BUSY BOLTERS Are you one?  The Shop Area
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Jul 21st, 2025 | | | | Joined: Oct 2017 Posts: 66 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Oct 2017 Posts: 66 | Watson's are a bit of an obsession for me. Since I repaired my first when I was 13. To today. I have various ones installed in my trucks. From the 2021. The 39 series. And all the 40 series. I have a large collection of these. In use and just sitting. Plus parts. Love to talk about them. | | | | | Joined: Oct 2017 Posts: 66 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Oct 2017 Posts: 66 | So back in about 1984 I stumbled across a Watson 39m1. Bolted to a sm420 in a 55 gmc 350. Was pretty neat. I pulled the setup and put it in a 1960 gmc k1500. Moved the t case back 3 inches. And put a short couple shaft in. That was about as nice as it gets in a 60-66 4x4. I had a 4 and 3. Later I put a chevy ho52 with 4.56. And a no spin in. Added winches up front and rear. All pto driven. And I hauled firewood. I have never found another Watson 39m1 mount to a 420 since. I sold that beast in 1990. It was parted out up in Idaho 10 years later... I wish I had that stuff. | | | | | Joined: Oct 2017 Posts: 66 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Oct 2017 Posts: 66 | Another little observation. Most of the Watson. 39m1. Series use the same pto as a 420 trans. This is less so on the 40 series. But it's nice to run a pto winch off the brownie. Gives you lots of speeds.
Last edited by Truckfarm72; 03/28/2018 12:36 AM. Reason: Spelling
| | | | | Joined: Nov 2017 Posts: 82 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Nov 2017 Posts: 82 | what exactly are "Watson's"???
| | | | | Joined: Nov 2017 Posts: 82 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Nov 2017 Posts: 82 | I like baked goods... you have brownies??? | | | | | Joined: Jun 2011 Posts: 5,096 Crusing in the Passing Lane | | Crusing in the Passing Lane Joined: Jun 2011 Posts: 5,096 | Google:
Watson overdrives;
Brown Lipe overdrive.
Ed
Last edited by EdPruss; 03/31/2018 4:27 AM.
'37 GMC T-18 w/ DD 4-53T, RTO-610, 6231 aux., '95 GMC running gear, full disc brakes, power steering, 22.5 wheels and tires.
'47 GMC 1 ton w/ 302, NP-540, 4wd, full width Blazer front axle.
'54 GMC 630 w/ 503 gasser, 5 speed, ex fire truck, shortened WB 4', install 8' bed.
'55 GMC 370 w/270, 420 4 speed, grain, dump bed truck from ND. Works OK.
| | | | | Joined: Nov 2017 Posts: 82 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Nov 2017 Posts: 82 | thank you for the clarification . | | | | | Joined: Oct 2017 Posts: 66 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Oct 2017 Posts: 66 | Lol. Watson's are small 2-3 speed auxiliary transmissions. They usually have overdrive. And are used in 3/4 ton to 2.5 ton trucks mostly. | | | | | Joined: Nov 2000 Posts: 1,927 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Nov 2000 Posts: 1,927 | I had heard of Brown-Lipe aux transmissions before but not Watson.
Professional Novice
| | | | | Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 29,262 Bubba - Curmudgeon | | Bubba - Curmudgeon Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 29,262 | I know nothing about that type of overdrive transmission, but apparently "Watson Transmission" "Spicer" "Brown-Lipe" "Model M45" are all descriptors for a single type of transmission: 4btswaps.comAnd, here on Stovebolt.com | | | | | Joined: Oct 2017 Posts: 66 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Oct 2017 Posts: 66 | Watson was by far the largest manufacturing concern making auxiliary transmissions until spicer bought them out. GM dealers used them en mas. Until the mid 60's. My family probably sold 30,000 of them over 30 years. But that was over 6 gmc dealerships. I have sales docs for about 5k of them. Since I have about 70k of sales docs on gmc trucks sold from 1951- 1977. My info tells me most were sold in the mid fifties to mid sixties. Pretty common up sell. Dealer installed. | | |
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