I just bought a 2 gallon jug of straight 90 GL4 at Theison’s our local farm store.
Dens Chevys 1927 Speedster 1928 coupe 1941street rod 1947Fleetline 4 door 1949 1/2 ton Pickup (sold) 1954 210 4 door 1972 Monte Carlo 2003 Corvette convt..
Let's talk about ball housings. So...I did the shim thing, I ended up with two shims giving me some movement...but effort was involved (this was without the cork gasket installed). So now (assuming I'm up under the car)...I'm supposed to grease the larger cork gasket and put it inside the backing plate and then put the ball housing/tube thru that and bolt that to the back of the transmission. And magically, the compression of the cork gasket, the grease, the two shims are going to give me a leak-free seal that also allows movement towards the rear end?
I got my trans out and the new one back in today. Ran out of time and energy, so still need to hook the shift linkage, brakes, etc back up. The yoke on my old transmission was different than expected. Dennis??. (the vcca tech expert for 41 autos) thinks it might be a Pontiac part (see photo) I struggled with a few things. Getting the trans out with the mount attached was difficult. Not sure if I read the instructions wrong, but it went in a lot easier without it, then mounted the mount to the frame and the trans to the mount. I also had a hard time keeping the torque tube supported while I was bolting the two halves of the yoke together. I slid a 2 ft long 1x2 that rested on a frame support under the ball housing. This kept the yoke at a perfect height.
For posterity....jack stands on the frame and jack up the axle....this allows the torque tube room to swing down. I used a milk crate to support the torque tube while it was disconnected. Crossing fingers for tomorrow. Thanks everyone for their help
If it were Pontiac, I think it would have to be 1934-36 or so, because from 37 on Pontiacs had open drivelines (except some Canadian ones that had whole Chevrolet drivetrains). That picture sure reminds me of my Pontiac u-joint, but I had been under the impression that the Chevrolet u-joint was the same.
The 1941 U joint was new for 1940 and up and did not use the stamped ring pictured. That was used for 1939 and prior. The previous U joints were different and had the stamped ring that the bolts went thru.
Success. Thanks for everyone’s help. I welcome any questions from anyone tackling this project
funny story.   I stared the car up while still on jack stands to make sure I could hit all the gears.   Pushed the clutch in, threw it in first and let the clutch out.    All good.   Pushed the clutch in and threw it into second.   Looked back tires weren’t spinning.   Threw it into third, tires not moving.  Tried all three gears again…nothing.   heart sunk.     Thought for a min.   Did you realize I never released the clutch after my first shift out of first? ????
Transmission was in gear but your mind wasn't. You were too interested in looking for spinning tires that you didn't think to pull your foot up! All of us have done something like that in the past. The male trait of looking straight at something and not seeing it is similar. I do it way too much. The Earth will still rotate!
I would like to know how the new brass rings were secured. I can't imagine duplicating the original method that involved some kind of small circular deformations.
My 1951 1 Ton is now on the road! My 38 Master 4 Door is also now on the road .
Test drives have gone well. Probably put about 50 miles on it since the install. I'm actually having to reteach my hands and feet a different shifting technique. Without the ability to downshift, I had to leave it in gear with the clutch in thru a turn, then wait til I'd slowed down enough and downshift after the turn. Now I can downshift before the turn and let the clutch out mid turn. Very happy I tackled the project.
Yes...I followed the shop manual, as it read like greek to me. I read it 20x sitting inside my house over a few weeks, still didn't really get it. Once I was under the car with a copy of the instructions it made perfect sense.
So Scott, It is good to see that those tranny's you picked up from me worked out
John
1954 Belair Sport Coupe 1960 2 door Impala Hardtop 348/340HP 4spd 1962 2 door Impala Hardtop 409/409 4spd 1962 2 Door Biscayne Sedan 327/250 Auto 1977 Monza Mirage 305 4 Speed 1988 Celebrity Wagon 2018 GMC Sierra 2500 HD Diesel
Yes. Very happy. Funny story. Last week I took my Chevy to Home Depot and met a guy that had a similar ”˜41 with grinding problems. Trying to convince him to tackle the same project with the second one you sold me
Just a note to say that I was successful in staking in a new synchro ring into the clutch drum of my 1940 Chevy truck transmission. After removing the ring, I pressed in the new ring and simply staked it in with a narrow punch.
did you drill a small hole in the brass ring and then stake it i can see how you might do it to one side does the side where the ring is staked come out of the housing this is my first try at this and just have to ask questions thank for any help
