starting new Stratos build in Connecticut

[bocco1]

After 4 years of waiting my chassis is finally coming together at LB cars. I configured the chassis using the Toyota 2GR-FE V6 as my power plant. Having a wicked hard time sourcing a Evora gear box. Please let me know if there is anyone here in the US that has done the complete build with a Toyota power plant. I need all the help I can get on this thing.

[Joules]

Has your chassis completed and shipped now? Mine is now supposedly going to ship in January.

On the engine side I've been in communication with Marc Labranche at Frankenstein Motorworks, I will go with his cams, intake manifold and an aftermarket ECU (likely Haltech) to improve engine performance. On the EA60 gearbox, the best US source I have found is Monkeywrench Racing, it adds quite a bit of cost if you don't have the core, but as you state finding an Evora box in the US is a battle, I even looked at the likes of CoPart auctions to buy a complete insurance write off for the drive train. The other option is to source one in the UK, have it crated, shipped over and pay the duties. I figured I'm so deep into this now I'm going and waited so long that I'm going to stump for the Monkeywrench rebuilt box with their LSD.

https://www.monkeywrenchracing.com/product-category/lotusevora/evoradrivetrain/evoratransmissions/

Julian

[Tbone1209]

Any reason you don't want to go with the lighter, cheaper and arguably better shifting 5-speed e351? I'm sure Marc has suggested, right?

[Joules]

I have a long email chain from Marc and Craig on gearbox selection, at the time Marc had not done an E351, maybe that has changed now? I tried to summarize the feed back I received in that chain below.

EA60; LB have numerous cars with this gearbox, Lotus flywheel is quite heavy and the LB Stratos lighter than Lotus, no idle rattle noticed or reported. No reported failures and have both standard and sports gearing options in NA & SC cars, good for highway driving.
E153; Bulletproof but shift quality is absolute trash, and it overheats with track use.
E350; A great transmission with a ton of different gearing options, great shift feel and Quaife makes an LSD for it.
EB60; 6-speed with a good shift feel and Marc makes an LSD for it but the volume is so low that it is quite spendy, also lack of gearing options.

[Tbone1209]

I have a long email chain from Marc and Craig on gearbox selection, at the time Marc had not done an E351, maybe that has changed now? I tried to summarize the feed back I received in that chain below.

EA60; LB have numerous cars with this gearbox, Lotus flywheel is quite heavy and the LB Stratos lighter than Lotus, no idle rattle noticed or reported. No reported failures and have both standard and sports gearing options in NA & SC cars, good for highway driving.
E153; Bulletproof but shift quality is absolute trash, and it overheats with track use.
E350; A great transmission with a ton of different gearing options, great shift feel and Quaife makes an LSD for it.
EB60; 6-speed with a good shift feel and Marc makes an LSD for it but the volume is so low that it is quite spendy, also lack of gearing options.


Marc's done many many 350/351s in MR2s which is as close as you'll get to the STR install. Craig hasn't done any because the trans aren't plentiful in the UK. The mounts are the same as the 153 (Marc's comments) . Just need Marc's trans bracket. Marc doesn't make the LSD, it's a Quaife LSD. You'll get it figured out I'm sure. If you haven't been on the Frankenstein discord channel it might help with general questions. Lots of guys on there doing all the variations of Toyota trans.