Operating B.W. T86E 3-speed O.D.

[rrausch]

I set the trans in Neutral, and set the 2nd/3rd top-loader shift fork in Neutral and set the shifter on top the case with the shift fork engaged in the collar in the synchronizer sleeve. I rotated the input shaft and the trans is in Neutral allright. And the shifter is in Neutral, but the 6 holes in the shifter don't line up with the 6 holes in the main case. Right now it looks like the 2nd/3rd shift fork will have to be repositioned 3/8ths of an inch forward for the holes to line up. I'm thinking of various ways to achieve that. I would rather not try to cut and weld on that shift fork, because I don't have a spare and also because a weld can fail, and the effect on annealing the shift fork is unknown. So right now I'm thinking about annealing the hardened steel rod the shift fork slides on, redrilling it for a roll pin 3/8ths in front of the present roll pin hole, and repositioning the shift fork that way. I need to think about this some more, but in the meantime if anybody has any suggestions please post them. I'm open to all suggestions.

[rrausch]

Here's the 1st/Rev shift fork that I ground down. If I had it to do over, I'd grind less on this one and more on the shift fork that comes in from the side of the case. Still, I think it will be OK--the gear collar makes contact around the I.D. of the curve somewhat and Bob won't be doing any hot-rodding.

[tbirdtbird]

Umm, when u click the attachment, u get:
"Invalid Attachment specified"

[rrausch]

Thanks tbird, I'll try again:

[rrausch]

Here's something interesting. The gear travel on the T86 is 1&5/8ths for the 1st/Rev gear and 1" for 2nd-3rd. Thankfully the distance between the detent grooves on the T-90 shaft are the same as can be seen in this picture:



To the left are two 2nd/3rd shift forks--on top is the T90 fork and on the bottom is the T86 fork. Right now drilling the T-90 shaft for another roll-pin, and moving the shift fork over doesn't look feasible--not enough room. So I'm considering some version of cutting the T-90 fork off and either rewelding it to the base of that fork, or cutting it off and welding the T-86 fork onto the T-90 base. I can't just cut the T-90 fork off and weld it onto the side of the base--it won't be positioned 3/8ths over as it needs to be. So I'll either have to provide something to build it up, or find some way to bend it or...?

Any suggestions? I'm temporarily stuck. I've only got one T90 shift fork, and I don't want to ruin it, and I'm not sure which way would be best--bending it, cutting it off and re-welding it or cutting it off and welding a T86 shift fork onto the T90 stub. Welding the T86 fork onto the T90 stub would move it over exactly 3/8ths, but that would also de-temper the piece.

And the more I look at it, re-drilling the shaft COULD work... maybe.
I just want to do this ONCE... if you know what I mean!

[tbirdtbird]

hmmmm, why didn't Gary Ash have this problem i wonder...i'm reading every word, my turn is coming... LOL

[rrausch]

Tbird, as I understand it Gary Ash found a different shifter that fit a little better.

I dropped off the T-90 shift fork and the T-86 shift fork at my welder's place this afternoon. Tomorrow I'll go back over and help position it for the weld. That's the way I decided to go.

[rrausch]

OK, got 'er done. Yesterday my welder buddy tacked the T86 fork that he had cut off onto the T90 fork base that had the horseshoe cut off it. I brought the tacked fork back home and did a test fit, and the fit was good. So back to the welding shop this morning to get it welded with Ni-Rod. Here's a picture of the completed shift fork:



Here's a closer picture showing the 3/8ths offset a little better:



From the other side:



I did a few test shifts, and it seems to shift fine. But the most important thing was that when both shifter forks were in the Neutral detents, the transmission was solidly in Neutral too. Once your Neutral position is established, if the 6 holes in the shifter are lined up with the 6 holes in the case, the trans WILL shift into all the gears correctly. Here she is, ready to install!

[tbirdtbird]

wow! so we are not worried about the temper of the forks?
i wish Gary would chime in here to tell us what top loader he used

[rrausch]

Well, I stopped worrying about the temper of the forks. They're cast steel, and look to me like they've been forged, but how much pressure are they under? How much wear are they subject to? I don't believe they're under heavy pressure--I can shift the synchro sleeve with just my fingers--it's very easy to shift it when the trans just sits there. (Is it very different at speed? Possibly, but the clutch will be pushed in.) Most of the wear, I'd think, would be in 3rd gear when you're going along 60 mph, but if there's plenty of lube in the trans, and if the fork isn't pressing against the sides of the groove in the synchro sleeve then there's about 20-30 thou or so of clearance on each side of that fork as it rides in the synchro sleeve groove. That's certainly enough to lube it, I think. I dunno... but my gut feeling is it will work just fine.

[rrausch]

I just wanted to add an explanation that maybe I didn't quite cover in the above.

The way I determined the fit of the shifter was to remove the 2nd/3rd shift fork from the shifter, and then position the 1st/Rev shift fork in Neutral using the middle detent in the shifter. Then I put the 2nd/3rd synchro sleeve in Neutral, and also put the 1st/Rev gear in Neutral, using the side shifter and it's middle detent. So everything in the trans is in Neutral, and the shifter, with 2nd/3rd fork removed, is also in Neutral. Then I placed the shifter on the trans, making sure the 1st/Rev fork went into the collar on the 1st/Rev gear. Then I took a look at how the 6 mounting holes in the shifter base were lining up with the 6 threaded holes in the case. They were spot on perfect. So to test it I stuck some bolts into those holes and tried to shift the trans into 1st and Rev. Worked perfectly.

Then I reversed the procedure. I removed the 1st/Rev shift fork from the shifter and installed the 2nd/3rd fork. Putting everything in the trans into Neutral I placed the shifter on the trans, making sure the 2nd/3rd fork was in the synchro sleeve. I checked the 6 holes and they were exactly 3/8ths off. So I knew I had to somehow make the 2nd/3rd fork fit, and after much deliberation that's when I took it to my welder to get cut and welded.