Reverser box

cjmlarson

Mega Poster
WMSTR Lifetime Member
As much fun as it was hooking the V8 Cat up to the prony brake and running it, it was a little to hectic trying to get hooked up. So Brian Krog found me a gear box that will reverse the direction of the clutch direction. PTO direction is opposite engine direction. The bell housings are a little different due to the Cat bell housing has a pony motor bendix incorporated in it. So in keeping it as close to factory looking as I can, this is quite a fun and involved project!!!!!!

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This is the bell housing off of the gear box.

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You will see the Cat bell housing has the pony motor bendix provision on it.

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This is the gear housing that I have to get coupled up to. This is where it gets interesting.IMG_20170129_110200390.webp

I needed to get a adapter plate turned that will go between the Cat bell housing and the gear box so these items could be bolted up together. This has taken me quite a while, my lathe is a 1918 and is at its max radius with this plate and I do not have a lot of horse power. ( trying to be a machinist)IMG_20170204_180430224_HDR.webp

The plate now looks like it should for it to copy the old bell housing. Just need to use a mill to cut the oil drain back groove from the seal area.IMG_20170204_180406199_HDR.webp

Did not get the picture of the plate on the other side that has a machined surface that centers it into the bore of the Cat bell housing.
 
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This is the new plate on the gear box. Just need to drill the holes for the mounting bolts.
 
These are the two clutch shafts. The top one is the original and the bottom one is the Cat shaft. Beings they are different I need to make a complete new one. Which means I need to make one that is the same on the gear box end and then make it so it is the same on the Cat clutch end.IMG_20161009_113904107.webp


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Here I started with a 5 inch shaft. Most of it will be machined off but the largest area was 4 and 7/8 inch.

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Here the gear box end is roughed in. Just need to put the finishing touches on it for Threads, bearing, seal, and gear surfaces, along with key ways.IMG_20170122_120359784.webp
A picture of the working end of the old lathe.
 
Hi Clayton,

Thanks for showing all the steps on this project. I don't remember what speed the engine runs. Will we be able to connect to the 1000 rpm shaft on the Red Brake?

Later,
Jerry Christiansen
 
Awesome work Clayton! Cannot wait to see it in operation!

I know you know people that could do this for you, and probably give you a pretty good deal on it! The fact that you are using your own "old" lathe and your acquired skill make the project that much more impressive, at least to me. I am sure you will have much more pride in it doing this all yourself too! Very rewarding! :congrats:
 
Yet another interesting C.L. project. What caught my eye though were the shots of the "old" lathe & then I saw it is a 1918 & got even more interested. My winter project has been a full restoration of a 1919 South Bend 15" lathe (8 foot bed) so every part I saw in a picture was familiar. It looks like you're making it work. I would love to see you make that hybrid clutch shaft-challenging but fun. What's the serial number on your lathe (right end-front rail)? Mine is 20900. I hope to return it to line shaft drive & leave off the home made electric motor to driver cone pulley which isn't nearly as nice as your gear box setup. Keep up the good work. -John
 
John, 17676, I had a gear strip out on the travel portion of the whatchamacallit !!!!!!!!! oh did I tell you I am a machinist:Shrugs:. But Gary at Larson welding brazed it up and then Roger Meyers helped me machine it back to or close to original. I made many phone calls and there is no parts and no manuals left. I did acquire a build sheet for it but that got me nothing. Grizzly now has control of the old portion of South Bend.
 
On to the next step, positioned the plate so I could transfer the hole locations on to the new plate. Then drilled and prayed that it would line up to the hole locations on the gear box.

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Turned out pretty good for free handing it:)
 
Next step is to machine the Cat bell housing to except the new adapter plate. So I took it over to Roger M. shop and he helped me set up the mill to get this done. I do not know anybody else that would take a perfectly good housing and start to do this. I told Roger I have one shot at this and I better get it right :praying:.

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Here I have started to machine the housing. When I finish, it was go back home and start the next step.

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Finished and now on to transferring the holes to the flywheel housing.

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The level is nothing more than a straight edge here. So I squared the plate up to the clutch shaft and the Bendix shaft. This is so the gear box sits level once it is bolted up to the housing. Once again lets get it right I have one shot at this, I am sure I would not find another flywheel housing:praying:IMG_20170212_124549072.webp
No turning back now.

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Once I had two holes drilled I bolted it together so nothing would move, then drilled the rest. I put a couple of alignment bolts in the gear housing and it is time to try putting it together.

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:bannana: So far so good and all the bolts went in to the gear housing. Went so well I quit for the day, don't want to push my luck.
 
I guess I should clarify why this was necessary, The adapter plat holds the seal for the gear housing and the bolt patterns were different.
 
Good one Mark, this is why it is important to know people with the proper tooling to get this done. I will be working on the finishing touches on the clutch shaft on the gear box end this week hopefully. Once that is complete it will be to fab up the clutch end of the shaft. That end for sure will require Roger's expertise on the machining part.
 
Took the clutch shaft to Roger's to have the threads cut in for the retaining nut on end of shaft. Gone to well to try that on my lathe and screw this project up.IMG_20170217_164530369.webp

Then it was to go back home and assemble enough to get the other end measurements for the clutch shaft.IMG_20170218_104947123.webp

Here is the look inside of gear box where the adapter plate bore is. That is where the seal will go.IMG_20170218_105514240.webp

Then I put the shaft in so I could measure for the length of the Cat end of the shaft.IMG_20170218_110411969.webp

Went down to the engine and measured the depth from the bell housing surface to the pilot bearing bore, and now I will have to take the shaft out and remove the bearing and gear. Then cut the shaft off to length and then put into the lathe again to find the center of it again. Then I will be able to use the live center again.


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You are correct Mark, the next part with the shaft having a taper to it has a one time and done. I have already cut the shaft to length and now to find time to machine it.:praying: all goes well.
 
Due to the fact I do not have a compound ability on my lathe, I took the shaft over to Roger M.

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Here we are just getting started on the clutch end of the shaft.

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Here we have cut the threads on the end of the shaft and started on the steps to put the taper on it. We put the old Cat clutch shaft in the lathe and set the compound to the correct angle for the taper on the clutch hub area of the shaft.

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Here we have just started to cut the taper on the shaft. No CNC stuff here, all pencil and arithmetic and doing it the so called old fashion way.
 
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