3rd gear bushing fit

[Omarttentmaker]

No, it is not a "Buck" chuck. Those are nice to have, however. And I still do use a last word. Mine does have .0005" divisions on it, and I use a goose-neck magnetic holder which allows me to travel the indicator point in and out of the bore. If I can get the pointer to stay within 2 of the divisions, I say good enough. I was taught that the run-out should be half the size tolerance, or better.

[BigLakeBob]

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Larry, opinions are like (well, you know), we all have one! But you asked and here is mine. The Last Word has a small dial face, divisions are only in .001, and travel is .03 total. You either have to hold on to the stem or side mount on a rod. The needles are short. You have to flip a lever for direction. Now compare to an Interapid indicator. The face is a lot larger with .0005 or .0001 divisions, total travel is over .06. You can hold on to the stem or by a dove tail, all on center line of the needle which I find more convenient. You have a lot more needle choices, length and ball diameter. You can have a front or top dial. You do not need to flip a lever for direction, you have .06 in both directions, .120 total. I just find them more work friendly, a lot of people for a very long time have used a Last Word and are accustomed to their performance. But I do have to say, I started in this trade in 1982, and except for a few older guys right around that time period, I have never seen one used in a modern shop for the last 30+ years. Just my opinion, use what works best for you.

[larry]

Why is Starrett a terrible indicator?

[BigLakeBob]

My "Last Word" is a Starrett, Bob!

....Cotten

Terrible indicator, but a great response!

Anyway, Omar good luck with your gear.

[T. Cotten]

My "Last Word" is a Starrett, Bob!

....Cotten

[BigLakeBob]

A four-jaw is most proper, Omar!

Nothing wrong with using a 4 jaw, but I machine for a living and time matters. If it is only one piece, and for example, it runs out .004 and you can locate how the part can be persuaded to run true, there is nothing wrong with putting 'say a .002 shim' between the work piece and a jaw to make it run true. This is a lot quicker than removing the 3 jaw, putting on the 4 jaw, then indicating the part true as you could have done in the 3 jaw with a shim but quicker. On my 18" swing lathe, I have a 12" chuck. Putting a piece in the chuck it usually runs within .002 TIR (total indicator reading). I know the #2 jaw in wore some, where it meets the scroll. So, if I need the part to run true I know usually which jaw needs the shim, plus a little tapping on a jaw with a plastic hammer brings the part right in. Once you learn where your chuck is off, unless it is totally worn out, adjusting for one piece can be quick and simple. That's all I was saying.

P.S. Now for the last word.

[T. Cotten]

A four-jaw is most proper, Omar!

I'm just lucky to have a very precise Cushman three-jaw.

(Not the scooter brand, I believe.)

Shimming or dowels is the only way it could be adjusted.

....Cotten
PS: All three of my hand-shift 1965 transmissions with bushed gears are four-speeds.
Just as I found them; one a Kansas City PD machine that was only ten years old.

[larry]

Your 3 jaw chuck can't be adjusted?

[BigLakeBob]

Instead of using a 4 jaw, sometimes I put a piece of shim stock or feeler gage between the jaw or jaws and work piece to make the part run true.

[Omarttentmaker]

Thanks to all for your input. May be I will hunt for a later cluster. And Cotten, you're right about boring the bushing, but my old clunker of a lathe doesn't have a three jaw that runs true enough to bore like you show. I'll have to put up a 4 jaw, and put 4 dowel pins at 90 degrees in the teeth, indicate the bushing and bore to size. My thought with using the dowels in the teeth is that it might cut down on the whine, as the gear's pitch line will run truer if I use that as the indicator datum.

[Rubone]

It was used on 3&R boxes through the '60s, the updated gears for 3&R are -70 part numbers. Apparently not enough out there for an earlier update. If you have a '59 low cluster the bushed third gear won't work due to the depth of the recess in the cluster. It only works with the early one. And vice versa as you have discovered. The longer sleeve on the '59 up gear was to help with the premature wear and whine in the bushing type.

[larry]

Interesting.

[T. Cotten]

You might consider finding the late cluster. You already have the late gear. Harley upgraded for a reason.

Don't look now, Larry,..

But the bushed gear was used for handshifts through at least '65.

Don't know why, as I got away with both designs on handshift machines.

...Cotten

[larry]

You might consider finding the late cluster. You already have the late gear. Harley upgraded for a reason.

[T. Cotten]

What I found most important, Omartentmaker,....

Is to lathe bore the bushing true to its outer circumference.

Just poke-reaming or honing the bushing can make it whine.

...Cotten
PS: Idler gear shown bored similarly.