1932 ford transmission

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draggin49

Senior Member
I was looking into rebuilding the original 3 speed trans in my 1932 v8 roadster.
The trans constantly will come out of second gear and go into neutral when you let off the gas or when slowing down in 2nd gear Trans also seems to sometimes be difficult shifting in general . I’m guessing the teeth are really worn out. Was doing this since the day I got the car so it was not due to me driving it hard or shifting it too hard .It doesn’t pop out of first or third , only second gear . It’s really annoying though .
Who makes a good rebuild kit for these transmissions? Is there anything internally that can be done to add some durability ??
 
Sweet! I will see what the turn around time is for them to rebuild it there ,
If it’s a long wait may have it done locally but get all the parts through them. From what I read up it seems like it is a pretty straightforward process to rebuild it compared to some of the other transmissions .I figured that since I have the original drivetrain it’d be worth rebuilding the stock trans to make driving much better .
 
draggin,
You are correct ,these trans are straight forward. The devil however is in the
seemingly insignificant details.....Mac VanPelts book walks you thru the process...
don't skip a word !
Charlie ny
 
The early Ford gear boxes are relatively simple but it still helps to have information such as Mac VanPelt's book. There are several reasons they pop out of 2nd and all are wear related. Bearings, thrust surfaces, and shafting all wear as well as gear faces and blocker rings.
 
Is there any parts for the trans rebuild that allow for more durability over the stock configuration?? I know occasionally since there has been so many years between the stock trans and current year that sometimes there is parts that are developed to be a bit stronger than what may have been used back in the day .
If not no big deal, I will just get the book from van pelt and all the items to completely overhaul my stock trans . I know many guys opt for later year transmissions but this car is so original I figured it’d be best to keep the factory trans /motor in place
 
A good cluster shaft and bearings and thrust washers for the cluster that fit tight are a must. The main shaft must not be worn where it enters the imput shaft and of course the two ball bearings must be absolutely tight. If all that is good, even if the sync. is worn a little, it will still be a very good transmission. I built my 32s trans a few months ago like that and its now the first top shift I have ever had that did not pop out of second gear.
 
Another thing to watch is the clearance between the second gear and the main shaft. The older transmissions that have straight cut spur gears are noisier and a bit harder to shift depending on whether they are synchronized or not but they don't have as much thrust load as the helical type gears of the later units. Thrust loads cause wear in places that a lot of folks don't check unless they are very familiar with these units.

Anything that can wear should be carefully scrutinized for proper clearances.
 
Just something to note: Most of us who have ran early Fords have experienced the "pop out of second" gear issue in our lives - and some of us, pretty dang frequently. It is terribly annoying (I get that), but also something that you'll probably find will be hard to get anybody to guarantee won't happen.

I'm not trying to spoil your party - but there are many reasons why it can pop out of second - and some of it is a bit "voodoo" to all of us. To the best of my knowledge, there has never been a "100% guaranteed method" to clearly identify and fix it (especially given the different parts and configuration changes from 32 - 48). As many have noted, having parts that are not worn and tight clearances are critical - though you may find it is hard to setup/obtain correct clearances with some of the repop parts - or what you currently have to work with.

Example: I have yet to find a reproduction main cluster shaft that is within correct/original specs -- so I had to make my own out of precision ground linear shafting materials (pre-hardened). Every repop one I ordered was about .002 small - which causes cluster bearing tolerance issues and also increases the tendency for the shafts to leak oil onto your garage floor.

If you have all the micrometers required, know how to use them and are patient in finding parts with the correct clearances (and setting the transmission up as such), then you'll have the best chance of it not popping out. Even if you do everything "by the book" - you may still experience the problem . . . as many have found with even newly rebuilt transmissions.

I rebuilt the 39 Box in my 32 with the best parts possible, had some custom work done by Charlie NY and did a lot of custom things myself - it stays in second, even when I rev the heck out of the engine and let off the gas. It makes me happy that it stays in second - outside of a quality rebuild, this was my goal.

If you're going to have it rebuilt by anybody - I suggest you ask them if they will guarantee that the issue is resolved . . . just so you're working from the same set of expectations. It is better to be clear on the front-end . . . before the work starts. :)

Best of luck with your car and all that you're learning . . . take care,

B&S
 
Thanks B&S , that definitely helps . I guess because I’m completely new to the early fords , I didn’t realize that coming out of second gear was a lot more common than I originally thought. Totally valid point , I would be certainly bummed out if I spent a good amount of money to have a place rebuild my trans ultimately to have it still have the second gear issue .
Are there any transmissions from other years that are the same size case that would be able to bolt into place ?? Is this second gear issue prevalent with just the trans in my 1932 roadster or were there other years that had the same trans/issues ?

I know some guys are using newer style manual transmissions to get a bit more durability and overdrive . It makes sense cuz it will keep the low gearing to get more power out of the flathead but at the same time make the car able to do the freeway with ease .

If I rebuild the stock trans I’m gonna have to change the rear end gears to something taller to make the freeway doable . Unfortunately where I live if I want to daily drive my roadster it will require going on the freeway regularly .

Or maybe a Columbia OD/stock trans
 
i get it that you have a nice "stock" 32, but really changing to the newer style gears will give you a better driving transmission. from 39 on up ford used the same type of syncro devise that is still used today in modern cars. get the book from vanpelt sales for more on that, you'll be glad you did. some creative folks have used the 32 case and shift tower, but most go to a later "78"marked case, and the later double detent shift tower. all better stuff but you need to change the hole in the trans cover in the floor. if you have a nice original, keep it and hack up a repo for the job. this is what hotrodders have been doing since 39, its really a better transmission. hwy speeds are all about rear end gears, 354 for the la freeway, or an overdrive, there are options for that
 
There are folks that claim success at installing later gears in the 1932 case and even finding a way to use the original slope back shift tower. They had to fabricate the 2nd-3rd shift fork to do that since the late type fork is not a bolt in for those old shift towers. The late type shift tower is straight up & down which changes the appearance and fit somewhat but it can be made to work more easily with the late 91A fork.
 
I’ve noticed that almost all the guys who didn’t go to a modern trans went to a later ford one usually . I think you are totally right the newer style synchro device in 39 and up is just a better all around transmission vs the 32 . I think I may go that route to just hang onto the stock trans and store it along with all the other original parts for my car that I am not currently using . I know 3.54 gears are an easy swap , I was just curious if the flathead will not run as well without lower gearing ? This is my first flathead so I just wasn’t sure if the overdrive manual trans would get the most out of the flathead . I know with modern v8s you can get by easier with 3.54 gears since the motors are making much more hp/tq than a flathead , but with flatheads they always seemed to run low gears from the factory .



cas3 said:
i get it that you have a nice "stock" 32, but really changing to the newer style gears will give you a better driving transmission. from 39 on up ford used the same type of syncro devise that is still used today in modern cars. get the book from vanpelt sales for more on that, you'll be glad you did. some creative folks have used the 32 case and shift tower, but most go to a later "78"marked case, and the later double detent shift tower. all better stuff but you need to change the hole in the trans cover in the floor. if you have a nice original, keep it and hack up a repo for the job. this is what hotrodders have been doing since 39, its really a better transmission. hwy speeds are all about rear end gears, 354 for the la freeway, or an overdrive, there are options for that
Click to expand...
 
Don't forget to check the shafts, detent balls and springs on the shift top while you are at it. Those parts wear too and can contribute to the problem.
 
draggin49 said:
Thanks for clarifying , that’s good to know .
My car is even lighter than normal , Doesn’t have any fenders, bumpers.
Click to expand...

Rear axle gearing is dependent on driving style and what you are wanting it to do. I prefer lower gearing, some prefer higher gearing. If you do a lot of stop and go driving and like decent acceleration then the lower gearing is better. If you drive mostly at higher speeds then you might prefer higher gearing. Then there is fairly flat terrain vs very hilly, etc. Ford geared these vehicles for what they considered the best overall performance. I think the problem now days is most people are not accustom to hearing an engine running at higher rpms and believe they are stressing the engine. The engine is not turning near as high an rpm as most believe when they are just going by sound.
 
Charlie ny said:
draggin,
You are correct ,these trans are straight forward. The devil however is in the
seemingly insignificant details.....Mac VanPelts book walks you thru the process...
don't skip a word !
Charlie ny
Click to expand...
Charlie, does these early transmissions require special tool like a 10,000 lb press?
 
None whatsoever although you'll need a little ingenuity in re-assembling the synchronizer springs and balls if you don't have the KR Wilson tool for that job.
 
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