Tag: gearbox

The Mighty Tremec Manual: behind the transmission @Hemmings

The Mighty Tremec Manual: behind the transmission @Hemmings

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Two decades into the new millennium, it’s the undisputed Golden Age of performance. Not only can your order 1,000 reliable horsepower with nothing more than a phone and a credit card, but you can find the project to wrap around it just as easily.

But whether you buy a crate motor, an entire vehicle or have your dream quarter-mile car built for you, the very next step is finding the right transmission to put all that power to the wheels. And while Tremec has been building the most reliable manual transmissions in the business, there are two major features of your new drivetrain that’ll need to be addressed:

  1. Bellhousing Alignment: Your new Tremec manual transmission has been engineered to provide the driving experience you’ve come to expect from the best name in the business, but there’s a very important link in that chain of power that shouldn’t be overlooked: the bellhousing. Literally standing between the motor and the transmission, making sure the bellhousing is properly chosen and aligned is the difference between the strongest and weakest link in your new drivetrain chain. The tech experts at Tremec can guide you through the basic tools you’ll need and the procedure to align your bellhousing correctly.
  2. Driveline Installation: Once the bellhousing and transmission are in place on one end and the rearend has been mounted on the other, it’s time to spec your new driveline. While the correct universal joints and input shaft are necessary, there are three rules to making sure the driveshaft is balanced and will spin freely:

a) Universal joint operating angles at each end of a driveshaft should always be at least 1 degree.

b) Universal joint operating angles on each end of a driveshaft should always be equal within 1 degree.

c) For virtual vibration-free performance, u-joint operating angles should not be larger than 3 degrees

Read on

Evapo-Rust and Ultrasonic Cleaner Meets Model B Transmission Parts

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Model B Outer UJ Cap Pre Treatment
Model B Inner UJ Cap Pre Treatment

As you can see the caps above were still in a pretty rusty state and this was after some soaking in paraffin.

So onto the next stage which involved the double team of Evapo-Rust and the Ultrasonic Cleaner

Model B Inner UJ Cap Post Treatment
Model B Outer UJ Cap Post Treatment

And as you can see after about a day just soaking in the Evapo-Rust and then a few hours in the Ultrasonic cleaner the results are very pleasing.

Model B Rear Gearbox Mount

The mount as you can see is in similar condition and is currently residing in the paraffin bucket and is destined for the Ultrasonic/Evapo-Rust combo if it it will fit!

Model A to Model B Transmission Swap 2023 Project

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Happy New Year!

I purchased an early Model B gearbox a while back at a good price, (3 years ago!! but never took things any further but now back on the radar) not in the best condition but appears to be serviceable. The other parts I’ve been gathering with the help of John Cochran. (need any Model A bits, he’s your man)

There are a fair number of parts needed to complete the conversion, but I think it’s worthwhile as its a synchronised transmission. The later unit is supposed to be a better option but we’ll work with what we have and it’s a good project to take into 2023.

As you can see some of the parts need some work. There are a number of differences between the Model A and Model B set up. Major items are the clutch housing, flywheel, relocation of the pedals and wishbones just to mention a few.

Made a start on the shift tower which had some rust and debris that has fallen into the gearbox, this however should be easy to remove. The unit was filled will gear oil when I originally purchased it to keep things lubricated during storage. As you can see even with a cursory initial clean up on the shift tower, things look a lot better.

During the clean up I came across the part number which is cast into the casing, stating 40-7222, which was a little confusing as this is the earlier transmission.

A quick check over at the excellent VanPelt site quickly solved the mystery

The 40-7222 shifter housing (known as the “slanted” tower) pictured below was used from 1933 through 1935 models. The B-7222 housing (1932 only) looked the same but had two mounting bosses on the right hand side for the parking brake handle mount. Both early housings incorporated the B-7235 shift lever guide plate (see picture at bottom of this page). The guide plate was discontinued after 1934 production. The early housings used the B-7230 and B-7231 forks through 1933 and perhaps part of 1934 production. The slanted towers used the smaller 7230/7231 shifter forks, but also used the smaller shifter levers. Although it will bolt on to any 1932-52 toploader gearbox case, it can NOT be used with the 1939 and later gear sets with the late style synchronizers. This housing is the single detent type, using the same detent spring and plungers as the 68-7222 housing.

Work continues!

Rebuilding a multi disc type Model A transmission – jmodela.coffeecup.com

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The following is a bunch of photos I took while rebuilding a multi disc type Model A transmission, along with illustrations from the service bulletins and ‘The Ford Model A Service Manual and Owners Handbook of Repair and Maintenance’.

There are several differences in the transmission case and internal parts over the years of production.

Read on

Rowing your own: Five things to know about manual transmissions – David Conwill @Hemmings

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Manual transmissions are an icon of the automobile hobby. The ability to operate a car with three pedals sets an individual apart from the mass of drivers who just see cars as point-a-to-point-b transportation. “Driving a stick” lends a certain air of mystery and adventure to a car owner.

Still, how many devotees of the clutch pedal can tell fact from fiction when it comes to the innards of their beloved gearbox? Most of us don’t know a lot more than the number of forward speeds and how many of them are synchronized. It doesn’t need to be that way. The selection, installation, and maintenance of what was once called the standard-shift transmission can be quite straightforward.

From a three-on-the-tree to the seven-speed in a C7 Corvette, all manual transmissions have certain points of commonality. The muscle-car four-speeds of the ’60s and ’70s are likely the most familiar to Hemmings readers, but five-speeds like the Borg-Warner T-5 have been with us nearly 40 years. Even the beloved T-56 six-speed came on the scene in 1992, with the Dodge Viper. That’s a lot of accumulated knowledge. To get the latest information for gearjammers, we consulted with TREMEC dealer Silver Sport Transmissions. Below are five things to consider when contemplating a manual transmission in your ride.

1. Overdrive in Moderation

Historically, a transmission’s top gear transmitted power from the engine in a 1:1 ratio (“direct drive”) where one turn of the engine causes one turn of the driveshaft. Starting in the Seventies and Eighties, however, manual transmissions adopted overdriven top gears, meaning the engine can be turning slower than the driveshaft. When selecting an overdrive ratio, keep in mind that the lower the number, the more overdrive. On a TXK five-speed trans (shown above), the buyer has a choice of 0.81:1, 0.72:1, and 0.68:1, which offer 19-, 28-, and 32-percent overdrive, respectively. Beware of falling into the “more is better” trap, however. As with camshafts and carburetors, too much overdrive will work to your disadvantage. Unless you have an engine built for it, matched to the proper rear-end ratio, you may find yourself lugging the engine in overdrive

2. Keep things in Sync

Steel and brass synchronizers work fine, but for the ultimate in durability or longevity, consider upgrading to carbon

Synchronizer rings and cones smooth the transition from one gear to another, so that you only have to press in the clutch once per shift. They may date back to the 1930s, but they’re not limited to the technology of that era. While traditional brass construction still persists for most applications, Silver Sport’s experts note that they wear faster than some options now available. Worn synchros lose their grip and exhibit crunching where crisp shifts used to be the norm. “If you plan on high-rpm shifts or if you’d like to extend the life of your transmission before it needs a rebuild, carbon-lined synchronizers are the way to go,” said Silver Sport’s Misty McComas. Carbon linings come in both partial and full varieties. With partial (shown above), only the blocker ring or cone is lined, but with full, the whole synchronizer is lined. The latter is recommended for situations where more grip is desired. Even if you’re not power shifting, a harder-wearing consumable means more fun time versus maintenance.

Read on

Model B Engine & Gearbox Swap – Evaluate the Gearbox

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As the gearbox will be needed for the swap, it needs to be evaluated and work out what’s missing and what may need to be replaced

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One of the key points will be properly identify the gearbox case, gearset, shifter and rear mount.

Here’s an example of some of the differences in the shifter housing from Van Pelt

Investigations begin!

Gearshift Tower Overhaul on the Model A Sport Coupe – Part 1

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I’ve been meaning to take a look at the gearshift on the Sport Coupe for quite a while as it seem quite loose in neutral and third gear can be be a bit of a crunching affair when engaging unless you are really careful. John Cochran sorted me out a good used gear stick a while back

As you can see the ball on this one is not too worn

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On to removing the shift tower in preparation for taking  over to John’s to be overhauled. Overcame a seized top bolt and then removed quite a bit of sludge from the top of the gearbox and the shift tower. As I had to push the car back into the garage I made a cardboard lid to keep the lidless gearbox clean and fitted it after carefully scraping the old gasket off.

The spring on the shift tower is known as the “spring of death” and is very dangerous to work with without a special tool.

You can find a really good article on the overhaul of the tower by Tom Endy here

 

Visit to John’s

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Took a little pre-Christmas visit to my friend John’s and took a look at the progress on his roadster rebuild and the latest parts he has for sale.

The rolling chassis is just about done and the body is underway, next decision is whether to go Patina/Hot Rod or a restoration? Watch this space!

Parts wise there are a good number of engines and gearboxes available both Model A & B