1938 Gearbox rebuild...questions and advice

[dave38fastback]

Hi, am looking to rebuild a rattley g/box, she buzzes in first. Would welcome advice as to where to focus my attention (as in what normally wears out in these things) Also, the cluster gear shaft weeps/leaks a little at both ends, any thoughts as to how to seal these. I know they do not spin so would like to seal this shaft in place. Same applies to the reverse idler. But mostly just want general advice as to where to look for wear and tear on these. It is your standard 3 speed box.

thanks Dave

[Thom]

Dave,

I had the transmission rebuilt for my 38 Dodge last fall. The transmission was leaking and when I took it apart to replace the front and rear seals, discovered the mainshaft rear bearing was mostly gone. So I took it to a transmission shop that works on older car transmissions (Bowler out of Lawrenceville, IL) and they told me what I needed to find to rebuild it. The fluid leaks were from a bad drive pinion bearing (front) and bad mainshaft rear bearing oil seal, as well as old gaskets. They also wanted me to replace the countershaft gear and the first & reverse sliding gear. I found all of these from Ed Spiegel, Murrysville, PA., with a few parts from Robert Motor Parts. Ed also had a packet of all the seals, roller bearings and clips (a transmission rebuilt kit) My transmission works perfect now, but this turned into an expensive overhaul. The total bill for parts and labor was close of $1,000. But I will never have to worry about the transmission giving me problems. Hope this gives you some ideas.

Thom

[dave38fastback]

Hi Thom. Thanks for the info about where to get stuff, I have a box of spares and am starting to look through this for lesser worn parts. Since I am 1/2 the world away getting parts shipped is only done as a last resort. I have pulled the g/box apart and it seems pretty simple.....however I am sure that WPC's engineers have left a few tricks and suprises in it for the uninformed. I will be gutted if once rebuilt I end up missing a critical "don't forget to check......" part of the re-build. I hope to get a "few tricks of the trade" from members

[gunfixinsmith]

Dave : I have rebuilt MANY transmissions from the era . 1936 has been my specialty for many years but I have done mechanical restorations on everything from 1934 - 1948. Your transmission was used in almost all mopars from 1935 thru 1939 with the '39 model year offering both direct and remote shift linkage. Most of these gearboxes suffer from the same problems the most usual being moisture. All the parts to rebuild are readily available. You will need countershafts ( main & reverse ) front and rear bearings , thrust washers , cluster gear and pilot rollers ,and rear seal which can be the most difficult part to find. I do advocate the use of synthetic gear oil , especially if you live in a cold climate . It will supply much better lubrication. You do need to be certain to apply gasket sealant to the countershafts when installing them . Once completed they are very dependable. Evan Bennett gunfixer2003@yahoo.com