Is this cluster gear OK?

[Duke]

No broken teeth, but it is worn. Unfortunately it is the best of three transmissions I took apart.

[J Franklin]

How do you plan to use your car?

[Ken/Alabama]

Yes. It’ll be fine.

[Flathead Fever]

It just chewed up a little from grinding from not come to complete stop before shifting back into first. It's not going to break. It could be a little noisy in first gear. It might be a good idea to keep the matching first gear with it since they have an established wear pattern. I was always amazed at the parts that look questionable in our fleet at work. Ten-years later they would still be going.

[Lawson Cox]

Ken and Flathead Fever have more experience than me, because they're both older. LOL. Not. - I agree with them.

[Duke]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Thank you, first gear has some rust pitting. Is it best to replace it or keep it with this cluster?

[Duke]

My car is a 32. I also have the original transmission for the car with excellent gears. Likely only needs some fresh bearings and thrust washers. The above cluster is a 1946 that I was going to use to build a later style top shift. How bad are the original transmissions vs the later style?

[Ken/Alabama]

The later ones have helical gears vs straight cut gears on the low and reverse gears. Plus the later transmissions have a better synchronizer than the earlier ones.

[JM 35 Sedan]

Originally Posted by Duke

Thank you, first gear has some rust pitting. Is it best to replace it or keep it with this cluster?

Some close up pictures of that rust pitted first/reverse sliding gear posted here might help us in determining whether that gear is usable or not.

Also, it might be good to consider the rear gear ratio you have in your vehicle when selecting which later gear combinations you would want to use in your transmission.
Examble: I wanted to use a set of 3.54:1 rear gears in my car, and determined the best transmission gear combination was a 15 tooth input gear and a 29 tooth cluster gear as opposed to a 16 tooth input gear and a 28 tooth cluster gear.

[cas3]

Most important to me would be the bearing surface on the inside of the gear. How's that look?

[rotorwrench]

The original 1932 gearbox isn't a bad unit. It has the original shift tower and fits well with the 1932 design. If it just needs to be refreshed then it can be disassembled and evaluated for what it needs to get it back in serviceable condition. Even with straight cut gears on some ratios, it will still be an improvement over the spur cut model A units with no synchronizer. It makes a little more gear noise in the straight cut gears but that's normal. The upgraded transmissions from 1939 on have the best type synchonizer and are the quietest operating units but they have a different shift tower and forks to operate that type unit. Folks have modified earlier types to use the later gear sets in the old cases but the synchonizer 2nd/high fork has to be modified to work in the early units and that isn't an easy task. VanPelt Sales has an excellent booklet on the 1932 through early 1951 type units that helps a person identify what will work together and what will not when trying to salvage parts from other old gear boxes. I wouldn't try to do any work on these old units without that type of reference.

Pitted gears may work depending on how bad the pitting is but they will wear faster and may fracture at some point due to the pitting. I think old gears will work together but they will have to break in to each other over time. They may make a little louder gear noise but in high gear it all goes through the mainshaft so noise will only be in the lower gears.

Slipping out of gear is a whole other problem with the later gearboxes.

[Duke]

I need to look inside that cluster.
I have 3.54 gears so was going to use a 29 tooth cluster.
Second gear has some issues with missing insert.

[Duke]

I also have this second from a different box.

[Duke]

I really appreciate all the help!

[Juergen]

I would not use the slider or either of the 2nd gears. The gears are case hardened and some teeth are starting to fail. Unlike your cluster which has some slight wear compared to the total width of the tooth. One broken tooth can leave you stranded.

[Duke]

If I use new gears with the old cluster is this going to cause issues?

[J Franklin]

If going to new gears pop for a new cluster too. sell your old gears at a swap meet to someone that is building a parade car for local runs.

[rotorwrench]

The 29 tooth cluster may be too large a diameter to fit an early case. They will fit the 78 case but a person would have to check it in an earlier case. Mac VP sometimes has good used gears.

[JM 35 Sedan]

Originally Posted by rotorwrench

The 29 tooth cluster may be too large a diameter to fit an early case. They will fit the 78 case but a person would have to check it in an earlier case. Mac VP sometimes has good used gears.

rotorwrench, I've assemble the 29 tooth cluster in 48, '35-'36 cases. I don't know about the cases earlier than 48. There is a little trick to the assembly, but they will work. I have that combo in my avatar '35 fordor because I wanted to keep the original serial numbered case with that car.

[JM 35 Sedan]

Originally Posted by Duke

I need to look inside that cluster.
I have 3.54 gears so was going to use a 29 tooth cluster.
Second gear has some issues with missing insert.

As Juergen mentioned, and I totally agree..... do not use those pitted gears. I rebuilt an open drive 3 speed top loader transmission last year for a friend who was building a '50/'51 pu. His transmission was howling very badly. When we tore it down we found most all of the gears were pitted like those in your pictures.
I replaced all of those gears with known to be good used gears, and his transmission is working very well now, last I heard.
Your cluster gear may be okay to use as is, but if you can come up with a better one, that's what I would suggest using.