MV Tooth Extraction, at Weare Rally - Transmission Problems

[Phil Waterman]

Hi All

NOS transmission left Nashville, GA in a crate weight 131LBS arrived 4 days later in New Hampshire weight 85LBS and minus the crate. UPS can't explain what happened to the crate. Picture of how I found it sitting by the shop.

Transmission was insured for the full value/cost $1200.00 so I don't think UPS would have accepted it wrapped in plastic. Seller is annoyed because they spent the time and effort and charged me for it to build a crate. Had I been home when it was left by UPS I would have raised a stink right then. On the back of the shipping shipping label which had been incorporated into the plastic wrapping you could see the imprint of the wood it had been pealed off of.

Spent the day disassembling and cleaning the transmission, had to completely disassemble it to clean all the bearing which had been coated in a cosmoline type preservative when the transmission had been built. Oh what a joy to actually work on a New Transmission though. Kerosene and Gunk followed by washing in 180F water and the transmission is now clean inside and out. Had to clean the bearings so I could check the run out of the shafts.

My big concern was and is the input shaft (see photo) as it is only part that could be be damaged easily by dropping the transmission. Checking the Chevy heavy truck manual it gives run out or out of true "note more than .004 inch" when I checked the shaft on the new transmission it measures .010-.012 with dial indicator. All of it is in the first inch the part goes into the pilot bearing of the flywheel. One from the old transmission reads +/-.001" measuring it the same way. Only bearing that is not 100% smooth is the front input shaft bearing. The front bearing retainer that the throw out bearing assembly rides in and out is perfectly true.

I think UPS owes me the cost of new input shaft and bearing, if Obsolete Parts can supply a new shaft and bearing I would rather just replace this one instead of having to install it in the truck to see if the clutch disengages and correctly. Your thoughts?

Bob the gear ratios are all the same on the NOS transmission all the gear tooth counts match between the transmissions. Today I received the replacement 3rd gear so I should get through this with a NOS trans in the truck and a good repaired one on the shelf.

Cheers Phil

PS- Obsolete Parts is being really good to work with. The transmission originally came from a large surplus or parts dealer in the Toronto area some twenty years ago, no one remembers the name other than they are gone now.