Go Back   The Ford Barn > General Discussion > Early V8 (1932-53)

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 07-05-2020, 12:00 PM   #101
rotorwrench
Senior Member
 
rotorwrench's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Posts: 16,369
Default Re: 1951 Ford overdrive

If I had to guess, I'd say that what ever car it came with was one that made a lot of little short trips without a lot of shifting into overdrive. Or it was operated in lock out mode a lot with no electric lock out switch. Only the early 8BA era cars had the lock out switch.

One thing is for certain. Things wear out. It's good to know that this might be a problem area to check in the future for other owners.

A lot of the Ford/Borg Warner transmissions used a split type lock ring that is impossible to remove with snap ring pliers. A screw driver has to be used to remove those types and I replace them with the ones offered by Mac VP. If it is just stuck in the groove then a person may have to find a way to get it to move. Tap the gear with brass tooling & try it again.
rotorwrench is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-05-2020, 12:37 PM   #102
mrlaser
Senior Member
 
mrlaser's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Savannah, Ga
Posts: 225
Default Re: 1951 Ford overdrive

Thanks. I'll try the screwdriver. The lock ring will move when it is tapped with a brass drift. I have had a screwdriver under the ring but I haven't been able to walk it up the shaft. I will check Mac VanPelt's site for a replacement snap ring. Thank you for your advice.
mrlaser is offline   Reply With Quote
Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)
Old 07-05-2020, 02:26 PM   #103
Mac VP
Senior Member
 
Mac VP's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Cincinnati, OH
Posts: 1,356
Default Re: 1951 Ford overdrive

Sometimes you can get the ring spread a little bit with the usual lock ring pliers....just enough spread and twist will make one side of the ring open up a gap. You can push a thin blade screwdriver into the gap and carefully twist the screwdriver. This may get the one side out of its groove. Place the shaft into a vice, clamped between two thin pieces of plywood. Snug it good and tight. Now you can fit any old beater screwdriver into the groove and tap it with a hammer to force the ring out of the groove as you tap the screwdriver all the way around. Usually the lock ring wants to stay in the groove until the very last 1/4” and then it pops out entirely. For some reason those lock rings by the speedometer gear are almost always tight like that.
__________________
VANPELT SALES LLC
Cincinnati, Ohio
Office: 513-724-9486
www.vanpeltsales.com
www.classictransmission.com
Mac VP is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-05-2020, 02:29 PM   #104
mrlaser
Senior Member
 
mrlaser's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Savannah, Ga
Posts: 225
Default Re: 1951 Ford overdrive

Great information. That's my project for tomorrow. Thanks Mac. If it's mangled in the process I will be calling for an acceptable replacement.
mrlaser is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-05-2020, 02:35 PM   #105
Mac VP
Senior Member
 
Mac VP's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Cincinnati, OH
Posts: 1,356
Default Re: 1951 Ford overdrive

We’re on vacation this coming week so we can’t answer the phone or ship orders during that time. I’m staying busy with home and car projects and really enjoying the break. I know there will be hell to pay the following Monday...... ��
__________________
VANPELT SALES LLC
Cincinnati, Ohio
Office: 513-724-9486
www.vanpeltsales.com
www.classictransmission.com
Mac VP is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-05-2020, 02:36 PM   #106
Mac VP
Senior Member
 
Mac VP's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Cincinnati, OH
Posts: 1,356
Default Re: 1951 Ford overdrive

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)
We’re on vacation this coming week so we can’t answer the phone or ship orders during that time. I’m staying busy with home and car projects and really enjoying the break. I know there will be hell to pay the following Monday...... 😳
__________________
VANPELT SALES LLC
Cincinnati, Ohio
Office: 513-724-9486
www.vanpeltsales.com
www.classictransmission.com
Mac VP is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-06-2020, 01:29 PM   #107
mrlaser
Senior Member
 
mrlaser's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Savannah, Ga
Posts: 225
Default Re: 1951 Ford overdrive

Well once again Ford Barn members have ridden to the rescue. The screwdriver technique did the trick after a few tries. I found that the ring tended to drop back into the groove when repositioning the screwdriver and the output shaft in the vice. I found that I could put a short awl in the groove under the displaced ring which allowed me to reposition the screwdriver without having the ring snap back into the groove. I also have soft jaw covers for the vise which prevented any damage to the shaft. If I had a 3rd hand a simple picture would likely provide a much clearer explanation. I must say that I have never had this much difficulty with a snap ring.
mrlaser is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-06-2020, 06:22 PM   #108
rotorwrench
Senior Member
 
rotorwrench's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Posts: 16,369
Default Re: 1951 Ford overdrive

Mac has a snap ring kit that comes with the rings that are easy to remove and he made sure they meet the right thickness dimension requirements of the OEM rings. It will make further work a lot easier if it ever needs any again. You might check with him about this to be sure he has the one you need. The OD transmissions have more of them than the standard transmissions do.
rotorwrench is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-07-2020, 06:10 AM   #109
mrlaser
Senior Member
 
mrlaser's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Savannah, Ga
Posts: 225
Default Re: 1951 Ford overdrive

Thanks for the information. I will check with him when he returns. I also appreciate all the previous information that you have provided.
mrlaser is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-08-2020, 09:46 AM   #110
mrlaser
Senior Member
 
mrlaser's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Savannah, Ga
Posts: 225
Default Re: 1951 Ford overdrive

I found an article on another forum. It was published in the April 1949 edition of Popular Science magazine. I found it to be the best explanation of the operation of the Borg Warner overdrive unit that I have encountered. It probably won't be news to some but might be helpful for others. Unfortunately, the actual article is too large to attach so, if interested you can access it by this link and then searching "How overdrive works" in the search this issue box.

https://books.google.com/books/about...d=eSQDAAAAMBAJ
mrlaser is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-08-2020, 10:03 AM   #111
mrlaser
Senior Member
 
mrlaser's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Savannah, Ga
Posts: 225
Default Re: 1951 Ford overdrive

This is a cropped illustration from Popular Science reference to give some idea about the quality of the article.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg 0708201048a.jpg (80.6 KB, 39 views)
mrlaser is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-11-2020, 02:29 PM   #112
mrlaser
Senior Member
 
mrlaser's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Savannah, Ga
Posts: 225
Default Re: 1951 Ford overdrive

The transmission is back together. There were 3 things that were wrong or incorrect. As I mentioned previously the plate which covers the Balk ring and gear had a significant ridge worn into it which prevented the pawl from fully engaging balk gear and thus preventing the shift into overdrive. The damage to the speedometer/governor gear was caused by an incorrect governor drive gear assembly. The tip of the unit measures 0.248 and should have been 0.375. The recess in the OD housing measures 3/8" or 0.375. This allowed the gear to move abnormally and resulted in the damage to speedometer / governor gear. The replacement part is being shipped. I wan't to again thank everyone for their help and interest, with special thanks to Gary Duff.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg 0711201503.jpg (84.2 KB, 19 views)
File Type: jpg 0711201503_HDR.jpg (42.2 KB, 20 views)
mrlaser is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-11-2020, 02:45 PM   #113
mrlaser
Senior Member
 
mrlaser's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Savannah, Ga
Posts: 225
Default Re: 1951 Ford overdrive

Sorry for the duplicate post. I had to edit a few pictures for size. I also wanted to mention that the Ford Parts book that I have has an exploded view of the OD unit which shows the speedometer/governor gear on the output shaft gear on backwards. It was a bit difficult to remove and replace so I am glad I only remembered the book after I was done.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg 0710201254 (1).jpg (65.0 KB, 26 views)
File Type: jpg 0711201503_HDR.jpg (42.2 KB, 20 views)
mrlaser is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-11-2020, 02:54 PM   #114
mrlaser
Senior Member
 
mrlaser's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Savannah, Ga
Posts: 225
Default Re: 1951 Ford overdrive

More pictures.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg 0710201052.jpg (54.8 KB, 31 views)
File Type: jpg 0710201217a.jpg (41.2 KB, 31 views)
mrlaser is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-11-2020, 05:45 PM   #115
leon bee
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2017
Location: Arkansas
Posts: 611
Default Re: 1951 Ford overdrive

Thanks for keeping us posted on this, I have it bookmarked.
leon bee is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-12-2020, 05:46 AM   #116
Mac VP
Senior Member
 
Mac VP's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Cincinnati, OH
Posts: 1,356
Default Re: 1951 Ford overdrive

The picture of the governor drive gear also shows that it has a right hand pitch to the gear teeth. All Ford OD governors used a gear with a LH pitch through 1956. For some reason they changed to the RH pitch beginning in 1957 production. This meant that the driving gear on the OD mainshaft also changed to match the new driven gear.

Also, half the parts drawings in the various manuals show the gear on the mainshaft with the gear teeth close to the bearing rather than toward the rear (next to the snap ring). I believe that those drawings are incorrect.....every one I’ve done has the gear teeth towards the rear. The easy way to know is to look through the opening of the housing where the governor mounts. You should see the driving gear teeth directly centered in your view. If it’s towards the front of the transmission (and barely in view) it will not line up correct to the governor gear.
__________________
VANPELT SALES LLC
Cincinnati, Ohio
Office: 513-724-9486
www.vanpeltsales.com
www.classictransmission.com

Last edited by Mac VP; 07-12-2020 at 05:55 AM.
Mac VP is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-12-2020, 07:01 AM   #117
mrlaser
Senior Member
 
mrlaser's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Savannah, Ga
Posts: 225
Default Re: 1951 Ford overdrive

Thanks Mac. I didn't see the original governor gear when the transmission was rebuilt. The overdrive didn't function when I originally purchased the car. As the picture in the previous post shows, the gear is directly over the spot faced area of the od housing. I mentioned the error in the exploded view because, without some sage advice from others, I probably would have assumed that the gear in my transmission had been incorrectly installed.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg 0711201503.jpg (93.9 KB, 8 views)
mrlaser is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-13-2020, 05:36 PM   #118
mrlaser
Senior Member
 
mrlaser's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Savannah, Ga
Posts: 225
Default Re: 1951 Ford overdrive

I hope this is the last piece of this puzzle. The governor now has the proper drive gear with the 3/8" tip. Now to get the transmission back in place. Thanks everyone.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg 0713201828_HDR.jpg (19.8 KB, 17 views)
mrlaser is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-14-2020, 06:19 AM   #119
Ken Henry
Senior Member
 
Ken Henry's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Rochester, NY
Posts: 266
Default Re: 1951 Ford overdrive

Nice! Hope you can get it installed soon and enjoy some low RPM cruising in your shoebox
Ken Henry is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-28-2020, 10:57 AM   #120
mrlaser
Senior Member
 
mrlaser's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Savannah, Ga
Posts: 225
Default Re: 1951 Ford overdrive

As I promised, once I had everything back in place, I would give a report on the outcome of my transmission problems. I had my first test drive this morning and the overdrive functioned perfectly. It was a real pleasure driving with the overdrive engaged and the engine RPM reduced by 30% in 2nd and 3rd gear. Also, I want to add that I again used synthetic Red Line Mt-90, Gl-4 transmission lubricant. This was on the advice of Gary Duff who has used this product for years on many rebuilds. Thanks again for everyone's help and interest with a special thank you to Gary.
mrlaser is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 06:07 PM.