Richmond 5 Speed Trouble

[alicarmar]

The scenario: I launched hard in first gear and felt a funny shudder (thought it was ignition related - I've had MSD distributor corrosion issues), hit 2nd gear without a problem, went for third and felt/heard grinding. I was able to coast to a stop and find first gear. I was not able to shift into any other gears so I limped home. The linkage will find reverse, but the engine bogs when I let out the clutch - The clutch works fine. My hope is that I'll find a linkage problem when I crawl under the car, however I'm pretty sure that the transmission needs some serious repair. My question: Is it difficult to service the unit or should I farm it out to a pro? I built the car but did not handle any of the internal engine or rear end work. If I should leave it to a pro, do any of you know of a good shop in the Newburyport, MA area?

Thanks.

PS It's the street 5 speed, not the road race unit.

[wtm442]

Call Mike Forte in Framingham.

I do not know him, but a friend says he is a Tremec EXPERT. Maybe he can help.

http://www.fortesparts.com/

[Frank Messina]

The Richmond is very easy to work on so whether you do it or you have somebody do it for you it's not rocket science. Just lay it on it's side and pry the two halves apart. Lift out the gear shafts and strip off the injured pieces. You will need some big snap ring pliers to get the retaining clips off the gear shafts and a tube of silicone to put it back together. Doug Nash used to include a "how to do it" service manual with every transmission. If you're lucky, Richmond may have their own version that they can send you that shows all the steps. I had mine apart three or four times to replace the synchros, etc. Check your linkage first though before tearing stuff apart.
Frank

[alicarmar]

Thanks for the replies - The documentation that came with the transmission is pretty extensive - I'll probably dive in and give the repair a try if the issue is not linkage related.

[alicarmar]

I pulled the transmission and split the case. Everything in there is a thing of beauty - Not a chewed up gear or synchro in sight and absolutely no metal in the fluid. However, the middle and front shift arms do not move freely - I pulled the parts out (no signs of wear) and put them back in, but the results are the same? Any thoughts?

[Tommy]

I'm following this thread closely because the Richmond 5-speed that was in my car when I bought it has a history of being difficult to shift on what seems to be a random basis. I was thinking about pulling mine apart, so please keep us posted as you proceed.

[SantaFe66]

Does anybody have an idea how to get a hold of the "how to do it" manual that Doug Nash included with his Road Course transmissions? I have one of those and need the manual.

Thanks. Paul.