I've got a trans that I got some time ago that I have always assumed was bad for some reason> well now I need it and want to know if there's some checks I can do before I install it to determine whether it's going to work or not.

It's hard to tell sometimes until they are in the car.

pull the drain plug and take a look at the back side of it. There is a magnet that will collect all the metal filings or any big chunks. Take a look at the fluid and you can even pour it over a car speaker magnet to see what collects.

This sometimes will NOT be a tell tail sign. I did all these things and they all looked good UNTIL I ran my finger in the drain hole and found a big broken piece of metal. It turned out to be a piece of the pinion gear.

take a flashlite and look inside the drain hole for any large broken peices.

Pull the tail cover and check 1st gear for wear. It's easy to do and, if it's bad, fix it. That will save you greif in the long run.

You can get a gasket kit and replace all the seals, it won't hurt.

There are aricles in the classics thread on how to take the tranny's apart if your inclined to do so.

Good luck

good tips, thanks. I hadn't thought about the magnet aspects and metal filings. I'll look it over more thoroughly, looking and listening, and see what it does. I think I paid $50 for it a long time ago.

This particular trans is a side shift. I have a tail shift too that I think just has a bad differential bearing. I would prefer the side shift, but between the two I might be able to get a good one.

with the two, you SHOULD be able to get a good one. The condition of 1st gear may be a problem

did the car have a side shift before?

If you are planning on pulling the gear stacks, thre is an article in the classics forum on how to do it. Towards the end of the thread there is also a link to a red beard article that will help you too.

Drain it.
Now, tip it up on its nose on two 4x4s
I do this in a big drain pan, cause there is still about a quart of oil that will come out.
Take off the rear cover. I like to do it this way, its easier to deal with the reverse gears.

Then remove the whole gear stack.
Look at the front leading edge of each dog gear.
These little gears are suppose to have a pointed front edge, most do not anymore.
There are a few articles out there, Red Beard, Pelican, and possibly Dr Evil.
Using a file, dremel, and other tools, you can restore these gears.

First question, why do you suddenly NEED this tranny.
We may be able to fix your currentl tranny.

Rich

Rich

I 'need it' because I'm assembling another car together that came disassembled, and I've played some 'musical trannie' between my 3 cars, 2 of which had engines/trans out.

The only trans I've actually had fail was my tail shift, where it sounds like a shaft carrier bearing is gone. But, I've converted my tail shift car to side shift linkage, so my future needs will be all side shift.

About how long will it take to pull the gear stack for inspection?

Its not hard to pull the stack, it may take you 3hrs the first time for a round trip, though. In my tranny rebuild link I have a step by step for removal with pics, and links to the aforementioned rebuild threads. The diff bearings are only $30 ea last I checked so dont worry about changing those. You should be able to get a good tranny from the two, but there are certain parts you shouldnt mix and match (pinions, rings). If you need some good used 1st sliders I have a few for a good price. Ask lots of questions, too.