The one thing that really lets Splutter down is his 4 speed gear box. Motorway driving is painful at best. Bearing in mind that I want to bring him on the Istanbul trip, a 5 speed box would be better all round.

Regarding the gear box in a 750, would a 5 speed box have to come from another 750 or would a 999cc box do the job? How would it affect driveability and pull through the gears. Lloyd has a 5 speed box and he's a 750 Mania, so would it be a straight forward swap or are there any complications? I have a new clutch ordered and have a clutch cable here to be fitted so now would be the time to look into this.

Hi Steve,

Not sure mate but must agree with you that 5th gear does make a world of difference, 60-65mph with no excess struggle or engine noise

All this talk of Panda envy (see thread) makes me feel so tempted to get myself a 999cc just to experience the extra 10 or so bhp!

Russ

I still regret selling my 999cc CLX. It was the best Panda I've had, and had all the bits I wanted fitted. To this day I don't know why I sold it...

The 750 Pandas have a character all of their own though. To my mind the extra 11bhp is barely noticeable around town, it only becomes obvious at over 60 mph. On the motorway the 750 will scream along at the legal limit, that's all we need really. The fifth gear does make a huge difference, Lloyd was comfortable on the motorway, Splutter isn't at all. It's a case of get the ear plugs quick!

Steve, am I right in thinking that you used to own Kermit?

Back to 750s, mine is just so damn cute I am not sure I could part with her. I love to throw her around town, I do get some weird looks in the cold weather because the engine is quite noisy with the choke out! I don't think too many people know what choke is these days!

Russ

Ah yes, the old roaring up the street thing. I leave the house early in the morning and I swear my neighbours must curse at me through their windows every single day!

Yes, I owned Kermit. My Kermit ownership overlapped my CLX ownership, I sold the CLX just after I bought Kermit.

Can't see a problem Steve in swapping 4-5 speed although you'll need a new gearstick

I'm sure I read somewhere that all FIRE gearboxes are interchangeable.

I think 5th gear's rubbish. It only slows you down. My CLX has it, and I do use it, but none of the other cars I've had had it. Not having 5th saves you countless episodes of trying to decide if you can be bothered to change down to 4th to go up a hill or whatever. I'd spend the money on a louder stereo.

yeah those 5th gears... rubbish.

i mean who needs to go on the motorway or achieve better fuel economy... absolute pants. i'm glad my car has to be thrashed to hell if i want to over take someone with no extra bit to get me out of trouble...

Tony, are you taking lessons in extreme sarcasm?

So the hunt starts for a 5 speed box. Erm, Jim, do you have one lying about in a Panda shell by any chance?

I called around to see the mechanic that does the work on my cars. He's a Fiat mechanic but works from home in the evening and weekends. He sent me over to a friend of his, a Fiat specialist in Dunmurray and he confirmed that a 5 speed from an 8v FIRE engine will be a straight swap. My mechanic suggested getting a low mileage box and 999cc carbed engine and swapping the lot. It's an option I'm considering before next summer. A nice low mileage engine and box should be easy and cheap to locate and he's happy to do the work.

hate to throw choice into the pot, but if all the fire boxes are interchangeable then why not put the 6 speed in then?
your going tot he hassle of sourcing a 5 cogger, then why not find a six cog punto grab the box and fit it, surely the wear within the box will be less as they are from a newer car and the ratio's will be better although the top end will still be the same?
maybe more economical....who know's......
has anyone tried it?
maybe the punto or sei/cinq boys have done it?
its still the same engine!!!!!

A 5 speed box would be sufficient and much easier and probably cheaper to get hold of.

Maybe sylvia could do with a 5 speed box?:devil:

Technical question:
If all gearboxes mate to all FIRE engines:
1. Must you use Panda driveshafts on a Punto Gbox? (punto ones too long?)

Just to clarify, any box from an 8v engined Uno or Panda is a straight swap. Not sure about a Punto.

Steve said:

Just to clarify, any box from an 8v engined Uno or Panda is a straight swap. Not sure about a Punto.

Click to expand...

An Uno box has a different mounting on the left hand side, which will need the end part of the box swapping, though i think it should be possible, its just easier if you can find a Panda one.

Punto gearboxes are different, they don't have the tripode joints on the driveshafts so will not fit without a load of work. They also have the cable operated change.

Cheers for that. Have you done this?

I tried to swap a 4speed box in my uno for a 5 speed Panda one, of course once everything is in pieces I realised they weren't the same mountings.... the Panda mount is on the top of the box, while the Uno one is on the front. I'd imagine any Panda 5 speed box should go in a 750 though, looking at the manual the ratios for 1-4th are all the same.

I'll try and find a 5 speed Panda box then. Thanks again for the info, very useful.

petebarchetta said:

hate to throw choice into the pot, but if all the fire boxes are interchangeable then why not put the 6 speed in then?
your going tot he hassle of sourcing a 5 cogger, then why not find a six cog punto grab the box and fit it, surely the wear within the box will be less as they are from a newer car and the ratio's will be better although the top end will still be the same?
maybe more economical....who know's......
has anyone tried it?
maybe the punto or sei/cinq boys have done it?
its still the same engine!!!!!

Click to expand...

Some of the Cinq/ Sei boys and girls have fitted a six speeder into their cars from a Punto, so it should be able to go into a Panda as well.

From what I read it doesn't really offer any advantages over the 5 speed unit. The 6 speeder doesn't offer a greater ratio between bottom and top gears, but what it does offer is a closer set of ratios. Therefore top speed will be the same, but you will have to change gear more often than with the 5 speeder. Considering how torquey (relatively) the FIRE engines are, 6 speeds aren't really necessary unless you fancy constant gear changing.

Plus the 6 speed boxes go for a lot of money compared with an old 5 speeder!

Even though the Uno box has a different end mounting (I think?) if you ARE looking to get a Uno 5 speeder bear in mind that there are two types fitted (top and bottom change linkage) plus the bellhousings on the non FIRE gearboxes are totally different and will not fit the FIRE engines. The bell housings aren't that easy to change either as they locate some of the end shafts of the gearbox itself.

Stick with a 5 speeder