[MEJ1990TM]

I have the cluster gear loaded and main shaft assembled, and I am unsure how to proceed. With how big the head of the cluster is on this gear set I can't do it the way I usually would. Which is to press the bearing on the input gear and guide the input into the case. Even when resting all the way in the bottom the head of this gear sticks up part way into where the bearing has to travel through the case.

The way I was thinking of doing this was putting the snap ring on the input bearing, tapping the bearing into the case, putting the bearing retainer on with a couple of bolts, and then pressing the input gear into place. I would be doing this with the cluster gear pushed over to the side of the case as far as it would go. I'm just not sure if the gear will press on all the way without having the engagement teeth hitting the head of the cluster.

If who has done a Super T with this gear set could give me some input it would be much appreciated. If at all possible I would like to get this trans finished up tonight.

 

[crashent]

E-mail me for my phone number... Crash
crash_enterprises@yahoo.com

 

[MEJ1990TM]

Thanks for the offer. I ended up getting it without too much trouble, believe it or not. I had to modify my original idea a little bit, but not much. I put the case up on end, set the cluster gear as far over as I could, set the input gear in, then I guided the main shaft down to mesh with the input gear. When I got it to that point I laid it on it's side ,without separating the input from the main shaft, got the bearing started on the input and put the whole schmeer in the press. Worked out pretty well. From that point I started the counter shaft through with the trans upside down ,so the cluster was in mesh with the main shaft/input.

But now I find myself with the most ridiculous problem I have ever faced with a transmission. I can't get the tail housing to slide down all the way. I've looked ,and my dad has looked, and there is nothing we can see that is holding it up. When I take the big reverse idler out the tail housing slides down. The small reverse idler thrust washer is not in the way. At first I thought maybe the sliding reverse gear was not meshing with the idler, so I put it in the rearward position. That made no difference. The idler shaft will go just until it meets the hole it's supposed to go into, and then it just stops. It was really starting to frustrate me.

 

[5speeds]

Previously in another post, I talked about dropped countergears. Works the same for this job. Assemble the input to the gear train with the cluster dropped. Make sure your thrust washer are in the correct place. They are opposite of a MUncie. Flaotaing washer in the maincase, and tanged washer in the tail.

My book is on special.... this month.. sometimes a picture is worth 1000 words...
http://shop.ebay.com/5speedscom/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=

 

[MEJ1990TM]

I bought your book back when I did my first Toploaer. I think that is the biggest reason as to why I got it together. This tail housing situation really has me boggled. I've got the thrust washers in the correct place. What makes it all that more strange is the housing will go down with the big reverse idler out. It's like the boss in the case has too small of a hole, but I know that is not the case.

 

[MEJ1990TM]

I have fiddled with it some more. I absolutely cannot see what is holding this tail housing up. The thrust washer is not in the way of the reverse idler shaft. It is boggling my mind as much as it is frustrating me. As I mentioned the tail housing will slide down with the larger idler out, but not with it in. Any thoughts?

 

[5speeds]

I have fiddled with it some more. I absolutely cannot see what is holding this tail housing up. The thrust washer is not in the way of the reverse idler shaft. It is boggling my mind as much as it is frustrating me. As I mentioned the tail housing will slide down with the larger idler out, but not with it in. Any thoughts?

Count the teeth on the forward reverse idler. The 3.42 box has a unique idler as well as 1st gear. It is possible that if you have a regular ST10 idler once the gears are forced to align correctly by using the rear reverse idler, the tooth error will not allow them to join correctly.

 

[MEJ1990TM]

Crap. That is it. All of the reverse idlers I've got were out of 2.64 boxes. Now this leads to a question. Are these reverse idlers readily available, or do I need to hunt for one?

I have to say I am not impressed with having to pull the main shaft back out, but it must be done. Thank you for helping me with this. It would have driven me nuts trying to figure it out.

 

[5speeds]

Crap. That is it. All of the reverse idlers I've got were out of 2.64 boxes. Now this leads to a question. Are these reverse idlers readily available, or do I need to hunt for one?

I have to say I am not impressed with having to pull the main shaft back out, but it must be done. Thank you for helping me with this. It would have driven me nuts trying to figure it out.

I'm currently at the Autogear facility this week up until Sunday. I'll look in the AGE warehouse on Sat if not I'll check my place when I get back on Monday...

 

[MEJ1990TM]

I really appreciate that. I've been looking at this thing for a week trying to figure this out. I sometimes wonder what I'd do without Team Chevelle.

I was looking over some Super T information I have and I'm seeing that the gear set I've got is a 3.42 ratio, not 3.44. What was the reasoning for changing from an 18 tooth cluster and 34 tooth speed gear to the 16/30 of the 3.42? I've been thinking about it and it doesn't make much sense to me. But I'm not an engineer.

 

[crashent]

E-mail me your address, I'l send you a 15Tooth idler, I've got a bunch of them... Crash

 

[5speeds]

I was looking over some Super T information I have and I'm seeing that the gear set I've got is a 3.42 ratio, not 3.44. What was the reasoning for changing from an 18 tooth cluster and 34 tooth speed gear to the 16/30 of the 3.42?

Makes a stronger gear set. In my book I explain how ideally if both gears have a 1.1 ratio they will be stronger. What the 30 tooth gear does if you give you bigger teeth a larger pressure angle and a better compliment. The downside was noise...

The transmission as a 3.44 had breakage issues but was only made as a 1st design ST10 with the 3.44 set. When the 2nd Design ST10 spec was done it was bumped to a 3.42 spec.

Other odd facts where that because of the weakness some chevy Camaro versions had iron cases and some came with Iron cases and Iron midplates.

The 3.42 Pontiac 6 ring inputs are weaker than the Chevy no ring inputs. The Chevy spec eliminated the oil slots for the needles because they felt it would cause too much maindrive deflection.They used drilled holes instead.

 

[MEJ1990TM]

I will have to go back and read your book again. I did read the whole thing, but for the most part I take a look at it when dealing with something I don't do on a regular basis. Such as a Toploader. Maybe it was just me, but it almost seemed like you needed three hands to get the shift rails in. One to hold the main shaft, one to hold the shift fork, and the other to slide the rail in.

The one thing I found funny was the part where you talked the smell of gear oil. Some people think it is weird, but I really like the smell of gear oil. Before I fill a transmission up I usually open the bottle and take a whiff of it. Maybe that is weird, but I guess it's better than sniffing glue.