Restoring GPW 14518

[17thAirborne]

Starting on the Transfer Case while I await a few things. Here is the disassembly extract from the TM:

TM 9-18038
RA PD 21657

12. DISASSEMBLY.
a. Remove Brake Band and Drum Assembly (fig. 28). Remove the two anchor screws from the brake band. Remove the brake band
adjusting nut and adjusting screw. Remove the clevis pin from the hand brake linkage. Remove the brake band assembly. Remove the castellated nut that secures the universal joint flange to the output shaft. Install puller 41-P-2912 on the universal joint flange and remove the flange and brake drum (fig. 18).
b. Remove Rear Output Shaft Bearing Cap (fig.26) Remove the four cap screws that secure the rear output shaft bearing cap to
transfer case housing. Remove the rear output shaft bearing cap. Remove the rear bearing cap shims, Remove the speedometer drive gear from the output shaft.
c. Remove Intermadiate Gear and Bottom Cover (figs. 25 and 27). Remove the 10 cap screws that secure the bottom cover to the
transfer case and remove the bottom cover. Remove the cap screw that secures the lock plate. Remove the lock plate. With a suitable driver, remove the intermediate gear shaft. Remove the intermediate gear, thrust washers, and roller bearings through the bottom of the transfer case.
d. Remove Shifter Shaft and Front Output Shaft Bearing (fig. 29). Shift front axle drive to the engaged position. Remove the
poppet plug, spring, and ball on both sides of the output shaft bearing cap. Remove the five cap screws that secure the front output shaft bearing cap to the transfer case. Remove the front output shaft bearing cap as an assembly with the universal joint flange, clutch shaft, bearing, clutch gear, shifter fork, and shifter rod. Be careful not to lose the interlock in the front bearing cap.
e. Remove Output Shaft (fig. 19). Insert a screwdriver between the snap ring and output shaft bearing and pry the output shaft bearing away from the snap ring. Remove the snap ring from the groove in the output shaft. Pull the output shaft out from the rear of the housing. The output shaft bearing, snap ring thrust washer, output shaft sliding gear, and output shaft gear can now be removed through the bottom of the transfer case.
f. Disassemble Front Output Shaft Bearing Cap (fig. 21). Remove the set screw that secures the shifter fork to the front wheel drive shaft. Slide the shifter fork out of the shifter fork. Remove the shifter fork and clutch gear from the bearing cap. Remove the snap ring that secures the output shaft bearing and remove the output shaft bearing from the bearing cup.

Here are the associated images in the order called for in the TM

[17thAirborne]

a. Remove Brake Band and Drum Assembly (fig. 28). Remove the two anchor screws from the brake band. Remove the brake band
adjusting nut and adjusting screw. Remove the clevis pin from the hand brake linkage. Remove the brake band assembly. Remove the castellated nut that secures the universal joint flange to the output shaft. Install puller 41-P-2912 on the universal joint flange and remove the flange and brake drum (fig. 18).

OZ: It was hard to get the puller feet under the flange on both sides. It eventually worked this way. The oil slinger/dirt shield (part not listed in TM) that is between the drum and the oil seal was on very tightly. Note the heavy use of silicone to seal the splines. The flange shaft is HEAVILY grooved from dirt. I'll replace this as I don't want to use a speedy sleeve.

[17thAirborne]

TM:

b. Remove Rear Output Shaft Bearing Cap (fig.26) Remove the four cap screws that secure the rear output shaft bearing cap to
transfer case housing. Remove the rear output shaft bearing cap. Remove the rear bearing cap shims, Remove the speedometer drive gear from the output shaft.

OZ: I had one more hand brake part that needed to be removed, so I took the hand brake cam off. It has a nice F marked bolt. off. This GPW came with no other HB parts. Four Bearing cap bolts came off very nicely revealing three shims. A very simple step this was.

7782-A 1ea 0.003"
7782-C 2ea 0.031"

[17thAirborne]

TM:

c. Remove Intermediate Gear and Bottom Cover (figs. 25 and 27). Remove the 10 cap screws that secure the bottom cover to the
transfer case and remove the bottom cover. Remove the cap screw that secures the lock plate. Remove the lock plate. With a suitable driver, remove the intermediate gear shaft. Remove the intermediate gear, thrust washers, and roller bearings through the bottom of the transfer case.

OZ:

The bottom cover 7708 came off nicely. It was pleasing to see 10 Ford marked screws 20326-S7 5/16-18 x 5/8" hex head bolts and associated washers 34806-S2.

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The gears look solid with no corrosion or pitting on preliminary review.

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I removed the shaft lock. It looks like this is not an original part, but The bolt is F Marked also. The shaft was easy to remove with a brass drift, driving front to rear.

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I removed the gear and found a nice f-script on the gear inside face. It looks reusable, but I have to mic the inside and length to see.

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Here is an image of the two thrust washers part 7744

[17thAirborne]

TM:

d. Remove Shifter Shaft and Front Output Shaft Bearing (fig. 29). Shift front axle drive to the engaged position. Remove the
poppet plug, spring, and ball on both sides of the output shaft bearing cap. Remove the five cap screws that secure the front output shaft bearing cap to the transfer case. Remove the front output shaft bearing cap as an assembly with the universal joint flange, clutch shaft, bearing, clutch gear, shifter fork, and shifter rod. Be careful not to lose the interlock in the front bearing cap.

OZ:

The left shifter (Front Axle Drive), when viwed from the driver's position, should be put in the aft position as shown in TM 9-803. The poppet springs come out with a pick, and tilting the transfer case side to side will allow the balls to roll out. THe interlock is gooed in, so I pushed it out after dissasembly.

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I had already loosened the shaft nut and removed the flange. it is heavily grooved like the rear flange so it will need to be replaced. The five bearing cap hex nut screws come out fairly easily. They were not F marked, but tapped for safety wire with two holes. The two pieces needed a bit of coaxing to remove, and the front axle shifter shaft 7787 did not want to come all the way out. it hung up a bit in the cap and I had to use a drift to "coax" it out. I suspect the end was damaged and would not pass through the inner recess. Not a big problem.

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The fork 7711 and the Transfer Case Gear Clutch 7762 are also nicely F marked.

I took the opportunity to remove the breather vent shaft, cover 7754 and the shifters 7710, 7793, and the lever springs 7799

[17thAirborne]

TM:

e. Remove Output Shaft (fig. 19). Insert a screwdriver between the snap ring and output shaft bearing and pry the output shaft bearing away from the snap ring. Remove the snap ring from the groove in the output shaft. Pull the output shaft out from the rear of the housing. The output shaft bearing, snap ring thrust washer, output shaft sliding gear, and output shaft gear can now be removed through the bottom of the transfer case.

OZ:

I could not move the rear bearing out of the way to get at the snap ring. I used a block of wood to gently drive the shaft forward. This allowed me to see "what was going on in there" Once I had some room I was able to see what the TM was referencing. Figure 19 actually shows it well. I was cursing the Snap Ring so much I did not take a picture. It took a prybar to move the bearing aft so I could actually get two screwdrivers in there to move it over the shaft. Its not too stiff, just difficult to get a hold of. Two screwdrivers and snap ring pliers did the job, and don't forget to hold your tongue in the right place on the inside of your mouth. If you use a lot of foul language it helps you to feel better!

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There is light at the end of the rainbow, nice F marked parts.

[17thAirborne]

Slow progress lately. I have finished the initial cleaning of the transfer case.

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I am amazed at the "quality" of work done by other restorers. Poor guy who previously paid for a frame off was taken to the cleaners. The transfer case and transmission were most likely simply painted in situ without any work being done to them. Notice the paint on the case. There is silver in the lower corner. This was found over a heavy coating of grease and dirt that was painted OD. The case was never cleaned or probably never taken apart. It was simply painted over. A bit of cleaning and light wire brushing revealed the original case metal hue, the original OD (I'm assuming that's original paint) and the "restoration" color used as a final grease covering. I am glad I am making the effort to take everything back to the original state, and decide how to proceed from there. Besides, it's a really satisfying process.

[17thAirborne]

Once I finish the cleaning and priming, I can use this case to properly assemble the transmission and obtain the correct play with the blocking rings.

[17thAirborne]

I have been busy with events and family, so my progress ahs been slow. I wire wheeled the transfer case, cleaned it and oven baked it on the outdoor grill to cook off the moisture and any oil that remained. After a dry cleaning, I masked the machined surfaces and the bearing surfaces and primed inside and out. Now I can return to the transmission fitting after obtaining a few parts.

[17thAirborne]

Im not happy with my machined surfaces. I got a bit too aggressive with the wire wheel. I think I should not have
wheeled" at an angle, as I probably caught the edges of the harder metal wheel rather than the bristles.

[Raflad]

Great thread, please keep them coming!

[17thAirborne]

Thanks Adam. Will post every time I have progress. Keeps me honest!

[17thAirborne]

It was recommended to me by an experienced G503 rebuilder to replace the front and rear WW2 style bearings with Koyo or Nachi sealed bearings. I live "in the sticks" and was not able to locate them without shipping or waiting (sux when yer impatient) so the local bearing shop recommended ORS brand of bearings. Here they are.

As mentioned in many threads on the G regarding the Front Bearing Retainer Snap ring, they are thinner. This one measures 0.066" whereas the original is 0.077" I will use the original ring for my application, of course verifying that it will fit in the retaining ring groove. I've included the cost on the invoice below.

[17thAirborne]

On the advice of my friend from the G, I am going to completely assemble the transmission to the transfer case so that I can assess the "sloop" between the blocking rings and make sure they are free to rotate on the cones without binding and that the slop on the front bearing ring and the rear ring is nearly the same. I am using all of the components, spacers, rings, and gaskets to leave no measurement to chance.

I tried out my vintage snap ring pliers. I ended up making the grooved surfaces a bit deeper to 'catch" the tips of the rings.

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For confirmation I measured the thickness of the original snap ring at 0.077" I originally installed the bearing on backwards, with the narrow shoulder to the rear. I got to hone my snap ring removal skills by taking the large and small ring off...again... to correct my error.

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Here you see the correct orientation.

[17thAirborne]

I took the wwii rear main shaft bearing bearing and honed the inner race so that it slips onto the main shaft to make the trial and error fitting easier. I then assembled everything for the test fitting. Here is the front bearing retainer going in. I am using the original bolts, but will replace with new grade 8 bolts for final assembly. I am also using the new gasket set to make sure everything is included in the measurements.

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Here is the transfer case mated to the transmission

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I also added the Main Shaft Transfer Case Gear 7722 attached and torqued it down.