60mph in ~4 sec only with the TC and petrol motor. I guess it depends how loose you have the TC... and it seems like they have is reasonably loose. So you have to rev it up. You could build a fairly tight converter and it would work better for a less powerful motor. Then just use the lock up once you get to usable engine speed.

[Piledriver]

Actually, I think he said they had to do a lot of work to make it very tight...Counter-intuitive?
Of course with a big old motor you can probably get away with a stall speed anything over idle, given enough VVT control.

[Frallan]

I was at Koenigsegg in January.....a lot of questions that were not 100% fully answered by our Group of inquisitive and curious people.
Anyway, I Think this thread linked below answers most VW 090 and 010 questions for hobby racers.
A good compilation.
http://ultimateaircooled.com/transaxle/ ... sters.html

[wreck]

Aaron Roberts from Aaron's Speed Shift Auto's does the Auto (T3) for Scott Alder's Splitty . He has had issue's with the input shaft failing and has made a 300m shaft . I'm not sure if Scott has had a chance to try it out as yet .
Here's a clip of Scott using his drag car for circuit racing , all he did was pump up the drag slicks to 30psi . he broke an alloy beam and had to put a steel one in . crazy stuff.