VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1933-1936 '33 Master Coach transmission removal

The instructions in the repair manual leave some things to my imagination. (1)Guide pins, how long? Due to the weight some sort of fixture (handling tool) is mentioned that is to be bolted to the transmission - since it has to be rotated to clear the wooden body member - (2) What does this fixture look like? It says "turn it to the left and draw straight back to remove". (3)I assume they mean rotate counter clockwise? (4) And then it must come out the top because the cross member is in the way? (5)Oh, and how is the back of the engine best supported during all this? My back is already in pain just thinking about it. Any and all guidance is appreciated. Gene

As a VCCA Member I am advising you to contact Mr.David Miner # 28873 for the "Special Tool" needed to remove your shift lever from out of the transmission. He is the Club Tool Man. I will send you a Private Message with his phone number and other info regarding the guide pins. Be sure to check your messages flag at the top of the page.

Thanks. I'll give David a call tomorrow.

I just talked to Dave Miner and he says the fixture for holding the transmission during removal was probably provided to the dealers by Kent Moore Tools. Does anyone have such a fixture or know what it looked like? Gene.

I am willing to bet no one ever used such a tool.
I had the transmission in and out of my '34 several time and all by my self. I removed the top bolts last from inside the car and lowered it to the floor from there.

DM deals with the tools that came with the car and this would not have been one of them.

Not that tough to do.

I think what he wants to do here is not put strain on the clutch disc. I think that the special lift out tool on the shift lever can be made from a piece of flat iron. What do you think?

Krugerbenz,

If you post your email address I'll send you a photo of a transmission holding/lifting attachment I made for my floor jack.

The "Guide pins" are nothing more than bolts with the heads cut off to allow the transmission input shaft to slide into the clutch splines and pilot bearing without hanging on the clutch disc and bending it.

None of this is rocket science. The goal is to let the tools do the work, rather than your muscles, and to not be outsmarted by inanimate objects.

Much more challenging is finding the shims that are required to get the synchronizer end play into the specified 0.025"-0.035" range on those 1932-36 transmissions. Once in a blue moon those show up on ebay. Smooth shifting requires proper synchronizer end play and really viscous lubricant.

There are some very viscous industrial gear lubricants that probably match the originally used 160 viscosity product. The one I would like to try comes in a minimum quantity of 5 gallons, several lifetime's worth. I'd like to find some local guys to split that product with. The next viscosity level down is available in a 1 gallon size. I've tried it and it is very close to being right but not quite. So called "600 weight" oil marketed by antique car parts vendors is actually steam cylinder oil. It seems that a product chemically formulated for enclosed gearboxes would be much better than something formulated for a completely different application.

You have to remember it is the 1930's. The depression was on. Buying of tools was a luxury. Every dollar counted. With that in mind I try and build my own tools to work on my vehicles if I can. The idea of using bolts with the head cut off is exactly what I would do.