I have a four-speed transmission I picked up a few years ago. I am trying to find some information on it if possible. It is made by Renault in Argentina. It was used in a D cl*** drag car years ago. It has a custom bellhousing and adapter plate that allow it to bolt up to a Chevrolet V8. It has a Chevrolet 10 spline input shaft, and the output shaft uses a T10 yoke. The shifter is a nice tight design but there are no identifying markings. When installed it is the same length as a Muncie four-speed. It has a plate that was originally riveted to the transmission, but it is largely illegible from wear. It has a flywheel that bolts up to the Chevy crankshaft. The pics show the markings on the flywheel. I still need to get photos of the Bellhousing and adapter plate. I had it in my 55 Chevrolet Series 1 truck, but the shifter was too short to comfortably use, and I didn't want to alter the shifter as I don't have a clue where to get replacement parts. Has anyone ever heard of this transmission and have any information.
The history of the motor industry in South America contains some unexpected mergers and takeovers. As a result, things often got badged in ways which more or less obscured their design origins, like the Brazilian VW 1500/1800 of c.1982, which was basically a Hillman Avenger with Volkswagen badges. A quick Wikipedia dive reveals that Renault of Argentina has roots in Industrias Kaiser Argentina (IKA). The Rambler-based IKA-Renault Torino appeared in 1966 and used a ZF 4-speed manufactured under licence. I suspect that that is what you've got. I suspect that the design might have been unique to the Torino. I don't really have the time to verify that.
@OleADTruck first post, welcome to the HAMB! When I read your post, I was shaking my head. What an offbeat, out of left field query! And then 2 of the members who know the wild stuff come riding in! @34 GAZ that car is sharp!
I have been reading on the site for a while and thought if any site would have some information on the transmission, it would be here. That Torino is a beautiful car. Having readers from around the world is an enormous benefit. Many sites don't have this vast knowledge base. Thank you for those that shared their time and information.
More info. Does it look like yours? https://archivodeautos.wordpress.co...as-de-cambios-que-se-fabricaron-en-argentina/
Yes, that is the transmission. Is the bottom photo for a four-wheel drive? I appreciate your contribution. I guess I can now plan to use it as I can search for parts.
This is the bellhousing that bolts to the Chevy engine. The next photos are of the adapter plate that connects the transmission to the bellhousing.
Yes, Renault Torino with the Hurricane 6 from Kaiser-Jeep which the Argen***nians improved and made reliable. They also had racing versions which even won at the famous Nürburgring circuit in Germany in 1969: These Are The Argentinian-Built IKA Torinos That Dominated The Nürburg - Petrolicious
Of course, IKA-Renault wasn't the only link-up between Renault and AMC. Even before the Torino, Renault were manufacturing Ramblers from CKD kits in Belgium. The agreement dates back to 1961, so the relationship was well established by the time IKA-Renault happened. Chapron even built a few presidential limousines on the Rambler Cl***ic platform: The relationship carried on right up to Chrysler's takeover of AMC. The Chrysler LH platform was based on the Eagle Premier, which in turn was based on the Renault 25. It's a pity that the agreement coincided with the demise of Renault's last front-engine/rwd p***enger car, as that meant no suitable rwd basis for factory hot-rod shenanigans for obscure racing series in far-flung markets. That didn't prevent me from having some Photoshop fun: Edit: though come to think of it, the ease with which Romanian licence manufacturer Dacia converted the Renault 12 to rwd for some versions of their pickup truck opens up an entirely new line of enquiry ...
Yes, and the later exterior handles look familiar. Front end is unique and nice.Bumpers remind me of Euro stuff.
Found this en englais! Looks like early 70s. https://www.curbsidecl***ic.com/cur...rino-ts-the-legendary-rambler-south-american/
^^^ Link wouldn't come up for me, I'll look around. Those cars is yet one more thing I didn't know about.
At the risk of hijacking the thread — I promise that's not my intention! — and knowing full well how much of a tangent it is, here is a quick stab at swapping an AMC V8 into a Renault 12: I have serious problems with the German type-approval regime, but it does have the advantage of requiring drawings like this, which eventually find their way into circulation. This has allowed me to superimpose a fairly accurate outline of an AMC V8 and manual gearbox. It would be a tight squeeze, would require a hood hump and modified transmission tunnel, but it would allow most of the upper A bracket and lower links rear axle location to be used, unlike the Dacia Pickup, which went to a Hotchkiss drive. The bellhousing even seems to clear the steering rack. I learned with my Morris Minor how OEMs trying to be clever can put steering racks in the way of all our hopes and dreams: apparently not the case here.
The main issue with the V8 Pinto over the V8 Vega was being nose heavy. Having the flexplate at the front axle line would make this horrendous. I always loved those drawings in the older Road & Tracks. You could at a glance get a feel for packaging, Center of Gravity and more. Had to search to find an example.
I remember those. My dad had an archive of R&T going back to c.1960. I went to the folks' place a few years back to look something up, only to find that my dad had thrown the lot out. My dad had a weird destructive streak that was strangely not violent at all; it was as if he got greater pleasure out of throwing things away than out of owning them. I used to joke about giving him a box full of old newspapers for Christmas, so that he can throw one away every day for the next year. I was hoping to show my wife the carousels of slides of my childhood my dad had, but he had painstakingly cut each slide up with scissors. Towards the end of his life he had a fear of strangers seeing that stuff. I found it hard to understand. But I digress. I've had a background hankering after a C107 for a while. It's possible to tune suspension for any weight distribution: only the more bias you have, the greater the likelihood of compromising something else. Something as noseheavy as this, keep the front softer than the rear, roll axis should rise fairly steeply to the rear, run some negative camber at the front. Compromise would be that the spring rates would need to be quite stiff overall to limit camber gain in roll without biasing roll stiffness to the front. So that Renault would be quite hairy in character; more than a bit of a blunt instrument; not very French at all! Edit: come to think of it, that was exactly the situation with my (stock) Morris Minor. That had the flywheel at the front axle line. It also had rear suspension considerably stiffer at the rear than at the front. A propensity to lift the inside rear tyre in fast, tight corners is not very useful in a rear-wheel-drive car! Counterintuitively, a front anti-roll bar is a common fix for that in the Morris Minor community. The effect of better camber control is greater than that of greater lateral weight transfer at the front, so the net effect is reduced understeer.
I was interested in what information the image contained and found a website to translate the information. “Cutaway view of the ZF gearbox” Main headline ZF Body text (center columns) “Naturally, you already know how to shift gears, and even if you notice large-diameter shift knobs and a secondary shaft, the gearbox may be worn, or may not have four gears, or may not be fully synchronized… it is ingenious to handle.” “But if the gearbox is ZF, these problems simply do not exist.” “ZF is manufactured in Argentina by IKA-Renault under license from ZAHNRADFABRIK FRIEDRICHSHAFEN of the Federal Republic of Germany.” “To ***emble this precision part, IKA-Renault has installed an ***embly plant with air conditioning and pressurized air, thus avoiding thermal variations and the entry of dust.” “It is a gearbox of extraordinary performance and powerfully strong.” “It has short, well-defined shift movements.” “Drive shaft and main shaft are mounted on tapered roller bearings.” Right column text “Freely rotating gears are constantly supported on needle bearings. The secondary shaft is mounted on tapered roller bearings.” “The housing is made of three die-cast aluminum parts, which makes it light and provides good heat dissipation.” “These three parts are fitted together without the need for sealing gaskets.” “Its four fully synchronized forward gears, quick selection, and handling characteristics make it an ideal gearbox for sports driving, or for compe***ion.” “ZF gearboxes are the ones used by the fastest cars in international compe***ions.” “Only ZF can offer so many advantages, because it is the best in the world.” “The knowledgeable know it.” “That is why the Jeep T-80, Rambler, and Torino are equipped with it.” Vehicle captions (left side) JEEP T-80 RAMBLER LINE TORINO LINE Bottom headline ZF GEARBOX is a product of IKA RENAULT Bottom tagline “Renault: First in all of France. First in production and first in automobile exports.”
I was curious which manufacturers use ZF transmissions? Some newer Corvettes and the following: ZF Friedrichshafen AG is one of the largest global suppliers of transmissions (manual, automatic, and dual-clutch units) to automotive manufacturers. Many car makers don’t build every transmission in-house and instead source proven gearboxes from ZF for cost, performance, or efficiency reasons — especially its widely used 8-speed (8HP) and 9-speed (9HP) automatic transmissions. Wikipedia+1 Major Car Makers That Use ZF Transmissions European Premium & Luxury Brands BMW – Long-time major ZF customer across most models (3 Series, 5 Series, X Series, etc.). Wikipedia Audi – Uses ZF automatic gearboxes in a range of cars and SUVs. Bob Is The Oil Guy Jaguar – Uses ZF 8-speed automatics. Bob Is The Oil Guy Land Rover / Range Rover – ZF gearboxes appear in many models. Wikipedia Rolls-Royce – ZF 8HP units are common in models like the Ghost and Wraith. Bob Is The Oil Guy Aston Martin – Uses ZF transmissions in Vantage, DB11, etc. Pure Drivetrain Solutions Alfa Romeo – ZF automatics in Giulia / Stelvio and earlier manuals historically. Wikipedia+1 Bentley – ZF gearboxes in models like Continental GT. Bob Is The Oil Guy American & Stellantis Brands Chrysler / Dodge / Jeep / Ram – ZF 8HP/9HP automatics in many SUVs/trucks/minivans within these brands, with Stellantis even building them under license. Wikipedia Jeep – ZF 9HP in Cherokee/Comp*** and others. Wikipedia Ram Trucks – 8HP/ZF derivatives used in 1500/ProMaster etc. Wikipedia Other Global Brands Ford – ZF manual and automatic gearboxes have been used in some trucks and vehicles. AHG Auto Service Nissan / Infiniti – Uses ZF 9HP in some models (e.g., Pathfinder and others). Wikipedia Honda / Acura – Select models have used the ZF 9-speed automatic (e.g., TLX, MDX, Odyssey/Pilot in certain years). AHG Auto Service Toyota / Lexus – Some vehicles use ZF 8HP automatics (e.g., Supra on certain variants; broader adoption varies by region). Pure Drivetrain Solutions Types of ZF Transmissions You’ll Find 8HP (8-speed automatic) – Widely adopted longitudinal automatic across premium and mainstream RWD/AWD vehicles. Wikipedia 9HP (9-speed automatic) – Transverse-engine / FWD-based automatic used by Stellantis, Jeep, Honda, Nissan, and more. Wikipedia Manual & other gearboxes – ZF also historically supplied manual gearboxes (e.g., older BMWs, Ford/GMC trucks) but this is less common in modern cars. Wikipedia Summary ZF’s transmissions are very widely used globally, especially in: European luxury/performance vehicles (BMW, Audi, Jaguar, Land Rover, Rolls-Royce, Aston Martin, etc.) American mainstream brands under the Stellantis umbrella (Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram) Select models from Japanese and other global brands (Honda/Acura, Nissan, Toyota). Many other brands (Chevrolet, Volkswagen, etc.) have also used ZF gearboxes on specific models over time. Wikipedia Thank you, Ned and all, for the information you provided. The above information provided by Chat GPT.
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