BS belt off for a year/ Tranny rebuild

[Kloopofadown]

I bought this car a little over a year ago now. It has been sitting for a month due to tranny problems. A day ago I pulled the whole thing, removed the timing cover and found THIS. (see attached photo) The balance shaft belt had come off and lodged itself in place. It must have been there for more than a year. I think this would explain why the car has always run rough and also why I am a very lucky guy. Anyways, on to the real question, the reason I parked it for a month is because the steering would pull to either side and in a turn the inside tires would chirp. It was very unnerving to drive. Now that I have it appart I found this crack (see other attached photo) and before I start into it, I would like to know if I should just buy a used Tranny from mitsu graveyard. Any input would be helpful.

Thanks,
Bryce

 

[Kloopofadown]

Oh come on could somebody tell me if it would be safe to just rebuild this tranny?

 

[sevrus]

i would not trust it i would get a new tranny and be done with it.

 

[toybreaker]

Something from the inside done made a run for daylight, and punched a hole in your case.

At the very least, your bellhousing will need to be repaired. That is probably going to require welding by a skilled craftsman, and may very likely be a weak point/stress concentration/crack waiting to happen, even after it's repaired. It's hard to weld aluminum without putting some stress on it as it expands. The whole tranny would have to dissassembled and cleaned. The bellhousing would have to be preheated in an oven and then tig welded...it's a pain,..and it's expensive...

Then, you'll have to replace some internals, in addition to the usual synchros, bearings and such.

At that point, it's going to cost more than a used tranny from a reputable supplier....

If it was a 69 ghibli ss or something rare,...I could repair it....

But, since these tranny's are so plentiful, and reasonably cheap...I would make it into a coffee table or something....just clean it up, glass bead it, clear coat it, and put a piece of glass on the bellhousing 1/2. You can lay the broken parts of your front diff/final drive in there..and 'viola...instant conversation piece. Every time you set a beer on it, you'll realise how bad you're addicted to cars.

I have several... mementos such as this from my younger days... As well as some interesting objects d' art out in the garden.

Just be glad the main timing belt didn't get a hold of the balance shaft belt. That gets really ugly really fast...and bent valves/masherfied pistons aren't near as cool as a blowed up tranny coffee table.

 

[Quasimondo]

I beg to differ on the coolness factor of a busted engine. Pull the mains, pull the crank, push the pistons up near TDC, voila.....instant four-can beverage holder. Perfect accessory to the transmission coffee table.

But he's right, FWD trans are plentiful and will be loads cheaper than paying to get it rebuilt. I wouldn't even bother trying to fix that one since you have cracks in the housing like that.

 

[Kloopofadown]

Alright. Thanks guys. I'll find a good used tranny. That coffee table sounds interesting. I might just do that. The crack is from something in the diff messing up I guess.

Thanks for the help.
Bryce