Transmission / Overdrive: T86E 1A Help needed

[rrausch]

Here's the situation: I've got a T86E-1A 3-speed O.D. trans I'm trying to rebuild for my buddy Bob's '49 Studey pickup project. The 1st/Rev slider gear in this trans has a broken tooth and the countershaft cluster has a mangled tooth on the corresponding gear that it meshes. So the plan was to replace them in the rebuild.

So I bought from an extremely reputable Stude mechanic another T86E-1 trans (non-OD) with the idea of taking the sliding gear and countershaft cluster from it and putting in in the O.D. trans. So I disassemble the O.D. trans and remove the sliding gear and pull the countershaft cluster. I open up the donor 3-speed non-OD trans and find out the 1st/Rev sliding gear has STRAIGHT inside grooves, while the OD trans has SPIRAL inside grooves. (Ai Yi Yi!!)

Any ideas on where I could find a 1st/rev slider gear with SPIRAL inside grooves? I'm trying to get this together for my buddy Bob as a present. I've known him since the 1st Grade and we've been buddies for many, many years.

[r1lark]

Robert,

A T90 trans used in trucks and taxis had the straight cut 1st/reverse slider. (In a lot of years, the T86 and T90 used the same p/n case, which had the T86E cast into it.)

The passenger car T86 trannys used the non-straight cut slider. You need to find the 1st/reverse slider from a passenger car. But.........the clusters do not interchange between the T90 and T86, so it sounds like you will need a passenger car cluster also.

[rrausch]

Thanks so much Paul. After I posted that I examined everything again and realized the cluster on the O.D. trans uses helical gears while the non-O.D. trans uses spur gears. And actually the O.D countershaft cluster isn't too badly damaged--I think with a little stone dressing on one tooth I can make it acceptable. It doesn't look cracked, just mangled on that leading end. Bob is a careful driver--definitely not a hot-rodder, so I hope we'll be ok using the existing cluster. Of course if I could get a replacement for a reasonable price I'd certainly do so. Any ideas? Anybody got one laying around their shop?

[wdills]

I had the same damage in mine. I bought my cluster and slider from www.aagears.com a year or two ago. They are located in LA. I worked with a guy named George. They only have used parts but the ones I got were in great shape. George even took the time to send me photos of the parts before I bought them so I could feel fairly confident that I was getting the correct parts.

[rrausch]

Thanks Wdills. I sent him an email. How much did he charge you if you don't mind my asking?

[Alan]

AA Gear 1402 E. Washington Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90021 (888)748-2194 Outside of California. George is the owner. All he does is take apart old transmissions. Prices change by the day. Best to call and talk to him in person. Some parts he has given me, no charge. He has been so good over the years that when I have an old junk tranny I will drop it off when I drive by.