AaronMc

I tried to find this in old posts. I'm sure this has been answered at some point, but I can't find anything specific to this. The TLDR version is... Can I easily put a non-tripod (direct mount) transmission in my 97 SC?

I'm looking to buy a W58 or R154 (if I can find one that isn't insanely expensive) this week to put in my 97. I have the opportunity to get a W58 local that is the direct mount or non-tripod style. I also found one that is twice as much and out of state, but it's the tripod.

I understand that the tripod is original to my car (it was a manual from the factory, but I bought it without a drivetrain), and will mount directly up to the hole in my tunnel/console. But, is it extremely difficult to adapt the non-tripod style to this car?

I also want to get the Cube short shifter. They have the option of an offset shaft for the non-tripod style for the SC. But... is that all I would need?

I reached out to Cube, and apparently there are multiply non-tripod lengths, from 18-21.5". He told me I need a 20-21" W58 or R154. But again... is that all I need? Just a 20-21" non-tripod transmission with an offset shifter?

I know that either way, I'll have to swap or extend the driveshaft. I'm just wondering about the transmission at this point.

KahnBB6

iTrader: (5)

If you've got a 1-of-120 factory manual 1997 SC300 then stick with a tripod transmission. Rarity of your car alone should rule out getting into a non-tripod setup.

No, you can't just bolt in a non-tripod W58 or R154 easily. Factory extended toploader housings versions of both transmissions placed the shifter a little farther forward than a tripod transmission tunnel's M/T opening... but also not in the same place as A/T tunnel openings were located. You would need to get a non-tripod transmission custom extended by a place like Driftmotion. Also, transmission mount and crossmember solutions are different for non-tripods that didn't originally come from a 1992-1994 SC300 M/T (XCessive has a solution for those) and the pre-92-94-SC300 W58's and MKIII R154's use mechanical speedo drives that also require an adapter from Marlin Crawler to work with our 3-pin VSS connectors.

Look at options from Driftmotion, Grannas Racing and Xcessive Manufacturing for those options and make sure they understand you have a factory Tripod style car.

However... any of the factory tripod transmissions will just bolt right in without modifications needed to your car. Given that you have a very rare 1997 factory 5-speed M/T chassis I would recommend holding out for a good Tripod transmission to build your driveline.

Avoid the MKII and MKIII W58's. They don't have anywhere close to the extension that is needed and they aren't as strong as the factory 92-94 SC300 W58, 95-97 SC W58 or 93-97 MKIV NA W58.

Also avoid the W55 Tripod transmission. It will fit but it is also not as strong as the factory SC and MKIV W58's.

An R154 or even a converted Aisin AR-5 (very closely related but requires conversion parts fro Driftmotion) are all strong.

Still... I know they aren't exactly easy to come by reasonably these days but I'd stick with an original tripod transmission for such a rare SC chassis.

AaronMc

That is an excellent explanation, thanks!

Mostly because my lack of knowledge of the different eras and applications for the W58s, and the uncertainty of what I'd need to do, I was leaning tripod, but this sealed it.

I'm sure I'll go with the R or Aisin (I'd read some about that conversion) at some point, but the car will be NA for several years at least.

Thanks again. I might be spending more money, but at least I feel better about it now, lol.

KahnBB6

iTrader: (5)

Welcome! For your specific and rare chassis a tripod transmission will be the way to go. You can go with an R154 Tripod and buy a very affordable OEM 1986-1992 Supra MKIII Turbo R154 clutch kit for naturally aspirated duty and it will last for many years reliably as it can hold more stock torque than the NA 2JZ puts out.

I went this route for years with my R154 swap for my factory 5-speed SC (in my case with the earlier type non-tripod type which needed several modifications to bolt right in to my earlier type SC 5-speed chassis) and the OEM MKIII R154 clutch was dead reliable no matter how hard I drove the car.

Then later down the road I upgraded to more expensive high capacity clutch kits once I had a turbo engine installed.

This also adds value to your 97 factory 5-speed I'd think since you'd have a correct factory type tripod transmission installed which is already strong for turbocharger duty. Someone correct me if I am wrong about that but given that you need to restore the drivetrain anyway with a tripod transmission why not go for the stronger one that bolts right in?

AaronMc

Thanks again. I am spending a LOT of time on these forums reading through what everyone has done. I'm sure I'll be posting more questions.