Making a T18 top end nice and tight: canes and top covers.

[robroy]

Good morning!

After having my T18 rebuilt, the builder and I noticed that the shift cane still had some noticeable play, especially while in neutral. Instead of sliding only to the left and right, it also twisted significantly. It felt pretty loose.

The builder assured me that he'd replaced the worn forks, and that the play was caused by wear in the shift cane itself (and probably also in the T18 case where the "ball" on the shift cane rides, although that's not as easy to address as the cane).

I ordered a new shift cane from Novak. It came straight (not bent), as expected, so I hired Glen at Valley Fabrication in Salinas, California to bend it to match my original. Glen had a machine that did a cold bend--he didn't heat it! And it came out beautiful. His charge for this was $15.

Here's my old cane and the new one. As you can see, the new cane is a little longer! I did a test fit and it'll still work, although it's a little clownish looking (not that I mind "clownish" at all).



I suspect that most of the play was caused by a worn out slot in the "ball" on the old cane. The pin that pokes in to that slot fit very loosely in there (tons of play). In this photo, the old cane's on the left. This said, the pin fits VERY tightly in the slot on the new cane's "ball." It actually fits TOO tightly, I think (more on this later).



The ends of the canes didn't seem all that different, although I could see some wear on the old cane in this area.



And the canes have different threads on them, meaning I'll need a new shifter knob (no big deal). The new cane has a 3/8 24 tpi thread on it.



Here's the pin that keeps the cane from twisting in the top of the transmission.



And here's the pin partially inserted in to the top plate. The pin fits pretty well in the hole in the top plate. There's a tiny amount of play, but I doubt it added much to the significant play I felt in the cane when mated to the transmission.



Here are my specific questions:

1. The pin doesn't really fit the slot on the new cane--it's too tight. Should I lube it up and tap it in, or should I slightly enlarge the slot on the new cane with a file? I think it would tap in with a little effort, but I'm not sure if it should really be THAT tight in there! It would probably make it hard to lift the cane out!
2. Should the ball be coated with a film of white lithium grease before being re-assembled, or should it be left "dry?"
3. What's the official name of that type of pin? Notice that the ends are rounded like a hot dog. Are those pins commonly available, if I wanted a new one for any reason? And where would I find one of those? If I could buy one slightly fatter, to make up for the slight play in the top plate, I would.
4. Does anybody know of a great place to find shifter knobs for a 3/8", 24 tpi thread?

Thanks very much for the truly excellent words of wisdom!
Robroy

[kaptnkaos]

Hey Robroy...

Yeah, just tap that sucker in there. The ones on my NP425 fit so tight that I broke that top collar of trying to get the pins out.
On an NP435, there is a pin on each side, after those are drifted in, they must have a machine that pinches the pin, because the pin has an indention in the center on both ends and it is pinched to the point of flaring both ends do the pin won't come out.
I bought an np435 for my '68 that was supposed to have been rebuilt with very low miles on it. The pisn were too long so my shifter wouldn't fit I wanted to use my shifter, I didn't like the way the other one was bent. The pins come out of the replacement tranny easy... but on my original the pins were shorter and more flared and were a reall bugger to get out... that's how it got broke. After getting them out I had to use a grinder to get them round enough to be driven into the pin holes. It all worked out just fine.

KaptnKA S

[70_F100]

Robroy, it looks like you've got SIGNIFICANT wear in the ball socket in the top cover, based on the picture. It may be okay when you get everything assembled, but if you still have slop, that's going to be the most likely culprit.

As for the tight fit of the pin, I don't think I'd try to force anything, especially with the aluminum housing. It wouldn't take much to deform the hole in the shift tower. I'd be more inclined to take the pin and the shifter to a good machine shop and have them remove a little metal in the slot.

The pin is specific to the application. You should be able to pick up a new one from your local Ford dealer or a good transmission shop. It's not something your local hardware store would have.

If the pin fits loosely in the hole in the cover, again, it looks like you have significant wear in the cover. If you're looking for correct fit, find a replacement. With what you've spent on this truck up to now, that won't be a huge investment.

A shifter knob for a 3/8-24 thread should be really easy to find. You've actually got an almost infinite number of aftermarket knobs to choose from, along with a sizeable number of OEM's. The problem you may run into is finding one with the correct shift pattern.

A good machine shop should be able to cut the new shifter to the correct length, cut down the diameter of the top and then rethread it to the original thread.

As for lubing the ball, don't worry about it. As soon as you get up to about 10 mph, you'll have enough lube slinging up to it to get it good and lubricated. Of course, if you want to lube it, just pour a little 90W in the hole. In fact, if you don't have a good pump for filling the tranny, just pull the fill plug so you can tell when it's full, and pour the lube down through the top. That way, you know for sure that it's lubed up from top-to-bottom.

[fordman]

with that long of a shifter handle you need to put a hugh skull knob on it. so it will be seen in the windshield when your driving.

[robroy]

Hey KaptnKA S, 70_F100, and Fordman, thanks for replying!

Yeah, just tap that sucker in there. The ones on my NP425 fit so tight that I broke that top collar of trying to get the pins out.

Welp, it's good to know that tapping them in is an option, but I'm definitely trying to avoid the situation where I break the top collar at some point down the road. In my case, the pin would have to be tapped pretty hard to go in there. Maybe smashed in would be more accurate than "tapped," even!

Robroy, it looks like you've got SIGNIFICANT wear in the ball socket in the top cover, based on the picture. It may be okay when you get everything assembled, but if you still have slop, that's going to be the most likely culprit.

OK, thanks for pointing this out! The transmission repair man said the same thing. He looked for a new top plate but couldn't find one--he said that I'd have to try a wrecking yard for one, and my chances of finding one in better shape were less than sure. So I just thought I'd try it as-is before going down that road.

Do you happen to know of a place that sells new top plates for T18-1E's?

As for the tight fit of the pin, I don't think I'd try to force anything, especially with the aluminum housing. It wouldn't take much to deform the hole in the shift tower. I'd be more inclined to take the pin and the shifter to a good machine shop and have them remove a little metal in the slot.

OK! You know, I think the T18-1E has a cast iron housing, not aluminum. I could be wrong about this, but I'm pretty sure it's cast iron. When installing the T18, I accidentally scraped the cone on the top plate against a lip on the cab, and it didn't leave a mark at all. It seems to be made out of harder stuff than aluminum.

I think your advice is great though. I took the cane back to Valley Fabrication in Salinas, California today and the guy checked it out. He advised to simply file away a little metal there. He took out a flat file and did some work on it, and got it almost to the point where the pin would freely slip in. I might file it down slightly more. Thanks for your advice on this!

The pin is specific to the application. You should be able to pick up a new one from your local Ford dealer or a good transmission shop. It's not something your local hardware store would have.

Oh, OK. Good to know, thanks.

If the pin fits loosely in the hole in the cover, again, it looks like you have significant wear in the cover. If you're looking for correct fit, find a replacement. With what you've spent on this truck up to now, that won't be a huge investment.

Yeah you're probably right! But I haven't been able to find that part. Neither the transmission builder nor Ken at Novak Conversions have been able to find it.

A shifter knob for a 3/8-24 thread should be really easy to find. You've actually got an almost infinite number of aftermarket knobs to choose from, along with a sizeable number of OEM's. The problem you may run into is finding one with the correct shift pattern.

Great! Yeah I know what you mean about the shift pattern. I think it's OK to ditch the shift pattern completely though, so I'm looking at all the options. Maybe even a plain white ball that I could paint something funny on.

A good machine shop should be able to cut the new shifter to the correct length, cut down the diameter of the top and then rethread it to the original thread.

Valley Fabrication offered to do this for me, but I wasn't feeling eager to spend much more cash on it, and it seemed like it would work OK as-is.

As for lubing the ball, don't worry about it. As soon as you get up to about 10 mph, you'll have enough lube slinging up to it to get it good and lubricated. Of course, if you want to lube it, just pour a little 90W in the hole. In fact, if you don't have a good pump for filling the tranny, just pull the fill plug so you can tell when it's full, and pour the lube down through the top. That way, you know for sure that it's lubed up from top-to-bottom.

OK thanks! I actually added the fresh lube that way--through the top hole.

with that long of a shifter handle you need to put a hugh skull knob on it. so it will be seen in the windshield when your driving.

Man. Although that image would be right at home here in Salinas, California, it's not quite what I'm shooting for. I'm afraid that it might turn out that way though!

Thanks again for the great replies!
Robroy

[robroy]

After carefully using a file in the slot on the cane ball, I managed to slip the pin in and got the new shifter installed!

Good news: it significantly reduced the amount of twisting the shifter did when moving right and left in neutral. The bad news is that there's still plenty of play to the right and left while in any particular gear.

So it looks like I'd need a new top plate to really bring the feel of the transmission back to factory spec.

Does anybody happen to know where top plates may be had for these old transmissions? I'll look around a little bit, but I may just call it good enough for now. I'd like to drive this thing some day, after all!

Thanks very much for the superb replies!
Robroy

[robroy]

Much to my surprise, a simple Google search seems to have yielded a place that has T18 top covers!!!

http://www.gearwizzard.com/productdetai ... kuID_E_326


They don't list a price.

I'll call them in the morning and see what the deal is.

I'm kind of afraid to crack the top plate off though! Does anybody know how perilous it is to replace this top cover?

Robroy

[70_F100]

Piece of cake.

Just align the shifter forks with their respective grooves.

[fordman]

just the clutch forks and rods that they ride on. when you pull it out dotn let any of the gears move from their position if you can help it. that way when the forks go back in they will drop right back into place and there shouldnt be any hangups the gears or shifting.

[robroy]

Thanks for replying 70_F100 and Fordman!

Piece of cake.

Just align the shifter forks with their respective grooves.

OK, that sounds fairly easy.

just the clutch forks and rods that they ride on. when you pull it out dotn let any of the gears move from their position if you can help it. that way when the forks go back in they will drop right back into place and there shouldnt be any hangups the gears or shifting.

Alright! So the gears would only move if the driveshaft or engine moved, right? As long as I keep those things still I shouldn't have any problems, don't you think?

I've never had that area apart before and I'm a little afraid that a million steel needles and clips will go springing in every direction.

So, are the forks hanging from the bottom of that plate? If so, I'd need to transfer them from my old plate to the new one, right? How about those three hot dogs that run parallel to the truck through the top plate (I think these may be called shift gates)--do these need to be swapped over also?

Thanks very much 70_F100 and Fordman!
Robroy

[fordman]

i forgot to post the link i got out for you. http://www.fordification.com/images/schematics/T18.jpg

[fordman]

they coudl move if you jerked arouind alot gettign it out. and the forks moved the gears. thats all i was thinking.

[robroy]

Hey Fordman thanks for your replies!

I think the technical schematic does more to scare me than help me at this point, although that will probably change once I dig in to it!

I ordered a brand new top cover from Gear Wizzards in South Holland, Illinois. It's a cast iron cover that they make in-house, and it's 100% USA made. They had one in stock, already made up. The price? $250. May sound like a lot, but it will make the transmission shift significantly more tightly and feel way better! So I'm happy with it.

The guy I talked to asked why I was replacing the top cover, and I told him about the wear in that socket at the top. I asked if that was a typically wear point, and he said that yes, that's the main reason folks replace the top covers! So I think I'm on the right track.

I'll post detailed photos of the new top cover and the installation procedure!

Thanks very much for the superb advice!
Robroy

[FLATBEDFORD]

At $250, I'll deal with the slop You are doing quite a job on this truck.

[robroy]

Hey Steve! Thanks!

Yeah $250 does seem significant by itself, but considering the amount I've spent on this whole engine+transmission+driveline combo, an extra $250 to make the shifting action feel like new doesn't bother me. I don't mind investing cash to improve the way the things feel that I have my hands on every time I drive it!

I'll post detailed photos of the top plate swap process, although the diagram of how it goes together (with all those shafts and balls and clips and springs) is daunting to me at the moment!

Robroy