I have a couple of these, I think. I have looked around on some flathead sites and here on the HAMB but I am still not sure how to tell exactly what I have. I also understand that the gears and tops can be interchanged so it could be a combination of several different transmissions. What is the significance with the 39? They all kind of look the same to me. Hopefully with some good HAMB expert feedback I will be able to tell the difference soon. I will be selling these so it would be good to know what I have. Links to sites that cover this information would be great. Here is a picture of one of mine. Thanks
Look for a cast "78" on the left side at the rear of the trans ('38/'39). It should also have two "detent" screws... one on each side of the shifter housing.
on the back of the trans on the left hand side will be some numbers stamped, they could be 18-7006 which is 32-34 case, 48-7006 which is 35-37 case or 78-7006 which is 37-50 case from the outside they really look the same, its inside they are different. the later cases take the 29 gear clusters easily, the early cases dont, they need to be modified slightly because of a notch inside them. for the tops the ones everyone seems to go on about is the 39 top - there are a couple of things to look for here - the numbers on the top could be 68-7222 which would be an early top with one detent/plug about 1/2" on the left hand side of the top if you were standing looking at the box from the bellhousing whereas a 39 would have 81A-7222 and has two detents/plugs about 5/8" - one each side. The 2nd/high gear fork which works with the late gears should have the number 91A-7230 and it should measure 3" across the flats of the fork. if the fork does not have these numbers on it it wont work with late gears - if anyone tells you differently their lying. The early 2nd/high gear forks were about 2 3/4" across the flats and because they are a little smaller I have seen some people try to p*** them off as late forks because they get good money, just look at the numbers and they will tell you exactly what it is. another easy way of telling between early and late tops is the early tops taper back the way and the late ones dont. you could buy macs book which has loads of info in it http://www.vanpeltsales.com/FH_web/flathead_trans-book.htm
Macs book is a great idea. He also has a ton of info on his website -- I have learned a lot from him. Basically every one raves about the '39 because for the cars it has the "best" combination of parts. It has the floor shifter, the newest gear set and syncros and the newest box. But of course over the years you will find lots of different combos out there since just about everything was swappable. If all you are going to do is resell them, you do want to know what you have. Look over the info on Mac's site it gives a very good description of what you are looking for: http://www.vanpeltsales.com/FH_web/flathead_transID_3speed.htm You will need to pull the top housing to count gears, some buyers like to know that info, its also nice to be able to peek at the gears to make sure that they are usable. I have found the 1st gear slider and cluster gear to be in bad condition on all of the ones I have seen (I will run what I have until all my gears are gone, then I will likely do the T5). This will also verify which ge****t you have. The shifter housing with the 2 detents indicates the newer gear set. It was made with the 3" shifter fork which works with the newer gear set, but again the shifter fork can be changed out, so with either top you still want to make sure. Especially if you see that someone put a lot of work into it, like the V8 60 modified one. Then the case, as mentioned above, the casting numbers on the back indicate which case. The "78" being the most sought after, and the "48" usable for most applications. You just need to know what you have. I recently bought a 3pd from a fellow. It had the double detent, he let me pull the top and it had the newer gears with a 29 tooth cluster gear. I didn't see any cracks in the case so I handed over the money. When I got it home and cleaned the gunk off the back, I noticed that it was a "48" case. I took the gears out because I need to put an open drive shaft in it for my truck, and it was a real pain to remove the input shaft because the cluster wouldn't drop low enough for clearance.
This has basic ID on trans and innards: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=91515&showall=1 Going beyond this in detail needs either Mac's book or 50 pages of fine print in the Ford catalogs. Start by dating case from serial #, then scrutinize top, forks, gears to see what the early rodders left you.
Except for showing how someone ruined the case making it fit a V8-60, the pictures don't tell too much else. The shift top looks like the pre '36 which has near zero value either because it further prevents the use of the later, more sought after ge****ts. If that is the case it means that the gears are again near worthless because of the growling spur cut first gear. The V860 mod is often a failure because it cracks in service and would be just a hole to a guy wanting to use on a full size flattie. Not good news to a guy who may buy the trans and expect the value and performance of what could honestly be called a '39 trans. Still could be some mild positive surprises inside like a nice all helical cluster gear with a $75 to $100 value. Good Luck: Fred A
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