Cracked my 555! Crap! Questions about 555 versus 520

[jonnymopar]

this might be a dumb question, but wouldnt he be swapping in the shift forks, pads, i.e. everything from his 555 as well?

Nope. I'd be much more interested in having just the gearset in there working with the 523 rail setup.

The 523 and 555 shifting mechanism/rails/forks ect are entirely different from each other.

The selector shaft seal and the adjusting rig pin are probably the only two things that are shared in common.

I realize that. If I were to attempt a transplant like this, it would be the gear set and only the minimum amount of additional parts necessary. The appeal of using the 523 case for me would be the strength without needing a chrome moly end plate. Another appeal is having a normal shift pattern (although I do love the shifter I have in the car right now). Again, it would basically end up a "homemade" small-spline 568. If it's not possible, then oh well. I wish I had enough 523 odds and ends to give it a shot. Even just having the parts to take measurements from would help.

[Gaboon]

I just did the swap. I used the speed gears from a 1989 A555 (1/2/3/4) and installed them onto my 1992 A523 intermediate shaft and used the input shaft from the 1989 A555 (small spline)

I retained 5th gear, syncros, forks and ring gear (installed on my OBX diff) from the A523
Everything is put into the A523 case.
I'm using a 520/555 Maddog STS, I only eliminated the pull up knob under the shift knob and adjusted the slide on the cable so it goes into all gears. I also installed a 568 leather shift knob.

Everything works great, shifting is precise and much easier than the 520/555

[jonnymopar]

Nice! That's what I'm wondering if I could do, with the exception of using the 555 intermediate shaft as well. I have a 555 gear on my OBX that I'd like to keep, in addition to having a complete 555 to pull parts from.

Are the cables the same for the newer transmissions? That's one thing I didn't think of.

[Gaboon]

Nice! That's what I'm wondering if I could do, with the exception of using the 555 intermediate shaft as well. I have a 555 gear on my OBX that I'd like to keep, in addition to having a complete 555 to pull parts from.

Are the cables the same for the newer transmissions? That's one thing I didn't think of.

I don't think you'll be able to use the 555 intermediate shaft because the bearing used in the 523/568 is larger in diameter and a race is pressed onto the intermediate shaft that rides in the bearing which is again larger than the 520/555

As for cables, I used 523 cables, and have for years on a 555. the trans ends seem to be the same but the shifter ends are different. This is what I've seen.

What I did was because I had 523 cables and a 555 shifter, I removed the ball type ends from the 555 shifter and welded the straight type from a 523/568 shifter. Took ten minutes as long as you had a shifter lying around.

[Ondonti]

This thread made me wonder how many amps would be needed to TIG weld a transmission case. My coworker was thinking 200 was a no and that 280 might be stretched too far as well. Plus could helium get the weaker welder over the hump?

[jonnymopar]

...because the bearing used in the 523/568 is larger in diameter and a race is pressed onto the intermediate shaft...

I wonder what the diameter is on the end of the 523 intermediate shaft is where that inner race presses on. I'm curious to see if it's the same diameter as the end of the 555 shaft. If it's smaller on the newer trans, I'm guessing the 555 intermediate shaft could be turned down to accept it.

[Gaboon]

I wonder what the diameter is on the end of the 523 intermediate shaft is where that inner race presses on. I'm curious to see if it's the same diameter as the end of the 555 shaft. If it's smaller on the newer trans, I'm guessing the 555 intermediate shaft could be turned down to accept it.

I don't know the diameter but I'm sure you could make it work by either turning down the 555 shaft or welding it to build it up.

[acannell]

This thread made me wonder how many amps would be needed to TIG weld a transmission case. My coworker was thinking 200 was a no and that 280 might be stretched too far as well. Plus could helium get the weaker welder over the hump?

My scrap a523 case seems like its 1/4 to 3/8 thick on the bellhousing wall. Preheat is key as are the welder settings and torch setup to focus the weld. If the housing is already at 500F when you start its going to draw alot less heat from the weld than it would if its 75F, and hence, less current demand. I wouldnt be surprised if 200 could do it with everything setup right. Just a matter of experimenting with the settings for a few minutes. Ive never used helium, only pure argon, so I dunno about how much it would help. I'd have a few different diameter gas lenses on hand to see how focused you need to keep the arc and also see how much you can get out of the frequency.

[going4speed]

With 2-5% helium and a good preheat I bet you could weld a case at 150 amps easy. Could also do some research on DC as well. Do a DC root with an AC cap pass. With Helium that would have no issue getting into that case. I dont think a gas lens is needed on Aluminum. Seems to do fine with a standard nozzle for me.

[onerippinturbo2]

I wonder what the diameter is on the end of the 523 intermediate shaft is where that inner race presses on. I'm curious to see if it's the same diameter as the end of the 555 shaft. If it's smaller on the newer trans, I'm guessing the 555 intermediate shaft could be turned down to accept it.

the shaft diameters are the same under the pressed on race, if you are looking for a good 568 intermediate shaft, i have several, i'd be willing to trade you a 568 shaft with the oversized race pressed on to it already for a good 555 shaft in return, why waste a good 555 shaft when 568 shafts can be found and used. let me know....

[Reaper1]

Dumb question because it's probably been covered so many times it's not even funny, but has anyone looked to see if there's a bearing that would fit the A568/543/523 case that will also work with the smaller shaft diameter of the A555/520 intermediate shaft? I know that the search for direct fit bearings and bearings that require case and shaft mods have been worked with. I can't remember if that option has been investigated?

[jonnymopar]

the shaft diameters are the same under the pressed on race, if you are looking for a good 568 intermediate shaft, i have several, i'd be willing to trade you a 568 shaft with the oversized race pressed on to it already for a good 555 shaft in return, why waste a good 555 shaft when 568 shafts can be found and used. let me know....

I appreciate it, but admittedly I'm a little lost here. If the diameters are the same and pressing the bearing race onto the 555 shaft allows it to be used in a 568, then wouldn't removing the race from a 568 shaft make it suitable for use in a 555? I'm pretty sure the pinion gear is exactly the same size on either.

[Dr. Johny Dodge]

just a guess but the shaft that's ment to have the bearing pressed on may lack a surface hardening the 555 shaft might have (?)

[Reaper1]

just a guess but the shaft that's ment to have the bearing pressed on may lack a surface hardening the 555 shaft might have (?)

^^This. And for that matter even the 555 shafts have issues which is probably why they went with the pressed on inner race.

[onerippinturbo2]

I appreciate it, but admittedly I'm a little lost here. If the diameters are the same and pressing the bearing race onto the 555 shaft allows it to be used in a 568, then wouldn't removing the race from a 568 shaft make it suitable for use in a 555? I'm pretty sure the pinion gear is exactly the same size on either.

the trick to that is getting that race off without damaging it, the ring gears are for sure the same between the two of them.