[2003/Apr/28] Last year I ordered an engine and Datsun 5 speed gearbox from Rivergate Restorations. These items were ordered and delivered as a unit, ready for installaton. The motor was "tailored" specifically for a Judson Supercharger, sporting one of the new aluminum heads equipped with Rivergate 1.5 bushed roller rockers, low compression 8.0-1 pistons, Total Seal rings, Cooper "S" camshaft and off-engine oil filter set-up with new 13 row oil cooler, SS hoses and all fittings required. The motor was blue-printed and balanced to street tolerances. During the build, Bill Perry called and was kind enough to offer (for my crank and an extra $100) a prepared X-drilled EN40B which had come into the shop's possesson just recently. These cranks are rare and thus, his price very reasonable. The motor took longer than planned due to selectivity in Rivergate's selection of the block in terms of "clean up". Obviously, the high dynamic compression ratio this motor would be exposed to was a priority on the part of the builders. We ran into a bit of a problem with the Aldon "tailored" distributor I had ordered from the UK to be delivered direct to Rivergate for installaton. Though not a "Rivergate problem", the Perrys coordinated with Aldon in the UK and took care of the situation on my behalf, anyway. The price for the entire job ran a little over $4K and included a new transmission fitting kit. The rings seated immediately during camshaft break-in. The motor has a little over 3,000 miles on it at this time. Motor and transmission are working perfectly. Absolutely no problems. In addition, I found the Perry's very pleasant to deal with. They certainly know their business when it comes to building engines and gearboxes if my installaton is any example to go by. The engine goes like a rocket, neither uses or loses oil and just gets faster and faster as it continues to "loosen up", it having been built to very tight tolerances (by plan) considering the blower to be installed after initial 3,000 break-in. But more than that, they take care of their customers. You definitely get the feeling your business is appreciated and that they care. I'd do business with Rivergate again in a heartbeat..triple A+ IMHO. -- Robert E. Shlafer <PilotRob@webtv.net>

I'm having the Sprite five speed installed in the next couple of weeks. I bought the kit from Bill Perry, owner of Rivergate Restorations in Soddy-Daisy, TN. He makes all of Mini Mania's kits, except he is cheaper and doesn't accept credit cards. The kit seems to be very well made and the instructions seem to be very complete and specific, however the install has not yet begun. The gearbox is from a '79-82 Datsun 210 (not the B210) and these can be found for ~$200 from junkyards. You will need the output yoke, the speedo cable (a pain in the butt to get out), all the throwout stuff, and the shifter. The transmission (according to the instructions) does take some work to make it fit (grinding off some protrusions and cutting a hole for the starter), but its not a giant amount of work. The feel of the transmission (at least when its not hooked up to the car) is a lot slicker than my ribcase one. According to the instructions, nothing has to be cut on the car. The heater box may have to be bent upwards slightly to make it fit easier, but no cutting required. JZimmerm@mail.co.albemarle.va.us (Jackson Zimmermann)

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