Thanks Grigg.
I've never driven one that old.
Now a Crash Box to me is one that you can shift with no clutch (like on my Wrecker Boom). That wouldn't be true with those Pre-48's too, would it?
It is possible to shift these without the clutch. I find that because of the way the sliding gears move over a relatively long distance in the main transmission, its easy to start loading up the gears before you get them completely slid into gear. That runs the risk of breaking something. The Spicer has dog clutches in it and the shape and distance those have to move lends to them being able to slip all the way into the engaged position quicker. The Spicer shifts pretty similar to many relatively modern over the road truck transmissions.
I tend to use the clutch on this truck most of the time. The clutch pedal effort is pretty light. I haven't grown one leg bigger than the other. Easier on the driveline and transmissions, and I can replace a clutch with a trip to the parts house. The transmissions get to be a bit more interesting to source usable repair or rebuild parts.
