The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Custom Gear Sets

If anyone is close to Chickasha Oklahoma and is wanting a highway gear set for their truck or car you need to be at the May swap meet. I don't remember the name of the outfit but they had a booth inside the building, advertising custom cut gear sets to fit any vehicle and any gear ratio you want. They told me they do a lot of Packard and Caddy work, top end stuff. They are not cheap, over $2K per gear set. If you really want 3:55 gears in your bolt but don't want to swap the whole drive line to get it, that may be the only way you'll get it done. The swap meet is May 8-10 at the Grady County fairgrounds in Chickasha. They told me last year that they're there every year.

Is that what Denny has been searching the world over for?

No Big, I'm blue collar, what I've been searching the world over for is a $500-$600 gear set! Yeah, $2k is a bit steep to say the least, although that sounds about right for a one of a kind job. For a rare $50 Caddy or Packard that might be justified but way out of line for a fairly common Chevy truck.
If a gear grinder like this would produce a run of say, 500 or 1000 units it would bring the price tag down to a reasonable value and there are a hundred vendors out there that would carry them in their catalogs. I'd bet Patrick’s would be able to unload half of them in a month or less once the word got out. Hell at $500 I'd take two just to have a spare.
I doubt if I will ever see a road gear set for the Eaton HO52 in my lifetime. I would be happy just to find an old burned out or broken Eaton 4.11 gear set from a ’69 3/4 ton just to see if one could adapt it to the HO52 carrier I’ve got on the bench right now.
However Tiny, if they have a card or address I would appreciate it if you could pick one up and post it or send one out. I would look into it. I'd like to see just exactly what they have to say about a short production run. Might even concider taking a mortgage out to finance it!
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

That's why I was posting, I'm not going back in the foreseeable future. If someone in the area is going, they could pick up a card (which I failed to do) and post the info for you guys looking for gear sets. As you said, most of the cost is for a one of a kind set up & if three or four went together they could probably get the cost down quite a bit.

Okey Doke Tiny, I must have misunderstood, thought you were gonne make the meet this spring. From my manufacturing experiance, I would say we would have to have a goodly number to bring the price down much. I'd have to know what kind of operation these guys have. If its a retired gear grinder with some equipment in his garage he's probably only set up to do one at a time so the amount of work that goes in to grinding one is the same for all. If it's a production shop with CNC grinders then most of the investment would be in the programing. Once that was written it's just a matter of loading blanks and drinking coffee while you wait for the machine to do it's work. Of course you have to machine the blanks then you have the heat treating and inspection.
Looks pretty much out of reach. But thanks for the heads up anyway.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

What about the gear sets jim carter sells for these trucks? 400.00 is alot cheaper than 2k. am I missing something???

Yep, about a 1/4 to a 1/2 ton!
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

I believe those gear sets are for the half ton. The interest is for the 3/4 ton & up crowd. No one has found anyone making/selling highway gear sets for those.

Say Tiny, what happened to the thread that started this one?? Did it get censored for some reason also??
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Okay- you'se guys have mentioned Patrick's and Jim Carter. Do these two have online catalogs?

Chris

Chris,

Have you checked out the "Links" section of this website ((look at the top of the page). You'll find a Parts link at the left of the "Links" page.

It takes a lot of time/study to even try to learn a little about what is available at Stovebolt.com.

Be careful ordering the 1/2 ton 47-55 3.55 gear set from any of the vendors, unless they tell you over the phone that they have them in stock. All the vendors obtain the 3.55 gear set from Patrick's. He is a very good guy but he might be waiting for a new shipment from the manufacturer. It is not uncommon to order the 3.55 set and have to wait a very long time for it.

It would be nice to hear from someone who has bought the 3.55 set in the last 2-3 months.

Tim

Oops. Color me embarassed. Thanks for the direction, great resource there.
the plan is to find the more available 3.38 gears for our '59. Looking over at ricksringpinion it looks like the 3.38 are available, but the original 3.90 is back ordered. Since it was the only place I've looked, I figure I need a couple more 'second opinions'.
If I get off my arse, I will try to put together a bunch of pictures of the restoration of this truck.

Chris