VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1937-1945 vacuum canister

ok whats with the vacuum canister on the shifting mechanism? does it have to be there? would it not shift better unhooked? i never came acrossed a unit such as this one. is there a way to remove it so it will shift better? what part would i have to have to add?

the car does shift ok but would it shift the same without the canister?

any opinions?

bubbatom

if you have the shop manual follow the steps to adjust the unit,If working properly its a wonderfull thing..There is a converion kit you may find on e-bay...I would try to save what you have though,good luck

I agree with chef-chevy. Keep it working if you can.
To see how it would shift without the vacuum canister, shut the engine off and try to shift.....you need it.

I think Chevs of the 40s and maybe the Filling Station sell repops of the kit to replace the vacuum unit. The kit consists of a linkage rod. Here's a link to a previous post about the same topic.

https://vccachat.org/ubbthreads.php/topics/198545/Where_is_my_Vacuum_Power_Shift#Post198545

You can try a search to find more similar topics.

Good Luck with your project.

BubbaTom,

I do not have the vacuum canister on my car. When I bought it 10 years ago it had already been removed. You can see what the replacement parts look like for a canister by going to our chat forum called: Forum Mechanical- Engine Trans. etc. This forum is under the Mr Goodwrench Technical heading close to the bottom of the page that lists all our site's forums. The heading for the article is "41' transmission removal". It should be near the top of the posts listed. It is another area of our chat site that gives technical information on all kinds of topics.

I have a couple of vacuum canisters that someday I may repair and see what everybody is raving about. My transmission needs to be double clutched to shift smoothly so I will need to rebuild it someday. But for know I don't mind the inconvenience and think of it as just part of the charm of my old car!!!

I think most of our old cars that have not been maintained well have vacuum shift problems or have been changed over to the newer linkage. Whatever system you decide on there still can be problems adjusting the shift linkage properly. It takes a lot of patience to keep these old cars running well, and It seems these cars always have their hand out wanting more money spent on them. Good Luck, Mike

bubba - You say, "The car does shift OK". That being the case, is there a problem? Most like Vacuum Shift a lot.

yes the car shifts ok, it's just that i never seen the canister before in a car that i can remember. i thought it was an add on attachment being what i thought overkill.

would it shift the same with the conversion kit.

If the vacuum cylinder is working properly there is no comparison...As mentioned proper adjustment of all stifting components is the key..An extra set of eyes and hands is recomended

Heres the info on the vac shift unit












If all does not work !!! heres the by pass unit

I had a 48 that had a vacuum shift. It was great. One day a fellow who was doing up a 48 asked me what it was all about as he was going to remove his. I started the engine and went through the gears with one finger. He said "I'll keep that".
I once spoke to a mechanic from the Government Motor Garage which of course maintained thousands of vehicles. He said they had a lot of cars with the vacuum shift and had few problems except that if the engine wasn't running it was extremely hard to get into gear. So if a battery went flat, the engine wouldn't start and it was very difficult to get into gear to push start. The drivers were told to park in gear for this reason.

Yah,you wake up pretty quickly when the car dies while driving

It is slow but gentle pressure on the lever will change gear/s without the engine running. Personally, I enjoy Vacuum shift.

It is not for speed shifting, but if you just nudge the lever with your finger in the direction you want it to go, it is almost effortless!

thanks for your inputs

sorry for late response as i just got back in town.

bubbatom