Hey there guys,
apologies, since we moved in June it's been all house renos ...
If you guys are rebuilding the 88950, let me know and I can send pics of whatever part you are wondering about.
My son and I pulled it apart, refinished all components to their original specs, and ordered several parts from Midwest.
( There are also things like Thrush Washers still available on the open market. )
Overall the Restoration Guide was my bible, along with some excellent direction from M-Series.
I'd trust my baby in his hands any day.
With a 50 degree day yesterday I am happy to report that I was able to free up the sliding first gear-still don't know what caused it to bind to begin with, but a full inspection shows no gear damage, and a lengthy probe with a magnet collected nothing more than you'd find on a magnetic oil plug.
So, I broke out the anaerobic sealer, removed all the case covers, resealed them, then put together the gasket pack for the PTO and re-installed it.
Next, I'll add the gear lube through the top then install the top cover then mount the tranny back into the truck.
More to follow,
Gary
Gary,
How much persuasion did it take to free it up?
I'm really curious to know what caused it to stick to begin with. It always drives me nuts when you can fix the problem, but can't determine the root cause.
We've had some issues obtaining a snap ring for the main shaft, but that should be here today. The bearings are all in the engine so I'm hopeful that we can seal it up and get it running today. Maybe we'll find the cause of the vibration, finally! It may be a bit before that transmission goes back in, no school next week. I'm thinking I may have a BBQ on Tuesday and invite the students to drop by and get the M running again. I want to take it to the county auction yard and go shopping Thursday, I've heard tails of $100 fork lifts!
That's what i don't understand, Andy. I have it on the roller dolly, flipped it upside down to go in thru the PTO opening and heard a small metallic "clink". Flipped it back over and sure enough, everything moving as it should, so I installed the top cover and two bolts then shifted through all the gears easy as pie. All of my probing and inspection revealed nothing-no metal chips, washers (and I accounted for the one I thought I dropped in there). Friday I filled it with fresh gear lube, fully secured the top cover, shifted through the gears, and have it ready to install.
Of course our weather is crapping out again but I'm hoping for a 3 hour window later today to install it.
More to follow,
Gary
So today I found three hours of time to work on the install, getting the tranny in place and bolted in along with the other shift levers and e-brake. I fired it up and shifted thru all the gears a number of times with no issues, so I bolted up the jack shaft. Still have to re-mount the tranny shifter, mount the PTO shaft, floor board, and PTO shift lever but will take a road test before I button the rest up, if the weather doesn't stop me.
More to follow,
Gary
We are stuck in "snap ring limbo". In spite of our best efforts we have now been able to get the main shaft snap ring sorted out. I need one that's on the thick side (.097") and have not been able to obtain one (long story!).
I'm thinking of making some oversize so they may be ground to fit. I figure I can knock out the rings on the lathe and I'm going to try and speak with a local heat treater today and see what costs will be to harden them to meet the orig. specification for the parts. I also have a request for quote into one of the retaining ring manufacturers. We'll see what happens.
On the side of progress, we did button up the engine. New bearings sorted out the end play issue and I have a bit more oil pressure, but there was no effect on the vibe we were chasing . At least the engine's in one piece again...
Glad to here you're going to have the truck running for the snow fall headed your way. It's been raining here all night!
Thanks for your update, Andy! Candidly, the weather is more motivating than our little tranny chase at this point-I've enjoyed temps in the 50s and have a 64 degree day on tap for Tuesday before Winter returns Wednesday night, with snow predicted all the way to the valley floor (and I'm at 6200 feet).
Today I re-lived Braden hell by having to unbolt and lift the winch in order to re-install the PTO shaft. That took over an hour even with the hoist and an impact, but it's now installed so I can check that sub-project as "done". Once completed I fired up the truck and took a test drive around the hilltop-the tranny shifts in all gears but is a little stiff-too much pedal free travel, and I noticed the release bearing spring is detached, so I will tackle those issues tomorrow then install the floor pan and PTO shifter. I also got a set of new tire chains still in the bag so I may go ahead and put them on before the snow hits late Wednesday night.
Apologies in advance as my camera has crapped out. I'll spring for a new one soon and start shooting again.
I didn't have enough clearance to slide the shaft into the yoke on the PTO end.
And finally, success! I finished up the job yesterday around 4pm. I was curious as to how my clutch free travel went South based on the type of repair, only to find that the clutch release bearing carrier somehow rotated 90 degrees which threw the free travel off. Once I got that back in position and reattached the spring the free travel is back where it needs to be (1 inch for those who didn't know). Snow was falling two hours later but no time to get out and play and I'm pretty sore from pressing forward to get it done. Perhaps I'll have time this weekend. With gas prices so low, now is the time to fill the tank and the jerry can. The tranny is nice and dry too since I resealed it; once Spring arrives I need to address the leaking front and rear main seals.
Gary
Gary,
Glad to hear the truck is up and running again. I look forward to seeing photos of you trying out those snow chains, preferably in 4x4 at full throttle in a nice drift!
I'm still in snap ring limbo and am looking at possibly making some new rings oversize so they may be ground to the proper thickness to fit their application. I miss driving the truck!
Do you know anyone with a surface grinder? Wouldn't be expensive to grind a fat one to size. (At least around here.)
And Cal_Gary, Is your spline buggered up? If I move the stop collar forward I can get about an inch of free space between the rear yoke and the PTO shaft. Another little bit if I remove the shear pin and push it all forward. I had to clean up the splines in order to do that. They were dinged up from previous abuse.
ashyers wrote:Gary,
Glad to hear the truck is up and running again. I look forward to seeing photos of you trying out those snow chains, preferably in 4x4 at full throttle in a nice drift!
what kind of drift are you talking about a snow drift or some sideways action around a corner
id like to see pics of both
Thanks,TRAVIS
When it comes to gambling I don't play the Powerball, I play the Powerwagon
1952 M37 FARM TRUCK
230 W/THRUSH EXHAUST, DELETED HEAT RISER AND 12 VOLT IGNITION
I have nowhere near the available space you describe, Just Me. As an aside I considered it but had no chance of inserting the PTO shaft at the same time I mounted the tranny because I was doing the job soIo. If I had another set of hands I likely could have inserted both at once. So, I removed the winch-end of the shaft and tried sliding farther forward in order to obtain the clearance to insert the shaft into the yoke. Every possible position I tried left me about an inch too long. I wonder if your PTO shaft might be a bit shorter than mine?
Andy, I'll have the truck out either today or tomorrow-streets look pretty clear but the snow is still falling with another storm coming in Sunday night. I have missed driving mine as well-been about two months for me. I won't have to drift it-you should see the guys with their modern 4x4s that can't even climb the paved streets up here in the hills. I should just throw a chain on and drag a couple of them around for awhile....
Gary
Gary, I have a couple of winch driveshafts on my workbench right now, including an NOS one still in the original packaging. If you want, I'll measure the NOS one and you can determine if the shaft in your truck is the correct length.
Living in the snow belt of northern Michigan, I'm constantly amazed by the number of people who buy a 4x4, and then get stuck. They haven't figured out that 4x4 isn't some magic wand to push the snow aside, and that all-season tires (which most 4x4 vehicles come with these days because of noise and EPA mileage diktats) are really three-season tires: spring, summer, and fall. They have very poor traction in snow, and are dangerous on ice. They'd be better off with front wheel drive and true winter rated tires, than with 4x4 and all-season tires.
“When a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, IT IS THEIR RIGHT, IT IS THEIR DUTY, TO THROW OFF SUCH GOVERNMENT...” -Declaration of Independence, 1776
Home 
!
. At least the engine's in one piece again...
