Anything for a cluster gear

Mac VP

Mac VP

Well-known member
We’re currently out of the reproduction cluster gears. I had an urgent need for a good used original 28 tooth cluster gear, so today I attacked our pile of core transmissions to try to strike gold. Here’s how the morning went. Keep in mind that we generally keep going on the tear down of a core to get all the gears and shafts out regardless of what we found inside.

Core #1.....Sideloader (40-48). Has a 15 tooth main drive gear so I know it’s got the 29 tooth cluster gear. I also need 29 tooth gears for stock so we certainly can use it. However, it’s not the gear I must have. On to the next core

Core #2.....Sideloader (40-48). Has a 15 tooth drive gear. Not the prettiest cluster and another 29 tooth. Dang! Have to get the rest of the transmission pulled apart. On to the next.

Core #3.....Toploader (36). This has the 16 tooth main drive gear so I KNOW it’s going to have the 28 tooth cluster gear I want. Crud! It has two fully broken teeth on the 2nd gear part. Scratch another cluster gear. Finish pulling this core apart and wearily move on to the next core.

Core #4.....Toploader (1938). Ahhh.....it’s got the 16 tooth drive gear. Tough to see the cluster gear in the dark oily shadows but I keep forging ahead. Finally, the quest is over and I have found the winner.....a nice 28 tooth cluster gear.

The work area for disassembly is in open air but also in the sunshine. Every one of the cores had plenty of skanky old dark gear oil that had to be drained. Of course, plenty of gear honey remained inside, coating everything. Each gearbox was covered in old grease and goo. Thank God for the tough rubber gloves we use, yet I still managed to get a liberal amount on my forearms and blue jeans.

The morning was 3 solid hours of hard tear down work. Beside the one good 28 tooth cluster gear I needed, we did end up salvaging some other good gears, and (hopefully) two good Toploader cases. This isn’t typical of the search for gears in core transmissions, but I did feel like I was through the ringer today.
 
bobH said:
So.... the odds of picking up a usable trans at a swap meet are one-in-four, or less?
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Usable transmission? Define that. A good used case, shifter tower with the forks you want, and all gears in good condition? I’d say more like 1 in 10 odds. Of course, we’re happy to end up with partials anymore. You should try lifting our bins of scrap gears and gearboxes. You’d be a-gruntin’ .......🤨
 
Mac,
Not to mention you are 'eating' those 3 hours. I have (4) '49 Merc OD transmissions, I think the gearing is identical but the clusters use loose needle bearings
not the usual roller skate bearing.....shall I check in the AM....need any good plane-
tarys ?
Charlie ny
 
Charlie ny said:
Mac,
Not to mention you are 'eating' those 3 hours. I have (4) '49 Merc OD transmissions, I think the gearing is identical but the clusters use loose needle bearings
not the usual roller skate bearing.....shall I check in the AM....need any good plane-
tarys ?
Charlie ny
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I Thought 49-50 merc took the same bearings as 48. Didn't they change in 51?

Bill
 
Mac, I think I know the feeling, but I'm sure it's on a much smaller scale than the time you spend and the quantity of transmissions that you tear down and rebuild. Nearly every top loader that I rebuild, I usually tear down a couple '40-'48 side shifters for donor gears, and other components. So I'm coming up with a pile of side load cases and shifter covers that I have no further use or need for.
 
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Right on Charlie! Another idea someone gave me was using some of these empty cases to make a shelving unit in my garage. Put two on the floor, bell end facing down on concrete, spaced ~ 5-6 ft apart, then lay a 1" x 12"/14" wide x 6' long board on top of the rear of those cases. Then repeat this with two more cases on top of the board, and add another board on the rear of those two cases. Repeat this a few more times until the shelves are as high as you want to go. Then anchor the first two cases to the floor and add bolts to each board and case to keep things stable. Bingo, a cool shelving unit is created :) ;)
 
The transmission on my 50’s Mercury is a side loader (column shift). The trans appears short. How can you identify a transmission with an overdrive?
 
Wrenchead said:
The transmission on my 50’s Mercury is a side loader (column shift). The trans appears short. How can you identify a transmission with an overdrive?
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You can't miss it. It's almost a mile long! DD


432347
 
The 49 thru early 51 Mercury input gear, synchro assembly, cluster gear, low/reverse gearing, and 2nd gear with one or two little parts are usable but the correct parts have to transfer with them such as the rear thrust bearing & any different type internal bearings. The short mainshaft has to be the later type to use the late 2nd gear if I remember correctly.
 
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I would be wondering if the reproduction clusters are going to be continued in production or not. Even if they were the earlier type thrust bearing set up, at least they were available. Finding the good used stuff will not get easier over time.
 
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