I came across something interesting in my search for speed equipment. Its an auto gear changer. The image came out of Automobile Engineer- August 1958. Has anyone ever seen one of these in action? It mounts to the tree and it is for I think old metro style busses? or COE's? Could something like this be found and adapted to a hot rod? Here is the description from the ad: The CAV Automatic Electrical Gear Changer Equipment enables a driver to concentrate on his job- the safe control of the vehicle. Gear changes are effected strictly in accordance with road speed and engine torque, so that driving is by accelerator and brake only...Neutral is automatically selected as the vehicle slows to a stop, and reverse cannot be selected accidently. An overiding control permits the manual selection of gears if and when required. This equipment is applicable to vehicles with direct- acting epicyclic gear-boxes, using either pneumatic or electro-hydraulic operation.
Never even heard of it... What is supposed to disengage the Clutch? Whats an epicyclic transmission? Something like a Lenco?
This came off a site dealing with self powered Trolley cars that mentioned your CAV Gearchanger... "Mounted directly on the engine flywheel was a Freeborn-Wickham disc and ring coupling. This automatic coupling was a multiple clutch device which acted like a fluid coupling when the engine was idling but locked into firm engagement when normal running speed was reached. Automatic engagement of the clutch was by a series if spring controlled pivoted centrifugal weights. The outer driving plates driven from the flywheel were of the normal plate-clutch type, with teeth on the outer rim. The inner driven plates were a series of circular discs, pin-mounted on the driven member in the manner of a ring of planet gears. Each disc, with the outer portion sandwiched between two driving plates, was free to rotate on its bearing pivot. This rotation of the discs, which occurred only during the period of engagement, had the dual function of giving a smooth take-up of the drive and a cooling of the friction surfaces. The relative velocity of the engaging surfaces was low and the discs stopped rotating when the clutch was fully engaged. The pressure plate was loaded by the centrifugal weights thrusting outwards against wedge members. When the engine speed dropped to idling, compression springs returned the pressure plate to the clutch-free position. A small quan***y of oil, 1/5 pint, was contained in the clutch for lubrication. The coupling was connected to a <font color="red">four speed air-operated </font>SCG Wilson R11C gearbox. Top gear was through a multi-plate clutch, the indirect ratios through the <font color="green">epicyclic trains</font> were 4.07, 2.42 and 1.6:1." Doesn't really sound like something applicable to a Hot Rod...
it seams like it uses air pressure to do the shifting, so some sort of compressor would be required...or some sort of hydraulic system, might be too bulky on a hot rod i think recall seeing something like it on a bus when i was a kid in the 60's? not to hi-jack your post , but i believe that the coffin nose Cords used some sort of shift like it..i think it may have been electric..does anybody know? if it was,that may be more adaptable to a hot rod..if you could find one and aford it
[ QUOTE ] Doesn't really sound like something applicable to a Hot Rod... [/ QUOTE ] Yah, thats what I thought. Even if there was a way to make it work it probably wouldn't be able to keep up with a light weight vehicle.
**** Smith of Phoenix had a little run around the city type car in the '60s. It was a Gogomobile. It had a "pre-selector" type gearbox. You would put in in the gear you wanted and then clutch it. It would shift to that gear. The Cords were like that too. I think Citrons also. Spooky to drive.
The Jalopy Journal
