So, What are you ecotec guys using for your tranny's? I'm sure most of you are using the 091 but what (if anything) have you done with it? Weddle gears? All 4? super diff?

Talked with don at don's bus box here in town, and full built 091 with all weddle is gonna be a pretty good chunk. Is that really the only viable option?

I can swing it, but would rather not have to. I'd have to sell my 1800dp & tranny, plus the 5 speed that the ecotec came with.

Advice, opinions, etc.?

I'd start out with stock 091 with superdiff.
You should have enough torque to pull that gearing.
If you run in the dunes you will appreciate the extra wheel speed.

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A good friend will bail you out of jail. A best friend will be sitting next to you saying: "Damn that was fun!"



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5wGMaUMXUQ

I run the Quad4 with a stock 091, it has been doing fine so far. Just watch the hole shots. As far as the gearing, my speed is slower then a second gear tranny in the contest but fine for everything else.

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so nitro, are you even using a super diff?

This will be for a mix of trail riding and dune riding.

I am running a s/c ecotec. I had 1st thru 3rd weddle gears and a superdiff. I didn't have the money for 4th at the time I had it built. Well I blew stock 4th out a couple of weeks ago. Now I am having a weddle 4th put in. So my suggestion is if you can swing it have the tranny built with whatever gear ratio you want with all weddle and it should be fine. Or atleast do a superdiff.

The stock 091 will hold up with careful driving with a stock ecotec. But the gearing is off. Get the right gearing and your never regret it.

A 091 "can" handle it if your a strong willed kinda guy, but if you want to see what it can do... ya might need to step it up. on the other hand a well geared trans WILL make a bigger difference than all the motors you can throw at it.

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Maybe you should chug on over to mamby pamby land....

Gearing is key. I ran a stock 091 mid shift for two years and it was allways inbetween gears. I either had too much wheel speed or not enough. I went with Weddle close ratio 1 thru 4 gears and its a different Buggy. I know that a lot of guys only go with 1st and 2nd however that puts a big step between 2nd and 3rd. You may think you will not use 3rd and or 4th however once you put close ratios in you will appreciate them being there. I run 3rd alot now and 4th on open streches. Keep in mind that typically 3rd and 4th gears are made with fine tooth gears to run with less noise hence weaker.

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Water cooled Dry Sumped Subaru Powered Turbo Charged Fuel Injected 2500CC Tank. Oh Rah! He who dies with the most Toys not only wins, He also wears them out!

$3,000 or $4,000 into a trans goes ALOT further than $3,000 or$4,000 into a motor, and can last a lifetime. Its money well spent! I agree 100% with Ody, you may not use your 3rd or 4th in a stok trans, but if you put close gears in, you will!! A stock 091 (in theory) will go close to 180mph with your average type 1. If you gear it to top out around 100mph, now you have 4 gears that you will actually use!

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Maybe you should chug on over to mamby pamby land....

My other tranny has a SD, might go in this winter. The close ratio is something I want, but just too much $$ for my budget. Stock 3rd is a little tall in the dunes, its a big jump from 2nd. I found 60mph was flying at silver lake.

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I agree with you guy's 100% about money spent on a tranny. That is the best money spent on my build. You can ask everyone that has seen my buggy before and after the gear upgrade. My buggy use to wind out to quick in 1st and not fast enough in 2nd. But before you spend the money on the tranny you need to figure out how heavy you are going to be and how much power you are going to be hanging off of it. Because you can gear it wrong. There is no sence in having alot of power if you can't put it to the ground and use it.

Oh yeah figure out what tire height you are gonna stick with.

heres a good example. 2 stock ecotec buggys playing on a hill. One has a stock 091 and the other has a stock side shift. You can hear how 1st runs out fast and second is just too big a jump.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pb3-MXHNmDs

I,ve got a stock side shift in mine and i can,t wait to put closer ratio gears in it, NONE of the gears are low enough! I drive mine on the street alot and 90 mph in 3rd with 31 10.50 tires is easy. I barely get out of first when playing in the woods and if i do its lugging in second. So far trans is holding up ok but only has about three rides on it so far all else has been street time. Its going to wellsville this wknd and oct 1-3 and d@k in mid oct so i,m hoping it hangs on. I have another side shift i hope to upgrade this winter.

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Turbocharged Ecotec,vanogon midshift,Berrien WoodsBuggy wagon.

The sand dunes out west are a completely diffent game, when it comes to tranny gearing.
I see you are from Arizona.
If you do decide to go all out in your tranny, call weedle and find out what the guys are running in those dunes.
My experience out west in the dunes, tells me you cannot have to much hp or wheel speed.
A tranny like mine with weedle's lowest 1st and 4.86 ring gear, made 1st gear useless in the dunes, just sunk in the sand.
The sand out west is very very fine compaired to here.
I think if you supercharge that ecotec,with a stock geared 6rib, you should be able pull 2nd gear from 20 mph to 60 mph, and that should get you up most any dune and still have a useable 1st gear.
But then again call weedle.

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A good friend will bail you out of jail. A best friend will be sitting next to you saying: "Damn that was fun!"



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5wGMaUMXUQ

Found a local guy selling a built 091 all weddle close ratio from an ecotec rail. Talked to him for a bit last night. Looks like I'm gonna go with it. Already done, built for very similar setup, and half price of don's. He said it's not a don's bus box, and said he had other local places to go to which he preferred. Also says he has 2 adapters for the ecotec, so things are falling together.
Trouble is, it's an individual seller, so no credit card transaction. Cash and carry. Gotta move some funds around to get this going, and I'm already booked on vacation in northern cali for the rest of this week.

I would like to look a little more into what else I'm going to need. I really want to get some longer rear arms on it. Not really so much wider though, but I could live with 3x3. Then I'll be welding mounts to those arms to attatch a set of airbags. I really like the idea of airbags on the rail. My Alero has FBSS air suspension, so I've got some extra parts around What axles do you suggest running?

Ask for receipts for proof of the gears and ratios, could be a very costly mistake, if you take him at his word.

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A good friend will bail you out of jail. A best friend will be sitting next to you saying: "Damn that was fun!"



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5wGMaUMXUQ

A Wise Man Gives Good Advice

Oh yea. I had planned on it. Seemed like a straight shooting guy over the phone though. We shall see. Out to norcal for a bit, and we'll see what shakes loose when I get back. It's still in the car right now, so we can see what it's like beforehand.

Yea a lot of people are good at being straight shooters when they are trying to dump something. As they say "Buyer beware". Also sometimes people sell stuff based on what was told to them when they bought it and not really having a clue. They mean no harm, just the way it is sometimes. If you agree to buy it, after he pulls it from the car then remove the Bell housing to at least look at the R & P. Then rotate the trans in all gears to confirm the ratios.

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Water cooled Dry Sumped Subaru Powered Turbo Charged Fuel Injected 2500CC Tank. Oh Rah! He who dies with the most Toys not only wins, He also wears them out!

yea beware! my buddy bought a trans that was said to have a super diff and it turned out not to. Never got his money back.

A midshift tranny with Babychains reduction might hold up. I want to find out some day, it would save $1500 . I got weddles gears in mine now and it is holding up real good so far .

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If your clutch ain't slippin,, you probably got it adjusted right!!!!!

Indeed. I run into this all of the time. Years ago, every used engine you bought had "just been rebuilt" and EVERY used transmission had at least a SD and usually a lower 1st gear. I would at least remove the bell housing and check for a SD. Also, you can remove the fill plug and if you know what to look for, you can tell if it has Weddle or aftermarket gears in it or not. You can't see 3rd/4th, but you can see 1st/2nd.

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In GOD we trust.....ALL others pay cash.