Best place to buy getrag parts

[Niki]

I'm just about ready to tear apart my whining getrag. Where are all of you guys getting bearing and synchro kits? I've seen a few on ebay, some have koyo bearings. Are there kits with timken or are koyo OK? If I need hard parts like a main shaft or input shaft are these even available anymore? I have an NV4500 setup in a donor truck I was saving for a conversion because I don't want to cut up my Dodge floor/carpet, but its sounding like a better idea every day to have NV's in both trucks. It seems no one is able to properly rebuild a 'rag, and if I break down thousands of miles away from home, I'll probably be able to locate an NV versus trying to find parts/transmission to replace a broken getrag.

 

[1stgen4evr]

You are closer to Michael than to me. Check with him on where he got parts. They are available. Just a personal call on whether to convert. You will like the NV when you get done but the Getrag will do the work if looked after and won't really be all that costly. Since you have the NV already, flip a coin. Or more logically, decide when you get the Getrag out and see what is wrong.



If you take a bit of pain with the install, the conversion won't look bad. Noticably, the stick will be closer to you (a good thing)



No doubt there will be a buyer for the remains.



James

 

[Niki]

You are closer to Michael than to me. Check with him on where he got parts. They are available. Just a personal call on whether to convert. You will like the NV when you get done but the Getrag will do the work if looked after and won't really be all that costly. Since you have the NV already, flip a coin. Or more logically, decide when you get the Getrag out and see what is wrong.



If you take a bit of pain with the install, the conversion won't look bad. Noticably, the stick will be closer to you (a good thing)



No doubt there will be a buyer for the remains.



James

James,

I know you've been through getrags, do you get parts through a local source or do you mail order them? I'm pretty sure no one in this area has any clue on parts, these trucks weren't ever common up here and its very rare to see one now. I already have the NV, but I have to go into that anyway because it needs a third gear synchro, grinds slightly, and the previous owner had the 5th gear nut back off, he put the upgraded one on, but it should have the splined shaft... Plus, I still need a trans for my conversion project too. I have an extra 4x4 getrag, but the input shaft bearing race spun in the case and the case hole is somewhat oversize now. If I yank the getrag and all I need to do is bearings and synchros I'll probably rebuild it. If the case is destroyed, input shaft, main shaft, etc I'll probably go with the NV. I'm just scared of having a problem w/ a getrag far from home. Any recommendations on what pilot bearing to use? I'm sure the one thats in the truck is the root of most of these problems(175K). Should there be any play on the gears on the main or countershaft front to back? I have the pto cover off and can get some play on both, especially on the mainshaft.

 

[MMiller]

There ya go, draggin me into another Getrag thread James..... :-laf I get my parts from zbag.com, Zumbrota Bearing and Gear. Their prices are close enough to anything on Ebay, and they have everything else for hard parts. They even have a pile of used Getrags, for the parts you can't get new.



Mine is noisy again, and will hopefully be out of the truck before the weekend is through. I'm sure that my Getrag problems are directly related to the driver, either in driver error, or mechanics ineptness.



Mapquest Fairfield Ia, and then decide if you want to bring it over, to fix it once you get it out. I just sent a 2wd Getrag out last Saturday, that I repaired and rebearinged. *I* personally believe that a Getrag will live well in this application, if maintained, and shimmed every couple hundered thousand miles. Mine had pretty much before and I beat on it bad. I won't bore you with the details, just look in the archives... .



EDIT; before looking, be warned its almost a 5 hr drive from your place to mine... ...



Michael

 

[1stgen4evr]

- - -Should there be any play on the gears on the main or countershaft front to back? I have the pto cover off and can get some play on both, especially on the mainshaft. - - - -



None what-so-ever. In fact a few thousandths of pre-load on each. I say a few thousandths, but in fact I use the feel o meter method of preload which I calibrate for used or new bearings as required.



Read both mine and Michaels comments and you should get most of the specifics you need. I am sure he or I can answer anything else.



James

 

[NYCEGUY01]

Rebuilt manual transmissions, transmission parts

 

[Niki]

I don't feel so bad now after looking at some of the replacement prices for mainshafts, etc. I dug into my spare getrag a little, it looks like the input shaft bearing failed, ripping up the input shaft, ruining the front bearing retainer, and it looks like the bearing race spun in the case. What is acceptable as far as play, input bearing race to case bore? I know it floats in there from the factory, now its somewhat of a loose float... It didn't spin that bad, but maybe just enough to ruin the case. The rest of the trans looks great, gears, etc. I'd like to buy a new input shaft and bearing retainer, synchros and bearings and throw this one in the truck. That case problem worries me though. Opinions?

 

[Moab4x4]

I looked online at zbag.com, driveline.com and then went to my local Carquest auto parts house and asked them. They had a supplier, same price as online, Koyo bearings, parts there the next day with no shipping charges. Input shaft too (the one made in India, )

I had to order an input shaft shim kit as an extra item. It will take a couple of days to come in. All in all I am into it ~$400. I was expecting worse

.

You will need two kinds of snap ring pliers, the kinds with tips for the internal and external snap rings with the holes in the ends and something like beefy piston ring pliers for the external snap rings that are just beveled in toward the shaft. I was using the press at the parts house so I didn't have all my tools with me.



I got my output shaft rebuilt today!Oo. Oo.

My teenager son helped me get the syncro pack back together again after I demwittedly pulled it apart. It wasn't too bad, but we ended up doing it like 4 times because I kept knocking it on things while reassembling the output shaft. Nothing quite like watching a little steel ball in its high trajectory toward oblivion.

He thinks he would really like to see synchro assembly races. :-laf



I left my original blocking rings on 1st and 2nd gears. They were in good shape and I did not like the look of the quality of those two syncro rings in my kit. Instead of sintered brass, the friction material looked like plastic. Is this all that is out there now?



Thanks for all the tips including those buried in the search pages!! I think the Getrag rebuild deserves a good sticky thread started by one of the wise ones.

Ken

 

[Niki]

I have an account at carquest, I didn't think they could get anything. Are all of the shafts, synchros, etc cheap reproductions or is there any place that is selling OE or close to OE getrag stuff? I don't want to waste my time with junk if its not going to hold up. What has everyone been doing for a pilot bearing? I was thinking of going with the new style ball bearing one you have to bore your flywheel for, but I don't really want to leave room for machine shop error.

 

[Moab4x4]

parts quality?

I usually like to try there because I have a jobber account there and get a good discount.

The stuff I got was what I expect the ebayers to have.

Bearings - National made in Japan

kit included seals, two pto gaskets, one shift tower gasket, one rubberized metal plug for the front of the counter shaft.

Input shaft - made in India

The outer blocking rings were all brass. The original ones had a sintered brass or bronze lining inside a ring made of (steel, aluminum????) Are the brass teeth as strong as originals???

The 1-2 rings that pin to 1st and 2nd gears appeared to be aluminum with a plastic friction surface. They probably would work fine, but I wonder about durability. Then again, if they are nylon, I could see them outwearing the brass/bronze ones. Experiences??



Anyway, of the stuff I got, the bearings and seals looked like originals but that's about it.

 

[NYCEGUY01]

The link I posted sells good used parts as well if you want OE parts.

 

[dpuckett]

The bigger 1-2 synchro ring friction surfaces are rubber. They will wear down without any real indication of failure. If you werent having shifting issues, I dont blame you for leaving them.



INput shaft shim kit Never heard of that, though I saw a thread where mysteryman said they got put in some getrags.



Niki- if you decide to go the NV4500 route, I'll take the Getrag leftovers. PM me for any further discussion of it.



Daniel