Morris Minor Owners Club

I was chatting to a guy who had owned some moggies in the past and was interested in my restoration of my 948 saloon (which is taking forever). But he said that the 948 had a ribbed gearbox compared to the 1098 which has a smoothed gearbox. He said the ribbed was rarer and sought after for spridget etc because it has added strength etc etc. So what advantages does the 948 gearbox have over a 1098 gearbox? I'm guessing if I did go larger engine in the future the 948 box has the wrong gear ratios, or does it?
cheers

your man has his wires crossed slightly.

948 minors had the smooth box.
1098 minors and 1098 & 1275 spridgets had ribbed boxes.

The smooth 948 box is accreditted as being weaker than the 1098, and the ribbed box is seemingly man enough for a 1275 so should be ok for a 1098. The boxes for 1275 applications had slightly different ratios to the 1098's.

948's may have had slightly different ratios to the 1098, but i can't imagine much. 4th gear is nearly always 1:1.

the difference in gearing between a 948 minor and a 1098 minor, and a 1275 spridget, is found in the back axle diff ratio. 948's had 4.55:1 diffs, 1098's had 4.22:1, and most 1275 spridgets as far as i'm aware had 3.9:1's.

the 948 box should be fine for your 948 car, but parts can be hard to get if it ever goes wrong. a ribbed box can be fitted but you would need to change your engine backplate and flywheel for ones off a 1098.

if you did go for a larger engine in the future, the geabox ratios wouldn't be a problem, but the strength of the box could be an issue.

the ratio of the back axle would definately want changing for something out of a later 1098 minor (4.2), or even a midget (3.9) or EVEN a Wolseley 1500/Riley 1.5 (3.7) all depending on what engine you go for, and what you want out of the car. you might like a 1275 engine with your 948 diff if you're never going near a motorway and just want a car that accelerates like a rocket for town driving.

See http://seriesmm.mmoc.org.uk/ vehicle ident/ gearbox and rear axle ratios.
First gear sounds like a bag of nails on all boxes when it wears.

Not trying to sound a bit thick, but what is ribbed i.e. what does it look like. Because i'm pretty sure my gearbox is ribbed which would therefore mean I've actually got a 1098 without knowing??
thanks again
Dunc

Ribbed:

http://morrisminorspares.co.uk/shop/pop ... hp?pID=194

Smooth:

http://morrisminorspares.co.uk/shop/pop ... hp?pID=193

definitely ribbed, that surely means I've got a 1098 score! extra power!
cheers guys

wouldn't read too much into it all. i've never had a 'ribbed' box in my lifetime. doubt i'll ever need one either. i've driven these cars for over 20 years and have only ever used a 'smooth' box.

all depends on how you drive your car. i drive it with care and consideration and have never 'blown' or damaged a gearbox EVER. so all this 'this ones better than that one' is a load of b******

Yes - driven carefully on a low power standard engine - and with care taken over oil level - the boxes ARE perfectly capable of many many years service. The 1098 box has better syncro - but good drivers don't rely on the syncro anyway!