McKee transaxel

[floydjer]

Anyone see one before? Novel idea, graft a B/W T-10 to a quickie and make your own i.r.s. Might help move some weight rear-ward in a short wheel base back motor car.

[Rex Schimmer]

I remember that transmission. Pretty inovative and certainly something that could be done again by a good machinist and some engineering. Notice how he has rolled the 4 speed over to line up the shaft centerlines and also the gear center distance on the trans he is using, looks like a GM 4 speed, must be the same as his quick change.  I think that Hildabrand did make some Indy car quick changes that were two speed. I did a concept drawing one time on making a regular quick change into a two speed, it is not that difficult. Might work good at Bonneville because it gives you a 3 speeds if you add in the push truck to around 75 mph.
Rex

[maguromic]

Rex

You are correct, Halibrand did make a two speed for the Indy cars.  I have one in my ’66 Indy car.  I remember Jerry Eisert telling me that they even used one at Sears Point to road race with and big Al was pretty fast with it.

[gidge348]

I have recently seen this same type of set up being built using (I think) a Winters Sprint Car diff converted to IRS here in Australia.

It has a 4 speed sequential (no reverse) with ignition cut for flat changes incorporated in the extended QC gear case.

The last I heard they were experimenting with new dogs as the original ones were getting hard to come by.

If anyone is interested let me know and I will try and track down more details on this.

[Peter Jack]

As I remember, and I played with some of those cars back in the sixties, the reason for the orientation of the transmission was so that the main shaft could go back to the quick change gears before routing the power through the transmission and into the final drive. We had one that came out of a King Cobra (Cooper powered by Ford V-8) in our Group 7 Can-Am car. I may have it backwards and it may have gone through the transmission then the quick change gears and back to the diff.
The ol' memory's beginning to fade.

Pete

[DavidinDurango]

Ford (KarKraft?) used that on the Ford GT at LeMans - but only one year.  It was a top loader, but don't remember where the diff was sourced.  '65 or so?

[maguromic]

Pete Weismann was the man responsible for that trans.  He developed it while he working at Kar Kraft.  If you click the pictures of the can-am and GT-40 it describes what he did.  http://www.weismann.net/innovations.html

[SPARKY]

 miss post

[Tom Simon]

Has anyone put a Mendeola transaxle in an LSR car?  No QC option, but they are built from modern parts with spares support (built for the offroad market). They usually have a display at SEMA

http://www.mendeolatransaxles.com/mendeola_transaxles.php

[Milwaukee Midget]

Ford (KarKraft?) used that on the Ford GT at LeMans - but only one year.  It was a top loader, but don't remember where the diff was sourced.  '65 or so?

1965 is correct - Kar Kraft proprietary transaxle stuffed with toploader guts.

[Peter Jack]

The McKee transaxle was designed and built by McKee Engineering in Palatine, Illinois in the mid to late sixties using GM parts. The company still exists. I don't know if they'd be interested in doing a project like that now but it might not hurt to ask. It seemed to be a tough unit.

They've apparently since moved to Lake Zurich, IL.

Pete

[maguromic]

Has anyone put a Mendeola transaxle in an LSR car?  No QC option, but they are built from modern parts with spares support (built for the offroad market). They usually have a display at SEMA

http://www.mendeolatransaxles.com/mendeola_transaxles.php

A few years ago I ran into a guy that was building a lakester with one. I  don't know if the car ever made it on to  the salt yet. IMO, depending on what your application is I think you  can find allot more transaxle for less money than what they want.  Tony

[manta22]

Porsche 930 transaxles have been used in mid- engine applications for quite a while; they have a reputation for strength and different gearsets are available. In addition, adapters, clutches, and flywheels are available from KEP (Kennedy Engineered Products) for just about anything. They are 4- speed transaxles.

Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ

[racefan]

I have a McKee transaxle w/shift linkage and suspension with control arms, half shafts, brakes, trailing arms, and koni shocks. They were given to me by a friend in 1985 when he moved to california. He helped his boss at work remove it from a McKee road race car (model unknown). The car was dismanteled for the engine which was a Crysler Hemi. I have had these parts in my garage since then and have been trying to sell them for about a year, but don't know the value and can't find anyone who is in need of them. I know there are still some Mckees out there and have conversed with owners of them by e-mail. I don't want to trash these parts. I would appreciate any help in finding the value of these parts and a buyer.

[Nexxussian]

I seem to recall an article about a hemi powered McKee CanAm car. Article said it was 1 of 1 though, so odds are slim it was that particular one.

The article in question had some good pictures of the transaxle, cable shift, with the shift side of the (super?)T-10 up (at an angle) and the cables fed to a shifter that looked kind of like a shifter off a single rail trans with cables out the back.     
Shifter mechanism housing looked like a casting IIRC.