It started off as an odd problem. My 1924 Ford Model T did not want to go into reverse. Low gear, high gear, and the transmission brake worked fine. If I put the car in neutral and tried to rock it back and forth, there was nothing I could feel that was stopping it from going backwards.

Then on Saturday, the T could not go into reverse at all. If I tried, it would just stall the engine. I tried to crank it over, but I found that it was now locked in high gear. It was a real head scratcher! After fiddling with it for a while, I got it to release. However, I wasn't about to try to start it or drive it. With the help of some friends, we pushed it onto a trailer and took it to the shop, and I got to work.

I knew that the problem was in the transmission. Fortunately, I was able to pull it without having to pull the engine (the transmission in a T is bolted directly to the crankshaft and both the engine and transmission share the same oil and oil pan) After a lot of work, I finally was able to get the transmission itself apart, and this is what I found!

This is the transmission brake drum. The hollow shaft is used only in low gear and reverse. High gear and the brake do not use it. That's why I wasn't having problems with them. There is a solid shaft that runs through it that is used for high gear.

It looks like it had been broken for a while and it was behaving as a one-way clutch. If it turned one direction (clockwise looking towards the rear of the car as in low gear), it would tighten up and have no issues. However, in reverse, it would cause it to twist apart and press against the bushing that rides on the outside of that shaft, locking the transmission and stalling the car.

Unfortunately, it can't really be welded since it is made of ductile iron. However, I had a good drum lying around. I pulled an all-nighter overhauling the transmission, checking everything for wear, cracks, and alignment, and installing a few new bushings. Fortunately, everything else was in pretty decent shape.

I also found that a triple gear was spinning on its bushing, which is bad, and I didn't have a replacement. Then, I caught the glimpse of bronze lying in a pile of scrap in the shop. It was a triple gear bushing! It was worn, but not more so than the other two in the transmission. I pressed into the gear and the problem was solved! In the morning, the transmission went back in, and several hours later the T was finally fully assembled and ready for a test drive.

What a difference! Not only did reverse work perfectly, low gear also behaved better and all the bands seem to engage much more smoothly. I'm so thrilled that the repair went better than I could have hoped for!

So the total amount of time, from the breakdown to the disassembly, the overhaul, the reassembly, and finally the successful test drive, was just shy of 24 hours!