Been having some possible trans/U-joint noise at 55 in my '46 1/2 ton so I decided to bite the bullet today and pull apart the U-joint and also pull the inspection cover on my 4 speed trans. Don't know the trans model, but it's a WWII surplus unit I bought years ago in its original army crate. It's the no synchro unit.
Anyway, once I got the U-joint broken apart it looked good and was tight, so that didn't seem to be the culprit. I went ahead and pulled both yokes so I could really inspect them. In front of the front yoke riding on the tailshaft of the trans was this circular piece:
http://s456.photobucket.com/user/blastenpene/media/46%20Chev/IMG_0001_1.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0http://s456.photobucket.com/user/blastenpene/media/46%20Chev/IMG_0002_1.jpg.html?sort=3&o=1It was loose on the tailshaft and I could spin it with my hand. Initially I thought it might be some sort of spacer, but measurements showed it was not needed for that purpose. Frankly, it didn't seem to serve any purpose. No part number is on it and it's pretty crude - note the gap where the ring of metal meets. It's not a seal or bearing of any sort. It's not in the exploded view of the 4 speed in my shop manual. I swallowed hard and reassembled without it. Anybody know what it is? Didn't get to road test the truck after reassembly because of a big thunder storm, so I have no idea if this might have been part of the noise/vibration.
BTW, inspection of the 4-speed showed a near pristine set of gears after over 65,000 miles of use. That's one tough transmission!
