Harley-Davidson Restoration: ’33 VL Transmission Rebuild

While my engine was off being rebuilt, I directed my attention to building a three speed transmission.    Over their 7 year production run, the V-series used three different transmission cases as well as three different gearing configurations.  The cases are fairly easy to tell apart, the main difference being how the primary is mounted.  For the 1932-35 models, there is a mounting boss located just behind the drive sprocket (see picture below).  Earlier models had an additional boss in front of the drive sprocket and later cases had no boss at all.  Gearing configurations were either three speed, three speed plus reverse (for sidecar use) or four speed (1936 only).  I decided to go with the standard three speed configuration, starting with a solid case which only needed cleaning.

As you would expect, the case got the usual treatment; bead blasting, followed by compressed air, wire brushing and a lacquer thinner bath.  There were also a number of parts associated with the kicker and top plate which went through the same process and also received a coat of paint.  The top case studs were all in good shape, so they were cleaned in place with a wire brush on a rotary tool.  The bottom studs were removed, treated with Loctite and re-installed.  The Loctite served two roles, keeping the studs from loosening and preventing transmission leaks around the studs.  For more information on the clean up process, check out this article:  Transmission Prep

Starting with a thoroughly cleaned case, the first step was to upgrade the mainshaft bearings.  I chose to replace them with sealed bearings, available from Replicant Metals, which will provide longer life and will not leak like the originals.  These bearings are a “press fit”, so to make installation easier, the case was heated with a torch (to expand the metal) while the bearings were packed in snow (to contract the metal).  Then we had to work quickly to drop in each new bearing and tap it into place with a wooden dowel.

Now everything was ready to begin installing the transmission internals.  Some of my original parts were pretty worn out, so I replaced them with new parts from Eastern Motorcycle Parts.  Eastern carries the mainshaft, countershaft and slider gear which all needed to be replaced.  I used my original gear cluster and main drive gear, both of which just needed to be cleaned.  The installation began with the mainshaft, which was inserted halfway into the case from the left side.  Once inside the case, the main drive gear and slider gear were slid onto the mainshaft and then the mainshaft was pushed through to the other side of the case.

The countershaft and gear cluster came next.  Unlike the mainshaft, the countershaft does not spin, so it does not ride on a set of bearings.  Instead, the gear cluster spins on the countershaft and two sets of roller bearings are installed inside of the gear cluster.  These were rebuilt using new rollers and plenty of red grease before being installed on the countershaft.  The endplay of the gear cluster is set using special washers of varying thicknesses that are installed on the left side of the gear cluster.

Once the mainshaft, countershaft and various gears were installed, all that was left was the shift dog assembly.  This assembly moves the slider gear on the mainshaft allowing you to change gears.  It rides on it’s own shaft which installs just above and behind the mainshaft.  You’ll notice two notches at the rear of the assembly which lock the transmission into gear when they line up with a spring loaded detent in the transmission lid.  Where the shift dog attaches to the slider gear, there is a short round shaft.  An arm on the transmission lid attaches to this shaft and when the arm is moved by the shift lever, the slider gear moves on the mainshaft.

Here’s a shot of the bottom of the transmission lid where you can see the detent and the arm.

With the internal components of the transmission installed, a new gasket was laid on top and the transmission lid was bolted down using NOS nuts and washers.  The final steps involved installing the kicker assembly.  Looking at the right side of the transmission case, both the mainshaft and countershaft extend outside of the case.  The countershaft is held in place with just a nut, while the mainshaft is topped with half the components of the kicker assembly.

The other half of the kicker assembly resides in the kicker cover and bolts onto the end of the transmission case.

And that’s pretty much it, the kicker cover was installed with a new gasket and bolted down to complete the transmission.  All that is needed now is some fluid and the transmission is ready to go.  For a more detailed explanation on rebuilding a VL three speed transmission, you can read the following:  Transmission Rebuild

I’ll be onto building wheel hubs, lacing rims and mounting tires next.  Stay tuned…

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