rocky conversion to automatic

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Hi there,

Anyone have information about installing an automatic into a rocky.

Can it be done, what transmission is recommended and what might the cost be.

any imput would be appreciated.

Never heard of it being done.

Never heard of it being done. However hear is a thought. What has been done is to put a Rover V8 into a 4trak, maried to the standard Daihat's gearbox. This has been done by machiening the alloy V8 bell housing, and the alloy F75 bell housing, and then welding the two halves together to make a new hybread bell housing. There is no reasion why this could not be done the other way around. However you would still need to make up new Rangi / Daihat's hybread props to marry the box to the axles.
Alternativly there are conversion rings on the market to fit a 4trak engine into a Landi, don't know if there is one for an auto box. May be worth looking into with Millner Conversions, or someone similare.
3rd idea. Put a Mitsubity Pajero engine and box in (auto's in those are comon as...). You would still need to make hybread props, but that is no biggy, as long as you get them profesionally balanced afterward. Should cost about £80 the pair. Or make conversion plates for the diff (or gearbox) flanges.
All theretical, but based on very similar project cars I know work. Basicly, if you can take a 1.3 metro engine and box, turn it sideways, and mount it in an F50 chassis so the drive goes to the Daihat's diffs, and make it all work, you can do just about anything. If you have got a welder, an agle grinder, and plenty of time and imagination, you can make anything fit anywhere.
Having said all that, I do know that there is a 2ltr petrol automatic Sportrak on the American market, though it's caled a Rocky there (I think, so maybe the thing you want does exist as a Grey import.
Hope that helps some?

Any veiws expresed in this thread by me are purely from my own experience, and (sometimes) falible memory. Hope my comments help, but please don't take them as gospel.

rocky conversion to automatic

Thanks Nev for your reply there's certainly food for thought in what you wrote.

At the moment I'm just putting the feelers out there to get some info. You see ever since buying my used Rocky I've had this clutch/gearbox shudder whenever I take off from a standing start or from a slow rolling start. It vibrates up through the gear stick. It's not anything to do with my clutching tecknique because the shudder comes in even when I slowly accellerate from a slow crawl. I can however aleviate the problem by taking off with higher engine revolutions. It almost feels like a balance problem or worse still a bent 1st gear shaft (if that figures)?

The final diagnosis is that it's not at all serious and since purchasing the vehicle some 8 months back, I've travelled about 8,000 Kilometres without further deterioration of the symptoms.

I had a mechanic drive the vehicle and his verdict was that I was expecting too much from my rocky and that I needed to increase revs as I took off.

I'm quite mechanical minded and I know somethings not quite right there but at the same time I'm not overly concerned. The cost of either fitting an auto(no clutch reqired minumising costs) or overhauling gearbox and clutch might prove too expensive and not very cost effective.

Appart from this minor problem my rocky is perfect. Problem is when it comes to my vehicles I'm rather a perfectionist myself.

Anyway, once again Nev Cheers and happy motoring.

Regards David from Downunder.