how bad is this cluster gear? photos.
 

Is this damaged enough to cause problems? My old trans broke the case out. I got a used one cheap. most parts look pretty good. The large gear on the cluster, 1st gear. I think. is worn to a slight angle. Will this cause it to pop out of gear? Should I replace the cluster or get another used cluster?


cluster gear from new trans
https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/pictu...ictureid=42607

cluster gear from new trans
https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/pictu...ictureid=42605


old trans
https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/pictu...ictureid=42606

Re: how bad is this cluster gear? photos.
 

The gear is usable for a parade, local touring, and such, but that case looks like it will need a lot of work to restore.

Re: how bad is this cluster gear? photos.
 

I would try to find better parts. What you have is really worn. To go to all the work of rebuilding the transmission and replacing the case and to have such worn components would not be good. I would not be satisfied with the results.


Please understand, this is just my opinion.


Chris W.

Re: how bad is this cluster gear? photos.
 

it will make car drive, will be loud, both 1,and 2 the faces of the teeth have spalling, and a lot of wear

Re: how bad is this cluster gear? photos.
 

the cluster is junk.Ford fitted sliding gears to cluster shafts by hand during assembly,its one of the few places where there isn't true interchangeability. find another used trans and open it before purchase..if the seller denies you inspecting it you dont want it anyway..

Re: how bad is this cluster gear? photos.
 

When I took delivery of my Tudor, I found he previous owner had been quite negligent with is maintenance. When I checked oil levels for example, I found that the oil was so low in the gearbox that the big gear at the front of the lower shaft was just dipping the oil. I figure it was throwing a faint mist of oil around he internals - just enough to stop it glowing red hot. The gears made the ones you show look like new. They were galled through the hardening and a real mess. I flushed it till I didn't get many sparkly bits in what I drained, put a magnet on the drain plug and filled with my favourite oil. That was 10,000 miles ago and the gearbox runs quiet, shifts smoothly and doesn't jump out of any gear. I wouldn't like to have to walk as far as those gears will take you.
That said, I'd do something about that housing!!:D

Re: how bad is this cluster gear? photos.
 

There was a time when folks had no choice but to run extremely worn parts like that. A person doesn't have to do that in this day and age. The worn transmissions can suffer catastrophic failure at some point with the result of a busted case as in post #1 photo #3. A very good insurance policy against that is to run serviceable parts.

Re: how bad is this cluster gear? photos.
 

Ford "developing improvement" - "Ventilated gears."

Made to match the "dry aerosol" lubricants applied externally on regular basis.

See? Ford DOES keep up with technical progress.

Joe K

Re: how bad is this cluster gear? photos.
 

I thought this thread started as a joke and gave a reasonable answer. That gear IS usable, it is just what the use will be. I would buy a new gear if it was my car. But maybe he only wants to dive a bit on sunny weekends. the work involved warrants a bit of logical thought. I rebuilt my transmission with mostly new parts. The gears were from Marks and of good quality. Rebuild by the book and insure the slider gears are fit to the shaft as Ford instructed in the service bulletins. I found this out the hard way.

Re: how bad is this cluster gear? photos.
 

The hard facing is worn away from the gears and that is just where the teeth will snap off, on their pitted dotted lines. Don't waste the labor using those bad gears again. Do it right the first time, and you will only have to do it just once.

Re: how bad is this cluster gear? photos.
 

The pits in the teeth are fatigue failures (AKA exfoliation), so this cluster's service life is over.

Re: how bad is this cluster gear? photos.
 

If you are going to go through all the work of rebuilding your tranny, I would suggest you get new gear cluster and new parts, or it will eat your brain every time you drive the car.
Just my humble opinion.

(Remember that questionable part you put back in your transmission? You will every time you take the old girl out.)

Re: how bad is this cluster gear? photos.
 

I'd say those gears and even the case are still useful, somewhat.

Yeah, sure, you all laugh at me when i say it but they'd be fine for a doodlebug lawn tractor. It's not like you'd break down far from home or anything because you wouldn't leave home.

Re: how bad is this cluster gear? photos.
 

For what its worth I broke the trans abusing it. This was not a fail due to wear or age. Upon inspection the gear in my old trans, the exploded one. Were in similar shape. It made a hum in 2nd but shifted well and stayed in gear. For now the car is more of a just go with it and pursue a better replacement for next year if needed. Im keeping all the parts in the $50 tranny to keep factory fit. I got a freebie trans but it was bad with rust and the bearings fell apart on disassembly. The biggest part of this job was cleaning the parts for painting. I am used to major operations of heavy equipment when things break. So a trans swap is no big deal. I dont need a spreader on my car. Just a light yank once everything is disconnected. My new bearings and gaskets showed up yesterday. should get it together sometime this weekend.

I broke the trans drove it home 10 miles and Dumped it when the oil was very cold the next morning going out for a drive thinking first would just click once per rotation from now on.

Re: how bad is this cluster gear? photos.
 

drove the car today. its noisy in second gear. silent in third where I spend most my drive time. holds second all the way to top rpm. I put in a full set of china "ford authorized" bearings. hopefully those last longer than the posts on ford barn say(500 miles) Overall job was easy. It was a bit hard to find the time, have been busy the last few weeks.

Re: how bad is this cluster gear? photos.
 

Back in the day when roads where dirt or mud when it was raining, the A spent a lot of time in second gear pulling hard. My grandpa was a teacher of one room school house, he drove model A because it could pull through the mud and get him to work.