The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts Spicer Brownie linkage pictures ?

Does anyone have pictues or info on linkage for auxiliary transmission setup.

I'm looking to install 3 or 4 speed Spicer in my '54 4400. The linkage seems to be impposible to find. I guess most poeple make their own ?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Jim D.

JD49,

Cool! I have the same rig, AND the brownie...but not the linkage. I have located a big old Ford dump truck that has a brownie AND the linkage.

When I attack it, I will post some pictures. Let me ask you how you intend to deal with the parking brake issue!

Stuart

Go to Links and truck sites 60-66 GMC trucks check out Spicer 5831B transmission. I may be able to get you what you need send me a e-mail at [email protected]. Thanks!!!

Marv.

atomarc, thanks for the reply...I understand trans. brake drum must be on aux. to work.

I have seen aux. Spicers 8341-C with no brake & no linkage that have come off of trucks with AIR brakes & AIR shift, so that will be an issue.

I see Grigg has disc transmission brake setup on his diesel project...nice work...and very clever.

Send me a picture of your '54 if you can, Thanks Jim D.

oops, wrong forum.

JD49 I put a three speed brownie in a 46 1.5 ton and made my own linkage. I used hyme joints 5/8 drill rod and some shifter cains from a old army truck. It turned out as a twin stick I think you might be able to use a three speed flour shifter if you could figure out how to mount it.

Gentleman, I read your e mails with interest. I just got my 41 1 1/2 T, with a 54 2 T driveline up grade on the road, I forgot how slow these monsters were and are. I know where I can get a 2 speed rear but I'm told that is just more grunt. This beast is never going to haul that kind of weight. Is there anyway it can go a bit faster. Now I'm looking at 40 - 45 mph, is that it? What does this brownie do, for top speed? or what about a 5speed?

Yep that's it. Trucks where limited to 45 mph prior to 1960.

You 2-speed axle will only give you a lower low. You could get taller tires and the 2-speed axle then you'd still have the low, but you'd get a little more speed out of her at the top end.

The brownie (spicer auxiliary transmission) I've got has a 0.8 overdrive gear. That gives me slightly longer legs. I've still got the SM420 with only 1:1 4'th gear. Most spicer trans that I've seen have only a 1:1 top gear, so even if you get a 5 speed, it'll only give you more low, not more high.

Now if you're never going to haul anything (and I mean NEVER) find yourself a Dana 70 or a GM 14 bolt axle and swap in that rear end. You can get low ratio (3 something) in these axles. That'll get you speed... but they'll never stand up to the carrying capacity of the rest of the truck. It'll look wierd under that classic truck as well.

Is this a tandem axle? If so, why not look for a Mack or Kenworth or whatever tandem in a truck salvage lot. I think you can get 4.11 gears on these. What is the bolt pattern of your front axle? Can you find an old Mack rear that matches this bolt pattern? It's just a convenience of having the same bolt pattern.

I got rid of the split rims, I picked up a set of wheels from a 1978 GMC box van. It was modern enough to have rear disc brakes. I was told it was slow but the guy drove it here from Florida, at 55. Of course he had sold the rear end out of it already. It is the standard ten five lug pattern with 9/16th studs and a 5 1/4" center hole. They were a perfect fit on my 54 rear end. This fellow down they way had a 46 with this aux. Brownie 4spd., he drove it to Cincinnati from Nebraska towing a tree chipper he picked up in St. Louis. This truck had a huge box on the back for wood chips, not an aerodynamic masterpiece, and he said down a good hill he could get it up to 60 and it would hold 50 until the next upward grade. I'm thinking if that old girl with an orginal 216 can do 60 there has to be a way that my fresh 235 ought to do 50 without sounding like it's going to jump out of the engine conpartment. What would happen if you had a two speed aux. gear box and turned it around backwards? I asume the high output is still one to one once again giving you lower lows. These guys loved going slow! However if you turn one of these thing around backwards wouldn't high would be the same 1-1 to haul loads but, low would be like an overdrive? Yes, no, maybe or is this just crazy wishful thinking? Another question, Does the Chevy 5 spd have a one to one high?

Good idea getting rid of the split rims. Some are safe, some are not, but they are all a pain in the keester. Nice that you found some that fit.

Your 235 ought to be happier running at slightly higher rpm than an old 216 babbit.

I thought about turning around my brownie and running it backwards. Assuming you can mount it that way reasonably, AND find a way to make the linkage work smoothly, what's it going to give you? Mine is 2.3, 1.2, 1, 0.8. The 1:1 is the same in both directions. The 0.8:1 is about 1.2:1 in revers and the 1.2:1 is about 0.8:1 in reverse (nothing gained). However that 2.3 in reverse is... well it's TOOOO MUCH overdrive (unless I wanna take it to the salt flats... fastest 58 tonner in the world!). So I can't tell if your 2 speed gearbox will be good or not backwards unless I know the ratio is. Get it? Also, are there any "directional" items in the box (i.e. gear cut, lube pump, etc...)?

I found a 4.10 ratio differential carrier to get more speed from mine. Add to that my auxiliary gearing and I'll still have a lower lo than stock, but I'll also have a higher hi.