I just purchased a 1950 F1 on eBay. Only saw pictures and previous owner said its a runner. Received delivery and the darn trans is a mess! My 49 F1 with a 3 speed shifts great as long as I double clutch. The 50 with 4 speed is tough to get past 2nd gear. 3rd grinds bad and its hard to miss hitting 1st again. 4th is almost impossible to find, grinds like its got gravel rather than gear lube, it grinds so bad I cannot tell if I am hitting reverse or 4th. Once I find 4th it feels like its a bit taller than the three speed.
Any ideas on why I cannot find the shift gates? Broken ... ?
Is high gear a different ratio in the 3 speed and the 4 speed?
Thanks for help.
Todd

 

The top gear for both the 3 and 4 speeds is 1:1. Have you removed the tranny cover and looked things over?

 

The 4-sp's aren't synchro'd in any gear. The 3-sp's are synchro in 2nd and 3rd, if you need to double-clutch either the clutch is incorrectly adjusted, worn out, or the synchros are shot.

 

Is the gear shift really sloppy side to side while it is in gear? The slot in the ball at the bottom of the shift lever and the dowel pin that locates it may be badly worn. A real sloppy stick does make them harder to shift.

 

Yes the shift lever is very sloppy while in gear. If I pull the top off what should I look for?
Is there any cool factor or rarity that would be reason enough to keep the 4 speed and not throw a 3 speed in its place?
Why does the 4 speed exist if none of the gears were synchronized?
Thanks
Todd

 

The fix for a floppy shifter, is to see if the milled slot in the side of shifter is wallowed out, and if the pin already mentioned is severely worn. The shifter slot may need to be welded up, and the slot re-milled. Easy to do if you are a decent welder, and have access to a milling machine. If not, farm it out. The pin is just replaced if worn. A dowel pin of the proper length and diameter will work fine.

With the cover off, look for broken or badly worn teeth on the gears. You also want to drain the oil from the trans. and examine it for metal particles and shavings.

There certainly isn't any "Wow" factor with the four-speed, more like a loud groan. They are not rare, and most folks try to get rid of them as they are a pain to drive with. Great trannys if you like exercising your left leg and right arm, and feel you need more to do than just drive the truck.

The four speed transmission was employed mostly for use in the larger trucks, all the way up to the F4 or 5 (I think). It was standard fare for the F2 and F3, but an option for the F1. A heavy duty unit, they worked well in trucks that were, well, worked.

 

Start by looking at the condition of the parts that Mark described. The 4 speed was usually found on the F2/3s where stump pulling gearing was needed for starting out. Cool factors are a matter of individual taste. Replacing a 4 speed with a 3 speed would require changing the drive shaft and cross member cradle, I believe.

 

On an F-1, just the rear mount (insulator) and driveshaft would need to change.

 

What he said.

 

Why do ticks exist?

Seriously, in the day these transmissions were made, most folks preferred simplicity and durability over ease of operation. The four-speed was an easy and inexpensive transmission to produce, and was certainly durable. Most men of that era were quite proficient at double-clutching, and wanted something simple if things went wrong with the unit. There were fewer parts that could fail (no synchronizers), and the gears were no doubt cheaper to replace, as they were straight cut types, and not spiral.

 

I learned how to drive truck on a '32 BB. I believe it had almost the identical transmission as the one in my '52. The "whine" of those straight cut gears are like music to me - even with some grinding here and there on the shifts! If you use an F1 as a truck and haul loads with it, the 4-speed's gearing in reverse and 1st is very useful. - Bob

 

Bad pin
5 minute fix, sweet.
Left leg looks bigger already.

 

I somewhat have the same issue I have the 51 f3 with the 4 speed and it's hard but can find all 4 gears but down shifting that's a no go have to stop just to be able to put back into first gear any suggestions on this matter

 

My Pin and slot were both wore, I milled the slot to a size that would clean up and installed a bigger pin.
Greg

 

You need to double clutch the non-syncro 4 speeds. That means you actively shift it in to neutral (and let the clutch out) between gear changes. These also required RPM matching (especially on downshifting), so a blip of the throttle before shifting down out of neutral can accomplish that. Never try to down shift into first while the truck is in motion, only to second. It will take some practice, but quickly becomes second nature.