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Hewland gearbox full#
Hewland gearbox how to#
We are not going to begin to tell you how to rebuild a Hewland, but do have some pictures of the process, including what we started with and how it turned out.Īs you will soon see, what makes this part of our Elva’s restoration even more complicated is the fact that this transaxle was originally equipped with inboard rear brakes.
He charged us about $1000–about enough to cover parts, we figure. He had our transaxle for more than a year as he worked on this odd situation but, true to his word, did return it. After a bit of nudging, Scott quickly told us in all his years of rebuilding Hewlands, he had never seen one this old. When we contacted him, he admitted he was extremely busy but said that if we sent our parts to him, he’d take a look and let us know if they could be rebuilt. Scott, formerly of Hewland supplier Taylor Race Engines, had recently struck out on his own and was rebuilding Hewlands and similar transaxles full time. The crew at Michaels recommended Scott Young. When we dragged the Elva home, we had no idea parts would be so expensive, but It was soon obvious that we were not playing in the mass-produced MG or Triumph league anymore–w e needed an expert. We still bought it, along with a Coventry Climax FWA block and a bunch of other miscellaneous mechanical parts for about $6000. A call confirmed that they had one, but it was in pieces and they could not vouch that everything was present and in working condition. We got a tip that the crew at Michaels Vintage Racing, a top Elva shop in New York, might have the correct transaxle for our car.
The smart move, then would be to just buy one of the readily available Mk 9 transaxles from a later car. It was just an old VW Beetle transaxle.įinding a Hewland transaxle this old would be nearly impossible.
When we found our Elva Mk VI, we were told that the Beetle-looking transmission that came with it was a Hewland. Some 10,000 of these early Hewland units were said to be made and were used in many mid- and rear-engine formula cars and sports racers from the ’60s through today. These transaxles were initially Volkswagen Beetle-based magnesium cases that Hewland modified for strength, serviceability and the ability to make quick gear changes under racing conditions.
Hewland gearbox series#
According to an old Road & Track article, the legendary “Mk” series of transaxles was started in 1960 and was first used in a Lola Mk 1. Hewland was started in 1957 by Mike Hewland. The Elva factory records show that our Elva sports racer was originally equipped with a Hewland Mk III five-speed transaxle.
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