Ok, I've searched with no luck. Here's what I've got goin. 31 AV8 with an F1 Crossmember 39 style trans with an Open Drive Rear Bearing Retainer. The issue I'm having is that the speedo drive on the bearing retainer is pointing straight up at the floor of the cab. It's also very close to the floor. Is this just the way it has to be and I have to have the speedo cable sticking up through the floor? I've looked to see if there is a 90° adapter available but haven't seen one. I don't figure you can bend the cable sharply before it starts to bind. To be fair I don't have the cable yet but, as close as it is to the floor and the fact that it's pointing straight up, I know it's going to be an issue. Is there a solution for this or am I worried for nothing?
Can you flip it 180 degree so it points downward? You would still need a 90 so the connection and cable sheath isn't pointing straight down and looping on the ground.
From the item description: "So, I bought this off Ebay recently as I need a 90 degree adapter for a tranny swap I did. The seller did not know much about this and I could not find much info online. I even called AcDelco and they had no information on this unit either. What I do know is that it is an AcDelco direct drive (Not reverse drive) 90 degree adapter. It does not have the "Tangs" needed to make it work. I went to buy those the other day at a local speedometer shop and learned at that time that it was not a 1:1 gear ratio (Which I need). Based off futher research, I learned that it is made by Clark Brothers International and has a gear ratio of 1:1.583. Make sure this item will work before you buy it as I will not take it back. I just want to get my money back so I can get the right one I need. Thanks" Looks like what I need but umm........
I used to have some foreign stuff. I think TR6 or A H used a right angle drive due to the trans sitting high in the tunnel. You might try some of the sports car sites.
that looks like its for the speedo, which is a little common. the 90 dagree drives are out there but getting hard to find, see em on ebay all the time but not always the correct ones. jeff
Yeah I've been looking there too. The most you get for a description is, "90° speedo drive". No thread dimensions or what they work on. I sent Mac VanPelt a PM with a link to this thread. Hopefully he can shed some light on this.
I'm not positive about the thread size or thread count but you might want to look at this. http://www.texasindustrialelectric.com/90_Degree_Transmission_Adapter.asp
I have the same issue and have been looking for a solution. I would love to hear what your result is.
That one is a nice piece. Just got off the phone with their tech guy. Nice people. He said the standard 400 series should work but to be safe check the thread size on my drive and the inner cable size and shape and that they have most styles. He said most likely the square drive that comes with it will work with the old ford transmissions. It's not cheap at $110 plus a few bucks for shipping but it looks like it will get the job done.
I don't believe you can flip the rear mount/retainer, the mount ears are not centered on the mount. It would raise the back of the transmission a bit, and I'm not sure the bolt hole will line up. I'm getting to the point that I'll be hitting this same issue on my AV8 soon so keep the ideas coming. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
You're right about the ears being a bit off center. The casting isn't flat on the opposit side either and to get it flat would weaken it as the area to be ground off is a strengthening rib.
Pretty sure the rear casting can be turned 180, so the issue becomes whether it would be easier to rework mounts or find a way to turn the cable. Silly idea, there, open drive. WTH?
FWIW Back in the late 60's I had that same setup but was mounting it n an virgin 32 frame. I cut the mount ears off, turned it 60 degrees as I remember, and made a rear mount to fit the retainer holes out of angle and a complementing part to mount to the original 32 brake manifold. I then used a late model trasmission mount. That way you can position the speedometer drive any way you want except down, as it will likely leak. Just my .02. Hope this helps.
Lots of good ideas about flipping the mount. In my case this truck is already running and driving and with me having been sick for 2 years (better now) it's been a long time coming. Don't want to start doing any major modifying. Just trying to finish up small stuff like speedo and working head lights, lol. Not that flipping the mount is that major but, if I can buy a 90° drive and fix the problem in 10 minutes, that works for me. The link to the drive above is a nice piece. There are also these 2 for $88 each, the #40 and the #41. http://www.transmissioncenter.org/speedometer_gear_housing.htm The #40 is standard 1:1 ratio. The #41 is also 1:1 but, if you have a GPS that reads mph, you take 3 readings 20-40-60 and record the rpm at each point. They can then tailor it gear wise so your speedo is more precise. Pretty cool. So thanks for all the input fellas. Hopefully this information will help someone down the road. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Put in an aftermarket electric one & call it a done deal. CAPESH or youll end up getting sick again worrying about nothing that matters or for that matter dont hook it up & drive by "EAR" like ive done on numerous cars I have built
Ahh, the owner of the "famous" car with too many louvers. This isn't the first time you've responded to a post of mine rudely. Why is it that you're unable to just tell someone something? Why are your posts always so toxic? First off I'm not crying or worrying. Just wanna hook up my speedometer. I don't do crap like electric speedometers, fans, alternators, the list goes on. I take the "tradional" thing pretty seriously. Yes, even a speedometer cable. As far as me getting sick again, it's not funny. Don't talk about it. Ever. CAPEESH. (You missed an E)
I think flipping the rear makes the mounting pads on the trans HIGHER than standard. Not sure yet, need another cuppa coffee on that...but if that is right you do not need to worry about grinding on it because the difference can be made up with a simple spacer or stack of washers with any interference carved out of the spacer. If there's a problem with length of the through bolt, the spacer could be carved from a coupling nut that would then take a bolt from the top.
Thanks Bruce, good info as always. Like I said, this truck is already running and driving. I'm using the open drive bearing retainer, F1 crossmember and steel/rubber mount. It's a nice setup that sould be trouble free for the most part. Plus, the engine/trans is already sitting at 3° opposite of the rear axle. Don't want to re-engineer the entire thing. Although your suggestion does seem like an easy fix. But as said before, this is all good info for other folks. Next one gets a torque tube, lol. Thanks again.
Just a further thought...take a couple measurements, jack up the trans a tad, pull the bolts, and gently rotate that piece of iron without any disassembly other than the bolts. Lower trans to match your starting place, measure mount gap, and engineer yor spacer arrangement. If there's room to do it that way, and if you didn't permatex the gasket...this could be pretty simple.
I would do this first. I've eye balled the one I have in the garage, and I think the difference won't be that problematic. Well, that's easy for me to say with a part sitting on a work bench, but measure 2X, fix once. I think Bruce is on to something with his observations.
A little machine work and it looks like that fitting could be reversed (like the worm in a Corvair steering box) Remove the fitting, machine the bottom end flat, perpendicular to the C/L. Machine tap threads in from the bottom, plug the top with a threaded aluminum slug (or epoxied freeze plug) Flipping the mount with shimmed mounting pads makes more sense, however...
All great ideas but I'm really wanting to drive this thing. The 90° drive is the way to go for me right now.
I'm wondering if any of the big truck parts counters KW, Pete or Freightliner or the like might have something in stock that is the right size and used on the trucks. Speedometer drive or tach drive or ?
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