trans tooth count
 

I have a side shift box that came from a 46 sedan,
The gears are realy nice BUT, the main drive gear has 15 teeth and the cluster gear has 28.
Are they ment to add up to 44??
Thanks Lawrie

Re: trans tooth count
 

Lawrie, I found that out last week. 44 rule is that they indeed must add to 44

Re: trans tooth count
 

The "44 Rule" is a only a Guide. In the late 30s and early 40s some Ford commercials used 14/29 3-speed gear sets (somewhat rare) and the 1951-52 Ford pickups used a 16/27 3-speed gear set.

Re: trans tooth count
 

Yes ,I have just done a dummy assembly with the 15/28 and there is a lot of backlash in the gears.
tried the same with another 16/28 and a lot less backlash.
It looks like some one repaired the 15/28 box up as it has all new bearings,thrust washers etc,but the 15 tooth main drive gear does not look like a ford one.the other gears have part numbers like 01A 7100.
This gearset was only for a spare ,,so Maybe I should look for the correct main drive gear with the 16 tooth on.
Lawrie

Re: trans tooth count
 

Lawrie....to also answer your email, the 8A-7017 differs from the 8M and 81A drive gears because it has the smaller 1" ten spline input. It also takes a different ball bearing.

Re: trans tooth count
 

It sounds like a 022A-7017 input gear. It only works with the 21C-7113 cluster which would indicate a 15/29 gear set. It sounds like a mismatch set.

Re: trans tooth count
 

Per my understanding, the '32-'48 and later pickup gear sets are:

16/28- Standard passenger gears.
15/29- "Pickup" gears with a lower speed first and second.
18/26- Zephyr gears with a higher speed first and second intended for a car with a high ratio rear end and over drive.
19/25- Also Zephyr gears, same application, slightly different ratios.

Re: trans tooth count
 

It's always interesting to see weird things some farmer or teenager made work on some penniless Saturday long ago!
The 44 rule fits nearly all likely finds in early cases...its main utility is allowing you to easily figgerout what cluster you have in a topshift case at the fleamarket!

Re: trans tooth count
 

In addition to the "The 44 Rule" there is the "Rule of Exceptions."

This is also known as "Hoop's Rule" which covers such things as flea market purchases ... like counting the teeth and not noticing that the idler gear is missing.

Bet very few, if any, have come across a 14 tooth MDG/29 tooth cluster. I have.

Check your Green bible ... 67-7017/67-7113A

Re: trans tooth count
 

That's the commercial one that retained straight-cut first and reverse when cars went to all spiral, right?

Re: trans tooth count
 

"That's the commercial one that retained straight-cut first and reverse when cars went to all spiral, right?"

Bruce, trans is hard to get to right now. Will follow up with you. Good question. Should be.

Re: trans tooth count
 

My rule: All early Ford parts will neatly and easily interchange or fit right together except the exact heap of stuff you have.

Re: trans tooth count
 

Thanks Guys, the box was in the 46 and working,BUT I bet it was noisy as the box was filled with thick black oil the consistency of grease,maybe to quite it down.
The box came from a mate who bought the 46 going,then turned it into a hotrod with an OHV eng. another mate got the engine and box to make his hotrod,he used an auto ,and I got the gearbox.
I know the guy who sold the 46 to the first guy so will cross examine him
Lawrie

Re: trans tooth count
 

I had a Mercury sedan once that dropped a tooth off the input gear.Sure enough someone had fitted a 15 tooth to a 28 tooth cluster.A 16 tooth input fixed it.Just shows that anything can happen. G.T.

Re: trans tooth count
 

I took a trans apart one time, it had a 25 cluster and I don't remember what the main gear no. was but it didn't even touch cluster gear. I can see the owner puttin the trans back in and going nowhere. Ha Ha Walt