I have rebuilt engines in my (poor) University days and so am pretty comfortable with mechanical things. The mystery has always been a gearbox and I also wanted to do as much mechanical work myself on the VA – this was part of the attraction of restoring a car yourself and not buying one restored.
I intend this article to be a guide on how to take apart and recondition an early VA ‘wet clutch’ gearbox. My one is from engine number #1143, a wet clutch car. I encourage others to have a go, it is not complex but you need take care and be prepared to be patient.
I also learned about metallurgy, metal, bronze and machining – all part of the article. Since the overhaul I also have learned a lot more about wet and dry clutch gearboxes and have made some notes at the end. …read full PDF article here.
