Adapter Kit.. ‘39 trans to A/B engine.

Re: Adapter Kit.. ‘39 trans to A/B engine.

I called Van Pelt about swapping out the gears/synchros and the person I spoke with said it would be very expensive to buy the whole set from them. He suggested finding the 39 or the 40-48? gears and synchros in a trans, then buying the parts that need to be replaced from Van Pelt.
The attachment of the Model B trans is different than the Model A so you have to match the flywheel housing/oil pan or something like that.
 
Re: Adapter Kit.. ‘39 trans to A/B engine.

Charlie Stephens said:
You still need the parts of the kit that mount the pedals and support the wishbone. I am not sure they will work with the "B" transmission.

Charlie Stephens
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alexiskai said:
Not sure it would be cheaper – as Charlie says, you still have to adapt the B transmission to the A motor. It doesn't bolt right on. And it seems like there would be a greater supply (and thus lower cost) for V8 transmission housings and parts.
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Thanks, I was thinking since the A and B blocks were basically the same the B trans would bolt up.
 
Re: Adapter Kit.. ‘39 trans to A/B engine.

All I have to say about it all is that I have a Mitchell transmission and I love it. Still no synchro for first gear, Steve Mitchell tells me that there is simply not enough room in the case for them (for anybody that cares the synchros they use are from an early Mustang trans). They will sell you a trans with the stock ratios, or, they offer one with 15% higher second gear, and you can also get it with 15% higher first gear. Mine has the stock gear ratios (I bought it used) if given the opportunity I would get the higher second gear in a heartbeat. I would not get the higher first gear because you lose your “parade gear”. Also, I would add that I have never done business with anyone as nice as Cyndi and Steve Mitchell (Mel Gross is up there too).
 
Re: Adapter Kit.. ‘39 trans to A/B engine.

Ruth,

The blocks are very similar, the pan and flywheel housings are very different.
The flywheel can be used in either case, the "B" is lighter stk and well, others are given a diet.
I have both the '39 box conversion and the T5 conversion. Both work well, it just depends on the application.

John
 
Re: Adapter Kit.. ‘39 trans to A/B engine.

alexiskai said:
How would you describe the optimal application for each of those?
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For me, the '39 trans with Mitchell OD is good for touring and parading.
Mine has a healthy flathead motor and will cruise all day long.

My other coop is more of a hotrod, QC rearend, T5 and OHV motor.
Full synchro and quicker to shift with really light flywheel.
It also makes removing trans for access to clutch easier with open driveline.

Thanks for asking, YMMV, John
 
Re: Adapter Kit.. ‘39 trans to A/B engine.

Hey Floats,
I use a zephyr gear set… in the ‘39 ford gear box.
Best synchros for more smooth shifting , zephyr gear set for higher gear ratio… second gear.
There are TWO zephyr gear set ratios.. better/ best.
Van Pelt trans book is worth the $.
 
Re: Adapter Kit.. ‘39 trans to A/B engine.

Update on availability of the Cling's adapter. As you may know, Dennis Cling retired earlier this year. Bert's Model A Store took over manufacturing the V8 transmission adapter. I've been informed that the first production run is being shipped out now to those on the waiting list. Pricing when it goes on the Bert's website will be $695, same as it was before.
 
Re: Adapter Kit.. ‘39 trans to A/B engine.

Advantages of the later box is much better gear ratios, synchro 2nd & 3rd and they are stronger. In the B case, and V8 from '32-'48 Ford cases, you can put any gear set, '32-'48 Ford and even early Lincoln Zephyr gears. The Zephyr gears have different ratios too, and are sometimes preferred by racers.
 
Re: Adapter Kit.. ‘39 trans to A/B engine.

If you ever drive a car with a Mitchell transmission in it you will never want to go back to the original, it’s that good. If you REALLY enjoy the challenge of drive a non synchro transmission, the by all means, do it. In addition, Mitchell offers a better first gear ratio than original (not quite so low) and a better second gear ratio (higher than stock, much better of a spit between 2nd and 3rd. Ford advertised that a woman could drive a Model A by only using 2nd gear (not first and not 3rd) obviously 2nd gear would have to be pretty low to allow for that. Just so you know, only 2nd and 3rd have synchros, there is not enough room in the case to have synchros on 1st as well. You are still going to have to come to a full stop before shifting into 1st. FWIW the synchros used are from a 60’s Mustang. Steve Mitchell’s father started out designing the synchro trans so his wife (Steve’s mother) could drive a model A. It’s only a matter of a few hours to swap one in because they are exactly the same on the outside.
 
Re: Adapter Kit.. ‘39 trans to A/B engine.

We’re all entitled to our opinions. I don’t find driving the original unsynchronized a challenge and part of the ,model a experience. I can drive some of my more modern manual transmission cars for the synchronized experience.

The Mitchell is a nice transmission, and is comparable to the 39 trans people also like to use. I’m glad we still have choices in the transmission area.
 
Re: Adapter Kit.. ‘39 trans to A/B engine.

I added a '39 Trans. My upgraded "A" engine now puts out 85 HP. I didn't want abuse that little Model A transmission.
 
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