Model A Transmission

L

lynnm

Junior Member
OK, took transmission out and this is what it looks like, what do you think? Everyone suggested I rebuild myself but don't know a good gear from bad?
 

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rotate your gears and just check all teeth on each gear, from what I see, they're fine. You need to check the run-out on the main drive gear shaft where the pilot bearing sits on. Good bearings are a must, your originals may be good if you're lucky. They may even have been changed at some time. The shaft oil seals are pretty good to have also. Those are an after-market part. Les Andrews book is good to follow.
 
The biggest difference I see is rebuilding the shift tower. This can make a huge difference in shifting.
Pedal bushings and any other moving parts will also improve transmission performance.
Reverse gear is usually in perfect shape. Bearings are a must.
 
That trans will work OK but it will be noisy for sure . If it were mine I would hunt up some good used gears and replace .At the swap meets you can get lucky and buy a good trans that needs no work . Once the gear teeth get cratered as some of yours look to be they are at their lifes end .

John in Suffolk County England .
 
On gears, look for signs of rust pitted or chipped teeth and uneven wear or steps on the drive faces of each tooth. On the counter shaft cluster see how much end play it has. On the 2nd/high gear look for condition of the engagement dogs where the gear fits up to the input shaft for 1:1 drive. They shouldn't have too much wear and no damage on the engagement surfaces. Wear of gears on shafts(play) should be scrutinized. Condition of the bearing surfaces of the input shaft and main shaft should be checked. The roller bearing that fits in there is one that some folks have been having problems with as well as the two for the cluster. The bearing and journal surfaces on the counter shaft & inside the cluster shaft for those bearings should be checked as well.

I've known folks that put together the trans with gears that have some pits and decent used but still serviceable bearings and such and have gotten away with it but a person just has to use their best judgment on what they want to get back out of the work put in. A lot more is available now than there was 30 or 40 years ago. I'd be looking for the best caged rollers available. Some of the Asian stuff doesn't hold up well so check with the sources that back their parts or re-use good originals. Just make sure they are good. Check this thread on specific bearings.
https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=298125
 
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The extent of wear can be told by looking at the tops of the gear tooth. Yours are beyond normal grind wear and show a deeper pattern where the gear rides.. if your in, replace them.
 
It did pop out of 2nd a few times and a little hard going in 2nd at times,pulled engine to do a refresh figured I would do both at the same time.
 
2nd gear looks to have wear that contributes to popping out, look close at the cluster gear
There's a picture in the service bulletins depicting your wear that says the cause is not fully putting it in second
 
Most interesting is the range of evaluations. I have been taking much better Model A transmissions out of service. Others see a full range of condition. So many transmissions have been serviced and rebuilt in these many decades that I rely on my sense of what is good and bad. Out west so many of these crash boxes have been replaced by later, more user friendly, that they are used as door stops and ultimately tossed. Your trans would go directly as it seems to be an unserviced, worn out original. As for automatic replacing bearings and other parts, I guess I have more respect for my money. "What's in your wallet." Fred A
 
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