FLYwheel ring gear
 

I just ordered a new ring gear for my 40 P/U. I have battled with a bad solenoid, a new style bendix unit on a 12 volt starter and lastly a mini starter, all have made the noise from hell when turning it over. So I finally bite the bullet and decided to remove the trans , rear end and get a new ring gear put on, Before I screw this up how do I tell which way the gear goes on? Anyone done this and how difficult is it,

Re: FLYwheel ring gear
 

The ring goes on with the chamfer on the teeth facing the transmision. The reason is so the starter drive which is behind the flywheel pulls toward the front of the engine.this allows for a smooth engagement.
When I did mine I removed the old gear by grinding a little between 2 teeth and hit that spot with a sharp chiseil, it just fell off. To install the new one I put the flywheel
in the freezer over night and when ready to assemble I waited until my wife was gone and heated the gear in the oven at 275 for a while. Then lay something on the kitchen counter for the flywheel to protect the counter. Take the gear out of the oven and it will drop on the flywheel with good clearance and will self tighten in a very short time. (Make sure the chamfer is facing up). If I missed anything you real experts feel free to jump in.
Good luck. Regards, Don

Re: FLYwheel ring gear
 

Thank you, sounds like a great plan.

Re: FLYwheel ring gear
 

Make sure you're attempting to install the correct ring gear to the flywheel. The 32-48 flywheels take one ring gear and the 49-53 flywheels take another. Also as a side note, you can't install an early flywheel on a late motor, and vice-versa. The alignment of the ring gear will be off......causing starter problems.

Re: FLYwheel ring gear
 

Don I tried the oven when my wife was home a mistake! She pointed to the outside grille. I heated the ring to 400 degrees dropped right on.

Re: FLYwheel ring gear
 

Used the barbie for mine. Froze the flywheel overnight and about 10 minutes on the grill and dropped on no problem.

Re: FLYwheel ring gear
 

How I was taught was to heat it gently with the gas until a wooden match rubbed on the surface charred and slipped easily. No hotter or you will soften the teeth and they wont last long.
The freezer and oven sound good to me. Be organized. I have heard of guys getting it wrong (wrong way up) in the heat of the moment. Then the new gear is scrap.
Have things clean and all burrs removed. You only get one shot at it.

Re: FLYwheel ring gear
 

Mac, you have struck a nerve. I have gone through starters and bendix units ever since starting this engine. Someone is suggesting a bad oil pan may be responsible. Starters have bound up, twisted and locked up. bendix units have stayed engaged while. the motor was running. This flywheel came with the motor but how do I tell if it is right? Thanks Jon.

Re: FLYwheel ring gear
 

I need to take some pics of both types as the differences are subtle. A rough quick comparison is that the late style flywheels are thinner when you look at the edges. If you measure the thickness of the visible slug of steel, not including the ring gear part, the 49-53 flywheel will be about 5/8" thick. The 1942-48 types will be about 7/8" thick. There are other telltales but this should help you determine which one you have.

Also, in spite of the fact that there are several different pressure plate bolt patterns for the 49-53 vehicles, the flywheels are interchangeable on the 49-53 engines. The big issue is that when you mix the 42-48 flywheels with the 49-53 types, there will always be a misalignment of the starter ring gear. That's when the starters bind up.

Re: FLYwheel ring gear
 

Check out this thread for flywheel comparison.
https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showth...ight=flywheels

Bob

Re: FLYwheel ring gear
 

If you are using the mini-starter, then the chamfer should face to the front

Re: FLYwheel ring gear
 

I called powermaster. They want the ring gear installed the original way chamfer toward the tranny. Their starter gear is already chamfered to operate correctly.

Re: FLYwheel ring gear
 

Mac and Bob, thanks. I will look closely at my flywheel when I get it off this week, I learn something every time I screw up, Isn't it great. I will be trying to make Macungie Pa. at the Wheels of time at the end of August, anyone else plan on being there?

Re: FLYwheel ring gear
 

I've posted this pic before. It's easy to see that the EARLY flywheel has a THICKER ring gear than the LATE. It should also be noted that the CLUTCH BOLT holes on the LATE flywheel are drilled all the way through the wheel. The clutch holes are blind holes on the EARLY wheels. And, the INSIDE diameters of the two different ring gears are NOT the same, which means one SHOULD NOT be able to screw-up the application when replacing a ring gear. DD

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/attach...2&d=1430414858

Re: FLYwheel ring gear
 

Update it is Friday morning and late yesterday I pulled the motor. The oil pan was cracked between the starter hole and the base about 3 inches long. I guess I found out why it was grinding. Thanks to all you that helped I will take your information and try to put this together correctly. Jon