Transmission ID

harleynut

Senior Member
I have a spare transmission I want to rebuild. According to the Les Andrews book many changes were made over the years and I want to be sure I order the right parts for the transmission. So far, all I know is on the transmission I want to rebuild the hand brake is in front of the shifter. On my 28 tudor it is beside the shifter. I always thought it was originally the other way around. Not sure. Wish I would have done this when I had the rear end out. Again, question is what year ****** do I have?
 
There are 5 styles of transmission cases used for model A passenger cars and pickups. However, only the early 28 case (from the beginning of production through maybe mid 28) is different looking from the outside. The early case had a larger hole for the reverse idler shaft. If your car is a later 28, any case would look OK from the outside. The second case and third cases have machined in front and rear bearing bosses. The fourth and fifth styles have snap ring stops for the bearings on the cluster gear. The second style used brass spacers on the ends of the cluster shaft. This was the style used from mid 28 to the end of 28. Of course the bearing stops and the spacers can't be seen from the outside. The transmission tower with the emergency brake in the front is correct for later 28's. The emergency brake handle should be the squeeze type for later 28's. If you would post pictures of what you have, it would be easier to see what you are staring with. Hope this helps.
Rusty Nelson
 
Should have added, I want to use my tower from the ****** that I'll be replacing. it is rebuilt and it is the style with the hand brake on the side. Hope they interchange.
 
You have one of the later cases, not the early case with the large hole for the reverse idler shaft. Without the cluster gear removed or feeling the bearing stops by hand, it is hard to tell from the pictures what style the case is. If the transmission works OK, I would just find and use a tower assembly with the emergency brake in the front and not on the right side.
Rusty Nelson
 
Looking at your photos you cannot tell what configuration transmission you have as most of the changes are on the inside. If the front and rear bearings stops are part of the housing, it is an early housing, the later used snap rings. You have to be careful which oil baffles you use with either. If the main shaft has an integral thrust washer at the front it is an early shaft, the later have a removable type that looks like a key ring. There are other subtle changes. All transmissions are interchangeable except for the very early that mated with a multi-disk clutch.

I did notice that your rear bearing retainer is a later one. There are two basic types. The early have an irregular bolt pattern where the U-joint housing bolts on. The later have a symmetrical bolt pattern. Note that the gaskets for this area are slotted on the side. Either style will work with the transmission, the concern is what bolt pattern your U-joint housing pattern is. Before you install the transmission check that the rear bearing retainer, the inner part of the U-joint housing, and the two clam shell parts line up with all the bolt holes in line. If you don't, you may find that when you install the rear end you can't get all the bolts in the U-joint housing.

Whenever I sell a transmission I rebuilt I supply the buyer with both style rear bearing retainers and caution him to find out which he should use.

The towers are all interchangeable with the transmission housing.

Tom Endy
 
Looks like you have a mixture of parts from different time periods. Your shaft retainer is the thicker one used in 1928. The SERVICE BULLETINS has good pictures and descriptions of the changes and time periods of each.
 
The reason I'm doing all this is because second gear is noisy, meaning It's howls pretty loud. I would like to get the Service Bulletins pertaining to transmissions but I'm not sure where I would get them. lastly, Thanks Tom, Tom and Rusty
 
The reason I'm doing all this is because second gear is noisy, meaning It's howls pretty loud. I would like to get the Service Bulletins pertaining to transmissions but I'm not sure where I would get them. lastly, Thanks Tom, Tom and Rusty

Go to the web site of the Santa Anita A's of Arcadia, California at santaanitaas.org. On the home page put your cursor over "Technical Reference". My name will appear below, click on it. A new menu will come up listing technical article. Scroll down and look up the ones about the transmission. They may be of help to you. You are welcome to download and print them out.

Tom Endy
 
The reason I'm doing all this is because second gear is noisy, meaning It's howls pretty loud. I would like to get the Service Bulletins pertaining to transmissions but I'm not sure where I would get them. lastly, Thanks Tom, Tom and Rusty

Bratton's and Snyder's are fairly close to you and I know at least Bratton's has the large size Service Bulletins for about $17.
Don't buy the small yellow book for twice the price.
 
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