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Son o'Gutz, my '92 245 was just on a long trip to high country (over 8000') and the 5th gear trans noise is now afflicting all but 4th gear. I'm guessing bearings, but as the bearings deteriorate the slop in shaft alignment will wear the gears as well, so I'm thinking ahead to repair or replacement. The car has about 240K on it now, and I've pushed it pretty hard since I got it at 115K (and did some mild performance mods), so I guess it's payback time. My question is - does anyone have first-hand experience with having an M47 rebuilt? It's not rocket science, but I have heard some horror stories regarding rebuilt M47s. I'm considering other options as well, such as a Tremec T5 swap, but I'm not convinced that's as trouble-free as it sounds.
Beyond that...
My mind is open to virtually anything as far as this car's future is concerned. It's rust-free and the running gear is all in great shape, but simple things like interior parts are breaking or deteriorating, and the buzz-squeak-rattle index is high. If the car was faster (like 0-60 in 8 seconds instead of 11-12) there would be no doubt in my mind that I'd just repair or rebuild and basically keep what I have, since it's paid for and it's cheap to insure. With the bars and braces and good shocks and tires the car corners like it's on rails, so it's neater than your average 17 year-old 240, but I really do yearn for more speed so I can at least keep up with the stepkid's Altima! Dropping in a turbo motor is a strong consideration, and a V8 conversion isn't out of the running, either.
I don't rack up mileage like I used to when I had a long commute; these days I put on 10-12K a year. Depending on the scale of investment I'm OK with a 5-year plan versus 10 years and beyond. The question is, do I maintain, invest in upgrades, or move on? Anyone else out there with similar thoughts?
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In God We Trust. Everyone else, keep your hands where I can see them.
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