1933 transmisson rebuild/repair

[FrankWest]

Can a 1933 model B transmission be rebuilt at home? Or do you require 20 ton presses and other specialized equipment to do it?

[Andy]

No presses needed. Snap ring pliers and punches are needed. Easy to do. Get Max Van Pelt's book and then the parts from him.
www.flatheadv8.com

[FrankWest]

I have an extra transmission, How involved is removing the transmission and replacing it with the rebuilt one

[FrankWest]

Originally Posted by Andy

No presses needed. Snap ring pliers and punches are needed. Easy to do. Get Max Van Pelt's book and then the parts from him.
www.flatheadv8.com

Thanks Andy. This may be a silly question, Can it be repair while in the car?

[rotorwrench]

I'm not sure about the 33 transmissions since I have very little experience with them but some of the snap rings FoMoCo used are very difficult to remove due to the way they were manufactured. It takes some heavy duty snap ring pliers like are available from Snap On Tools to extract them. The replacement snap rings that Mac VanPelt stocks are infinitely more user friendly than some of the OEM ones. Mac's book is the best and has photos and tables that ID all the different gears and matching sets in the early cog boxes.

[bmwillia]

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I did mine at home. I used MacVP's transmission repair guide.

I did use a press for one step, but I can't remember what that step was. It was a small press my friend had bought from Harbor freight.

Other that that, just normal tools and snap ring pliers.

I would think it would be next to impossible to do the rebuild with the tranny in the car.

[FrankWest]

Originally Posted by bmwillia

i did mine at home. I used macvp's transmission repair guide.

I did use a press for one step, but i can't remember what that step was. It was a small press my friend had bought from harbor freight.

Other that that, just normal tools and snap ring pliers.

I would think it would be next to impossible to do the rebuild with the tranny in the car.

can a transmissioin be removed and replaced with another without removing the engine from the car?

[JSeery]

If you remove the rear axle assemble.

[Charlie Stephens]

Frank,

What is wrong with your transmission? Is it maybe just a problem with the shifter tower (which can definitely be handled without removing the transmission from the car)?

Charlie Stephens

[FrankWest]

Makes a moaning sound in 2nd gear..It shifts fine. Thought the sound was from the from the wheel bearings but it was not. Sound is intermittant and I hope it will eventually go away...The Eternal Optimist..

[CC33]

For the 1933 transmission removal, you need to do the following.
1) Remove floor boards and transmission cover plate.
2) Disconnect the brake rods at the forward position by removing the cotter pins.
3) With the rear of the car raised, remove both rear wheels and shock dog bone's.
4) Remove the U Clamps from the rear axle, supporting the differential with a sturdy jack.
5) Remove bolts at the driveshaft bell housing to disconnect the driveshaft from the trans.
When all is disconnected, gently slide the entire assembly rearward. It's best to rest the rear hubs on car rollers so it easily rolls back and away from under the car.
This can be a bitch of a job for one person though, especially trying to get the spline to line up properly for reinstallation.

Check all other options BEFORE attempting this.

[FrankWest]

Originally Posted by CC33

For the 1933 transmission removal, you need to do the following.
1) Remove floor boards and transmission cover plate.
2) Disconnect the brake rods at the forward position by removing the cotter pins.
3) With the rear of the car raised, remove both rear wheels and shock dog bone's.
4) Remove the U Clamps from the rear axle, supporting the differential with a sturdy jack.
5) Remove bolts at the driveshaft bell housing to disconnect the driveshaft from the trans.
When all is disconnected, gently slide the entire assembly rearward. It's best to rest the rear hubs on car rollers so it easily rolls back and away from under the car.
This can be a bitch of a job for one person though, especially trying to get the spline to line up properly for reinstallation.

Check all other options BEFORE attempting this.

Thanks for the details.
I appreciate your concerns...
My transmission shifts fine...Just has loud moan in 2nd sometimes.
Too bad there wasn't something I could add to the gear oil to make it more slick, maybe noise would go away.

[DavidG]

Depending on the condition of the input and output shaft ball bearings, you may not even need snap ring pliers. Like Ford's front wheel bearings of the era, those two ball bearings are amongst the most robust on the car. They are usually well down the list of possible transmission maladies unless the car was run without adequate gear oil in the transmission.

I agree wholeheartedly that it is not a fun job. Personally, on a car as easy to disassemble as a '33, I much prefer pulling the engine and transmission together as a unit, leaving the rear axle undisturbed (unless your next-in-line suspect for the source of the noise is the rear axle). I find that with the passing years crawling around underneath a car isn't nearly as easy as it once was.

But, you really ought to narrow the noise source list down to one or the other (transmission or rear axle) before forging ahead.

[bobH]

Here's the 'opposing' opinion... I've never liked removing the hood, radiator and grille. (and all other engine-related stuff, like rusted exhaust parts) So, I'm not a fan of pulling the engine and trans together (to get at the trans or clutch, etc).
So, on my own 33/34, I've always gone after it by removing the rear end. To put the above info in context (post #11), that's about a half hour job, when I was in shape, and working under well-equipped shop conditions. Now, at my current state, and under home conditions, it might take as much as an hour or two. I cut every step possible, like leaving the rear end on a floor jack, and only moving it back the minimum (like a few inches, NOT pulling it back from under the car). Another floor jack supports the engine (with wood block). My floorboards are held in with fresh, non-rusted fasteners. With power tools, I can have the floorboard out in five minutes max. The idea here is that I have done mine a few times, and it's not a big deal.
On the other hand, if I had to go after it by removing the engine and trans together, that would be a bigger deal to me.
Just opinion. You have to decide what is 'right' for you.
(PS... I can't possibly imagine an intermittant 'moaning' sound from a trans. Keep us posted.)

[FrankWest]

I am not removing anything till I investigate......In the past I have always been 100 percent wrong in diagnosing what is wrong with the car. Maybe it is something as simple as the fan belt?? I can live with the problem now...not planning any long distance trips to Chicago..

[V12Bill]

The square cut gears of the early transmission often gave a moaning sound in first and second gears. This was the nature of the beast. Are you sure that it is a problem of wear and not a normal sound?

[FrankWest]

Originally Posted by V12Bill

The square cut gears of the early transmission often gave a moaning sound in first and second gears. This was the nature of the beast. Are you sure that it is a problem of wear and not a normal sound?

It didn't always sound like that. And does not always sound like that..
Some times it does not moan at all.

[FrankWest]

Has anyone ever used


Genuine Ford Fluid XL-3 Friction Modifier Additive

This is said to silence differentials

[Charlie ny]

Frank,
2nd gear in your trans spins on a bronze sleeve which is fixed to the output
shaft by means of a spline. It would not shock me at all if that 2nd gear sleeve was
cracked and came out in pieces when/if you disassemble the trans. Second gear spins on that sleeve any time your
car is moving EXCEPT when the trans is in 2nd.
Once you've yanked the trans and rebuilt it.........using Mac's book...........
you'll be a veteran. The first tool is Mac VanPelts book.
You may need a press to remove the input shaft/gear bearing .
Charlie ny

[FlatheadTed]

It can be done with just the rudimentary tools ,Rubber hammer , circlip remover, hold the circlipe in a vice and work one end up with a screwdriver .Roll the rear back on the Drums ,put the axle stands just forward of the rear wish bone .to replace ,line the spine up and feet planted firmly on the back of two bolt part of the wish bone and hands around the chassis spreader Barr and give it a good shove .Ted