Hi all. Longtime lurker, first time poster.
Much to my delight I recently acquired a 5-speed 210 transmission, as identified by the 60 cast into the right side. However, it was sold to me sight unseen, and when I got it I was somewhat surprised to find it was a dogleg, as indicated by the rear-facing drain plug.
After cleaning it up a bit I have found black RTV between the front and rear cases, which puts me in a bit of a panic, because it would seem someone has been in there before. Yes?
I was also told after I got it that rebuilt kits for the dogleg are becoming impossible to find, because although the bearings are common, the synchros are not. Strange. I can't imagine unique synchros were developed and used just one year...I would think that perhaps they are not so scarce, but you have to know what to ask for?
But the big and most obvious question is, short of opening it up or putting it in a car is there any way to assess its condition? The input shaft turns smoothly but who knows, that would not seem like a real test. If this question is asked and answered frequently, I apologize.
Obviously if it is a pig in a poke I want to try and get my money back, without paying someone to break it down for a rebuild, only to find it requires uncommon parts or, best case scenario--that maybe it already had a rebuild and it is good to go.
Thanks for your help, you guys are great.