Technical Early Ford V8 Trans Snap Rings Could Be A

Has anyone noticed that the replacement trans bearings come with thin snap rings? Alerted by a Model A guy that the difference existed and questioned whether it makes a difference, I broke out the mikes and went through the transmission parts stocks. The man was correct in his concerns and while we may obsess about a few thousandths end play on the cluster and around the synchro/second gear, for years I just ***umed... The range was about .058" to a fat .082 in the USA Pfafners found in old boxes. Could this be a part of the difference between trans work that turns out mushey when before the routine work the transmission was crisp and except for some delay in shifts into second from worn rings, all seemed well? Up til now I just put the thing together with new parts as they came out of the bag or box and rolled with it. Often the old bearings would be discarded without a thought. The same may go for synchro rings. The $7 Chinese ring may not be up to the job in the long haul. Top gear takeouts are now saved for my own favorites as they may be far better. To the wise... Fred A

PS: From what I can measure, nearly all of the ring grooves in the new stuff seems to be wide enough for the correct old rings. This may allow the bearing retainers to really do their correct job. FA

 

With spiral cut gears. endplay leads to destructive endways movement on engagement, and at the synchro end play can be subtracted from synchro engagement...both potentiall serious durability concerns on a hotrod.

 

I had this problem with my new trans bearings, the new snap rings only measured .065" and should be .075" , Mac Vanpelt has had some made the correct thickness if you check out his website.

 

If you measure the depth of the bearing retainer where the snap ring is captured there is usually excessive clearance there as well even with the correct thickness of snap rings. You can measure this depth and the thickness of your gasket and then fit the snap ring to get the endplay you want by turning your bearing retainer in a lathe. This helps tighten the front of the trans. Also check the depth where the bearing fits in the retainer for clearance.