Group3J,
Did you need to change the crossmember, starter or clutch when the box was changed?
(This is all Matts fault BTW....he keeps telling me how good the box in the new Crumira is!!)
Damo,
Clutch is no issue at all - the splines are all the same and I'm using the same thrust race and carrier as before.
Starter won't be a problem either - your putting your old bellhousing on a new box, so it all bolts up as per standard.
Crossmember will have to be changed if you go to an SR box for sure - I use a 180B crossmember. I redrilled and reinforced the floor, made up some 10mm alloy spacers and it works a treat. The alternative is to approach one of the aftermarket guy's and find if they do a crossmember for your conversion.
Regarding the ratios - the SR box is just as crap from 2nd to 3rd. I think you'll find the same with an FJ box.
IMHO don't bother with an Option box - they're getting really old and the gears in them are actually quite small. Hollinger is a better option, despite not having a 1:1 5th (the only advantage of an Option box).
Gears for a CR box are worth around $600 a set - i.e. 2 ratio's (1st and 2nd would be a good start) are worth $1200 or so. If you want to try and suss it further, have a talk to Arthur Jackson at Road and Rally in Sydney. He can build a box for you. Also, keep an eye on Motorsport News and Autosport in case one pops up 2nd hand there......