Different Shifting Procedure
 

This car ('28 Sport Coupe) keeps training me! I changed out the transmission oil last week to the Ford recommended 600W. What came out looked pretty thin. It's colder in Iowa now and has been for a couple weeks. After the fluid change I took it for a drive and couldn't get it to shift to second without it rounding the gears off! More research online had people suggesting that I shift it quicker and sooner when the weather is cold and so is the car. I headed out on Test Drive 2 and as soon as the car was rolling I quickly, deliberately, but gently shifted it up to second without any complaint! So, I learned something new. I was shifting slowly, but I guess I have to change that.

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I tend to accelerate to the "right" speed and double-clutch before shifting up. You can also wait for the right amount of time, but double-clutching just seems easier, esp. if the trans. is still cold.

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Use 85W-140 G5.

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1-2 shift @ 5-8 mph
2-3 shift@ 15-18 mph
Or just double clutch your automatic !

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600W steam cylinder oil viscosity comparison is between SAE 140 and 250 in the gear oil ratings. While it will lubricate OK, it does have a tendency to slow the cluster gear down pretty fast compared to a lighter viscosity lubricant. Some of the stuff sold as 600W is a mix of oil and viscosity builders depending on what the source is. 600W steam cylinder oil from bulk plants is still available from a number of oil companies but it may not compare well to some home brew mixtures available.

Ford went to SAE gear oils directly after the model A production stopped due to the change in transmission design in 1932.

Shifting a non-synchro transmission is all about rpm matching during the shift. The gears have to be close to the same rpm to slip into mesh easily. Thankfully I can still hear relatively well to do the match up by ear.

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IMO, shift speeds change depending on the temperature of the oil, the speed of the change and the type of oil in the cog box.
Many Model Aers have been driving modern cars too long and try to drive their As the same way. It doesn't work. These are very torquey motors so changes should be earlier and the torque used in the higher gear. The overall acceleration is about the same as revving the t!ts off it, then waiting to change or grinding the gears. Don't be in a hurry.

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Right after I get car rolling I shift into second gear. At about 15 MPH I than shift into third.

You don’t have to rev engine. Torque will do the work.

Double clutching. 60 years driving these cars and I still grind gears down shifting unless we’re going really slow.

First is good to just get you rolling.

Enjoy.

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I very seldom start out in first unless on a up hill grade. Plenty of torque to start in 2 nd. I may be wrong but I believe I am saving on wear and tear of pilot, throughout bearings and clutch. Correct me if I am thinking wrong.

John

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Your car was designed to use all 3 gears from a stop. It is harder on the clutch facings otherwise. Maybe if you have a pickup with a 4:11 rear axle it wouldn't make much difference.

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In the October 1929 Service Bulletin Ford issued a warning about starting in 2nd gear, under the heading "Result of Careless Gear Shifting, along with a picture of a cluster gear with buggered up 2nd gear teeth. Just so you know...

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My car loves to shift at 20 or 24, no grinding, no double clutch, and certainly if going uphill. I do feel for the rpm match point. My engine does not accelerate well at all in 3rd when in the teens.

(my speedometer is about 10% high, so full disclosure reduce those indicated speeds by 10%. That puts it 18-22 mph.)

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Got it, no more starting out in 2nd gear. Thanks John

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One has to also guard against shifting at a too low of a speed, bogging the motor
which is not the greatest for the mains (main bearings).

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Dino you are correct. My Dad bought an '89 GMC 1 ton dump truck with a 4 speed. Being old school he thought he could shift it at low speeds and took out the mains at around 30K miles.

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Lol 😆

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I'm starting to think every 'A' is different. This morning it's 41 out. I drove and shifted it quick, early and aggressively and it didn't grind. This is with the 600W oil. Earlier this summer I had something lighter in it and I needed to shift it slowly and cautiously.

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For sure a thicker oil will make it shift more smoothly, however slamming the gears in my opinion is worse than a minor grind. Practice shifting early and slowly on the way up, blip the throttle and double clutch on the way down. Should never grind or slam. I use lucas oil stabilizer. If the engine RPM is low and you feel like its lugging, just be easy on the throttle, give it time to wind up and it won't hurt it.

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CatMan 1, if your 28 Sport Coupe has a multi disc clutch, you will shift at lower speeds than if it has a single disc clutch. I shift my early 28 Coupe with a multi disc clutch at much lower rpm's than my other Model A's with single disc clutches.

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I'll try it at lunch here in a little bit. I thought I knew how to drive this. All summer long I'd just slowly and gently shift and it was fine....mostly. Now slow shifting grinds. :(