Back in May I posted about problems I was having with my trucks. I was bummed out because business has been slow and I didn't have the money to stick into the trucks to get them working for the driving season, which is pretty short up here.

I was able to find the problem with the F-2, it was cheap and easy. I found the condenser was junk, I replaced it last summer when I did a complete tune-up on both trucks but I must have gotten a bad one.

The panel had transmission problems, it wouldn't work in 1st or reverse gears. It made a horrid sound when I shifted into either gear. So I figured it had a bad gear inside. I left it sit for the summer.

The other day I was going some place in the F-2 and discovered the fuel pump sprung a massive leak, bummed again. Still no money to stick into either truck and now I don't have any old trucks to drive and I'm suffering from withdraws.

A friend of mine called a few days later with to tell me he got his hands on a dozen or so items that he wanted to know if I knew anyone in my line of business could use. My friend moves machinery and clears out old factories and always runs into old parts and machinery while clearing out these old factories that the owners pay him to haul away. He's on the level and these items are not hot. I just happen to have a customer that could use these items and I am able to broker a deal and make a quick $800, $400 for me and $400 to pay bills. Now I have the money to put into my trucks. I have a new fuel pump waiting to be installed, awesome!

Now onto the panel, I figure my mood is better and my youngest son wants to help get the panel on the road so he can take it to the Dash to the Dell in September. So we'll finally take the extra 3 speed tranny off the shelf in the shop and swap it into the panel. Not so easy, I take a closer look at the spare tranny and it doesn't look like the one in the panel. This one looks almost as big as the four speed in the F-2 but it's a 3 speed, turns out it's a heavy 3 speed and the panel has the smaller 3 speed. Oh well, might as well pull the panel's tranny cover and see what's inside and I find this:



The rear most gear has four teeth completely chewed off. Bummer. I go over to my neighbor's house, he's an old car guy with a '52 F-1, to ask if he knows where I can buy gears. He tells me he has a side loader tranny in his basement and the parts might be the same, it turns out he doesn't have a side loader but it's the same top loader as my panel. It's all apart but it has the gear I need, awesome. Now I just have to figure out how to tear apart the tranny and install the "new" gear.

Just thought I'd share my trials and tribulations I'm having with my trucks. I think I might actually be able to take both trucks to the Dells in September. My youngest is stoked because he got his license last Spring and he's going to be able to drive a truck to the show for the first time.

 

That's great news! Reminds of the "Money for Nothing" by Dire Straits. Your luck has turned around. Hope you can make your deadline. Take lots of pictures for a possible tutorial??

I, on the other hand, may have hit a major road bump. Got the exhaust done on the Panel over the weekend and briefly started her up. I'm getting what appears to be a nasty exhaust leak somewhere. It still sounds like a tractor even with the exhaust pipe completely on. Will dive into it some more tomorrow after work. I'm trying to make a deadline myself. I'd like to get it running by the last weekend in September.

 

Yyyyep! Post #18 - the dreaded old 7100! Four teeth.

That's the same thing that happened to the original 3 spd I had in my 55. As I recall it was VERY easy to get that out. You just remove the input shaft cover and shaft, pop off a bearing snap ring and pull the whole gear cluster first throught the front hole about an inch until the back is out of it's bearing, then up and out.

But, be careful to do this all in a large pan or wash bucket. There are roller bearings in there that always seem to stick together for a minute then all fall out.

I think that gear just slides offthe back the new one back on. Be sure to replace both front and back oil seals! You can probably do all of this in less than 30 minutes!

Have fun!

 

So the neighbor happened to have a replacement gear for the transmission in your 60-year-old truck lying around? Seriously?!? Man, I have GOT to get me some better neighbors! Good luck with the repairs!

 

LOL he probably stole it out of Bobs yard 20 years ago!

 

Bob,
I would pull the trans and do a complete breakdown. I would be suspicious of the cluster gear looking at the picture and your description. Back 20 years ago I did a bit of a talk on the differences in the flatmotor trans and rebuilding tips for guys in the local chapter of the early Ford V8 club that I was in. I was into 30's flatheads back then. If my memory hasn't failed me to pull the box apart, you remove the lower shaft that the cluster runs on. That drops down the cluster gear allowing you to remove the output shaft.
On a separate note, I really like the heavy duty 3 speed transmission. It solved the type of problems that I had in Willard which looked a lot like your trans problem. I was running a 56 Buick nailhead thru the stock driveline originally and it liked to eat gears. If I recall correctly, the 3 speed HD was almost a bolt in.
Before I put the HD 3 speed in, I got very good at pulling the trans, breaking it down, replacing bad parts, reassembling and reinstalling the trans. My best time was 2 hours total, however I was 30 years younger back then!

 

Some info on that tranny here : Resto-Rodding a 1950 Ford F-1 Truck

 

You may find loose needle bearings in that cluster. Check out rumbleseat's info on 'gears' from this link. He recommends heavy grease and a dummy shaft to help keep things together.

Flathead Introduction

I'd also vote for the HD 3 spd if you're going to keep the panel. I've thrashed my original for 10 years and its still going strong.

 

Yeah, he builds overdrives and uses parts form the trannies for the overdrives. He has a small collection of old Fords so he has a stash of Ford parts.

Thanks for the advice on the three speed. I would use the heavy 3 speed if it's a bolt in, I wasn't sure. Also, is it a spur gear tranny like the 4 speed in my F-2? From looking at the gears in the heavy 3 speed the gears are all straight. I really don't want another transmission that I have to double clutch. Also, is there a performance difference between the two 3 speed? The gears in the heavy transmission look a lot bigger than the lighter transmission. I don't as much experience with the 3 speeds as I do with the 4 speeds. The panel is the first truck I've had with a 3 speed, I did have a '48 F-1 years ago but I didn't have it long.

 

I thought you would have this page Bob but maybe not.

Here's the transmission specs and descriptions (I'll post both versions in case folks want to copy):





So it does look like the 1st/Reverse gear is a spur (but that shouldn't make an diff when shifting into 1st) 2nd and 3rd are synchro'ed, and it is geared lower in first and reverse and slightly lower in second.

 

OK, It looks like I may just drop the heavy 3 speed in, it's the easiest to do. I'll just have to see how I like it, I can always rebuild the old one and stick it in.

The question I have about the heavy 3 speed is 1st gear isn't synchronized, how do you shift from 1st to 2nd? Is it a straight shift or do you have to double clutch? I'm not new to double clutching, my F-2 has the non-synchro 4 speed and I actually don't mind it but my F-2 is my baby and it's different, I like heftier feel of the truck. I also like the 3 speed in the panel and it's the only truck my wife will even attempt to drive.

How much different is driving the light tranny compared to the heavy tranny?

 

It should shift the same as your Helical gear on the other. When coming out of first, you are just popping the "first/reverse" gear from being engaged already into neutral (in other words it doesn't re-engage any other gears - going into gear of course is where you double clutch).

So when you shift from first into second, the "first/reverse" gear disengages and pops into the neutral position, then the second gear, which is synchronized, is engaged to drive.

But like the light duty, you will never get it down into first or reverse gear while you are moving - even double clutching (and if you try to force it, the same thing will happen to this transmission as happened to your light duty....it will take even more abuse to do it, but it will).

With the exception of the lower gearing and perhaps a dash more whine in first, I wouldn't think you would feel any difference!

 

Cool!! Then it's the heavy 3 speed. Very easy, quick way to go.

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate the input. I'll post after I get the tranny in and let you all know how it went.

 

Bob, Good choice. Although 1st/reverse are spur cut and 1st in particular is geared lower in the HD, I don't think that you will be bothered by either, I wasn't.

 

One more quick question, I only removed the transmission, I left the clutch assembly and bellhousing on the truck. I am assuming I can use the same clutch assembly and bellhousing for either 3 speeds, correct? I don't want to go home tonight all jazzed thinking I have a easy repair and then find out I need to swap out the other parts. I have them on my shelf but they're in my shop and the panel is at home so I can't compare right now.