The Official 356Talk Forum

"Try Jack Morris at Wolfsburg Motorwerks in Seattle. 206-789-0182
Jack rebuilt both my engine and trans-axle. He is a good fellow and technically savvy.
Dan K."

Jack's a customer, so I can't claim disinterest, but he's made 5 or 6 PreMat Twin-Plug engines sing. And there is no doubt as to his tech savvy. The guy worked out a longer stroke several years ago. *Very* sharp guy.
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"What is the Cadrobbi conversion? thanks tom"

And another sharp guy gets a mention. J. Lefriant made removeable axles work through a lot of head-scratching and some serious sums. If I'm right, the result is stronger than the stock arrangement.
(added by edit: Spell the man's name right,,,)

Hi Ron
Thanks for the kind words but the differential conversion was a "no brainer".Al Cadrobbi was famous for other things other than 4-Cams. He was an excellent tuner and was great with carbs even your favorith Zenith. he was in the transmision business with Andre as a partner and they were renowned for their off road prowess in building racing VW gearboxes. The conversion uses the same bearings as the 718(RSK/RS60) gear box and the VW tunnel box. We sourced an angular thrust bearing to be like Porsche when they improved the VW setup from the split case days. Using doner swing axle VW performance side covers and remachining them for the smaler dia Porshe case we now have the option of using the VW diff and any of the variaents like a ZF clutch style or a t.b. Quaife or a 4 pinion off-roaddiff after corecting for the bolt pattern and ofseting the ring gear.(they have the same inner dia). Besides using bearings that have a higher rating and the ability of removeing the axles without touching the side covers this conversion also allows using a Sway Away axle which is much thicker at the paddle end. VW diff have no tendecy to crack at the pin hole and they never fail at the bearing flange. another benny is that there are special tools that can be used that were developed for VW that make adjusting the preload and backlash much easier. the spyder gears contact is easily adjustable is a another benifit. I am not the first one to do this Bob Garetson did it before i built my first transmission i just made all the pieces into a kit that can be had for less money than a replacement new diff. If your trans builder recomends changing your diff have him/her investigate my option.
cheers
jacques

Jacques,

Can they also use a VW ring and pinion. Just curious.

Curt...

Hi Curt
I did one 8/31. i had to reduce the od of the ring and machine the pinion shaft. Steve Bergen was going to install it into his C for testing but he passed away. I will have Ring and Pinions made that will bolt in and be 5 spd enabled but i am working on my Capricorn alternative parts for the 4-Cam
j

Does anyone know of a reputable builder in New Jersey who can work on my 356B transmission? Clutch and Bushings are good

Paul,
Please describe the nature of the trans. problem...it will help in diagnosing it.

I posted the message under wrong forum. I will stay on this page. The car does not engage 2nd or 4th gear even if I hold down the stick , but only pops out. All other gears the car drives fine. Thanks for taking the time.

Adjust the fore and aft position of the shift rod from within the cockpit. Often a small adj is all that is needed.

Has your transmission been out and reinstalled just before this started?

I bought the vehicle with this transmission issue. As far as i know it is the original transmission, but not reinstalled at least in last year.

Paul,Check that spacer plates were installed correctly on front trans mounts. If so then try this. Loosen clamping bolt and adjust shift lever so that lower portion of lever is 90 degrees to floor when in neutral. Tighten and see if your popping out is fixed.

Paul I would use Gaspare at Gaswerks in Paramus Car repair and maintenance in Paramus, New Jersey
Address: 401 NJ-17, Paramus, NJ 07652
Hours: Open ⋅ Closes 4:30PM
Phone: (201) 267-8850

Eric Wills wrote:This is the link to pictures of the Cadrobbi Conversion.

http://porsche356registry.org/356talk/t ... al#p142529

Eric, your link doesn't work.
Edit: I just realized the link was 6 years old. No wonder it doesn't work. Never mind.

Start by making the adjustment at the pinch bolt before anything else. Mark the position of the lamp before loosening the bolts...also mark the center position of the clamp so you can always return to it if needs be.
Tighten the bolt as hard as you can after adjustment...it can slip if not really tight.
Where in NJ are you?

Ask John Paterek of Paterek Brothers in Chatham, NJ who he uses or recommends. He has been a member of the Registry since the beginning, and his shop is famous for the quality of its work.