Shifter, Bellhousing, and Starter

I dropped off my flywheel at Vilas Motor Works at lunch today. I received a call from Rick about two hours later stating the work was done. Since they are in downtown Bryan, I’ll need to pick it up tomorrow. They only charged $26 for the work which is much better than the $65 Bryan Drivetrain quoted me.

I checked the contents of the transmission rebuild kit first. The kit contains the brass syncro rings, input shaft bearing, output shaft bearing, front and rear seals, needle bearings, thrust plates, and lock rings. The bearings are made in Japan by a company call Nachi. I’m not sure what to think of them or their quality but they look like the originals. The other oddity is the trust bearings as they are made of a plastic material instead of metal like the originals. I posted on a new website, StangFix.com, about these items to see if anyone has used them before.

Tonight I installed the clutch release lever, lever boot, and throw out bearing on the bellhousing. The bellhousing has a few small areas of discoloration from the grease buildup. However, the part has a great classic look to it and I would not think of painting it. The bellhousing is now ready to be reinstalled in the car.

I put two coats of the Krylon 1613 satin black. The starter is not original but looks almost identical to the original. The same style was used from 1966 to 1973. This particular starter has a D2 prefix to the part number. This is likely a rebuilt starter which was installed years ago. There is a small amount of a label left on the starter but it was too difficult to read. The starter cleaned up good and is also now ready to be reinstalled in the car. I would buy a new one but don’t want to pay over $150 to replace a functional part.

I rebuilt the shifter mechanism tonight, covered it which a light coat of primer, and then put two light coats of Plasti-Kote 282 Cast Aluminum paint on it. The color is not perfect but it looks much better than the slightly discolored bare metal. To ensure everything works well, I wet sanded where parts rubbed against one another with 400 grip paper. I also used a hammer and dolly to bend the shift lever retainer so there would be a tighter feel to the shifter. Finally, I then put some lubricant on all the parts so they would move much easier.

The only item I was not able to correct on the shifter with a retaining pin at the point where the shifter attaches. The pin hammered into place firmly. However, the U shaped piece around it wiggles on the pin slightly. I tried to heat the pin and mushroom the end slightly but had no luck. The pin must be made of very high strength metal. This is not a big issue but something I wish I was able to correct.

I checked the rest of my order before going to bed. The transmission mount is similar to the original except the mounting holes are oval to allow more movement to fit the transmission location. The throw out bearing is produced by National and is of good quality. It looks like all the parts I ordered are going to work out well.