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PackardV8
Commander Member
USA
1785 Posts |
 Posted - 03/25/2010 : 4:21:43 PM
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Greetings, SDCers,
I'm
re-doing my '55 E12 and installing a Packard V8 and a T85 overdrive
from a Stude truck. I wanted to use a Hurst shifter with it. As most of
you know, Hurst never made a good bracket for the T85 w/overdrive and
nothing at all for trucks. Some of the car installs I've seen, the
shifter rods look like pretzels and a bent rod is a weak link and give
a sloppy shift.
The adjustable car shifter bracket Hurst
provides also places the shifter so far to the left and back, it winds
up almost under the truck's seat and requires cutting part of the floor
and a long C-shaped shifter to curve around the seat.
Trying to
find some combination of parts which would work, I bought three used
Hurst shifters, one new Hurst shifter, one new B&M shifter and
rounded up the old Foxcraft and Mr. Gasket shifters off a couple of
'56Js. With seven shifters in hand, totaling $600, no combination of
parts would get the shifter where I wanted it.
I
decided to make my own bracket to get the shifter up forward and more
toward the center. When I am asked to do custom work, I charge $25 per
hour, hoping they will go away.
The first step was to pressure
wash, shot blast, re-wash and re-tap all the holes in the T85, shorten
the input shaft to Packard V8 length, rebuild the transmission and
paint it. This took two days, so there's $200 for the tranny, $400 for
labor and $150 for parts. We're in it $750.
First step in making
the shifter bracket was to spend a couple of hours moving the shifter
around and determining where is the best location and make a cardboard
pattern.
Then, use the pattern to cut a wooden bracket and trial fit the shifter. This took a full day. That's another $200.
Find
a piece of 1/4" steel plate, transfer the pattern, cut, drill, bend,
belt sand, test-fit, file and sand some more. The mid plate and the
overdrive housing are slightly in the way, so mill a notch to clear the
bracket. There went another day and another $200.
Naturally,
now all the shift rods are way too long, so make two short shift rods.
None of the good Hurst transmission shift arms would fit and the
universal shift arms have about ten holes in them and thus look
buffugly. Make two custom shift arms and install with nyloc nuts.
One
of the side cover bolts hits the shifter, so find a flat head machine
screw and countersink the bracket. The tailshaft bolt needs to be
longer, so a Packard V8 main cap bolt was used. The front two side
cover bolts need to be longer, so bottom tap all three holes and find
two longer bolts. There's another half-day, another $100.
It
is pretty much ready start fitting the hydraulic throwout bearing and
the custom pilot bearing. I'm going to have to raise my labor rates
again, this guy's in this old transmission install $2k and he keeps
coming back. 
thnx, jack vines
PackardV8 |
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Milaca
Commander Member
USA
2335 Posts |
Posted - 03/25/2010 : 4:45:03 PM
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I like the idea of a big Packard V8 in a Stude truck. Too bad that
Studebaker didnt offer these engines in 1955 and onward in the large
trucks as they would have offered more power than most of the
competitors gasoline truck engines. I guess Studebaker didnt think
truck sales were a priority at that time. 
A wild Red Hawk admiring it's reflection.
In the middle of Minnestudea |
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PackardV8
Commander Member
USA
1785 Posts |
Posted - 03/25/2010 : 5:39:44 PM
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That was the idea. Stude never got around to building a sport truck either, so I thought I'd do it for them.
thnx, jack vines
PackardV8 |
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sweetolbob
Commander Member
USA
1313 Posts |
Posted - 03/25/2010 : 6:37:52 PM
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Nice How-To Jack
While I expect the cost seems high, try to get a plumber over for $25/hr. Bet you'll have a tough time.
Shop rates were discussed on the HAMB a while back and I believe they were generally in the $50/hr range.
It looks like you have some room left to grow.
Nice post, thanks
Bob
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The $2K Transmission and Floor Shift Conversion
