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The boss for the mounting bolt on the R-H side may have first appeared for early-37 models.
Im not sure when the oil transfer opening changed from slot to hole. Palmers 3764 SE contradicts itself about it, with at least one page indicating the change occurred as of later-37 models while other pages suggest the change happened as of 38 models. And a photo I have indicates that some cases may have had both openings.
Earliest date code Ive seen on one of these cases is from April 38. However, its possible some trans cases received date codes the previous month because some aluminium parts such as Knuckle crankcases and BT trans lids had March 38 codes. Anyway, at this stage no date code suggests the case was cast prior to April 38.
As for a vent boss, the earliest Ive seen one is on a case cast in May 39. Some cases with no boss have a vent in a hole that is counter-bored but I dont know if the factory did that.
Re the lid, I dont know exactly when that type was introduced but according to Palmer it first appeared for mid-50. I havent seen a date code on that type of lid.
Eric
Thank you very much Eric. That transmission case was made before there were rocks!
Seen the no date code before it was explained to me by a Harley dealer from back then the over the counter complete units did not have date codes bub lived to 100 and was sharp - at 97 he was still hill climbing his 45 in PA
Seen the no date code before it was explained to me by a Harley dealer from back then the over the counter complete units did not have date codes bub lived to 100 and was sharp - at 97 he was still hill climbing his 45 in PA
The seller suggested the same being an over the counter unit. But what purpose would that serve? And it would no doubt cost money to change things up and run a dedicated batch just to eliminate a casting date by a company known to be tight wads.
Please ask the seller why a trans allegedly bought new in 46 has a lid that wasnt made until a few years later. Ask him why the lid has casting number 33-49 and not casting number 33-35. Lids with casting number 33-35 were cast as late as Jan, Feb and March 1949.
Also notice for the mounting bolt on the R-H side the insert looks bronze as opposed to steel? The change from bronze to steel occurred around late-43early-44.
And ask the seller why the case doesn't have a boss for the vent nipple. A boss for the vent nipple was in the casting as early as May 39 as per the example below.
Eric
The seller wont have these answers, they went with the owner to his grave. I suspected the box was early but he has no idea about those details, he just knew it was a 3 speed and I needed it. The little bit of info he got came from a brother-in-law that inherited the empty house and all of his tools. The bikes that filled the house were bought by the seller (my friend) and the proceeds went to the sister of the owner. The sister had no contact with the owner for decades and he was an introvert after his wife died. I'll surmise that the top cover is from his 46 because every casting on that bike was polished, the cases included and what wasn't polished was chromed. I would say he just transferred it to the over-the-counter gearbox. The kicker cover could also have come from the 46.
The insert in the bolt hole isn' steel, it does look bronze.
Last edited by hellonewman; Sep 27, 2022 at 06:55 AM.
The seller said "just add oil and go". Seriously. After we popped the lid and could see old dried up grease and goo I had my answer but the gears looked okay which was my only concern.
After a quick cleanup in the parts washer everything looks good. Hardly any wear on bushings and the teeth look good, no pitting other than the dark staining you see on the main shaft which means nothing.
I wonder if 3rd is the same as 4th in the 4 speed boxes (haven't looked in the parts book yet). If it is I would like to get the one with the small lip seal.
Spoke to the long term owner yesterday, got a lot of info from him and a photo or two to follow from 1968 when he digs them out.
He bought the bike in 1964 for $25 after haggling over the $30 asking price. It had no generator or oil tank cap at the time but complete otherwise and painted black over the red he believes to be original. I have the original rear fender that matches that description and the tanks had red on the inner portions that were on the bike as well. Too much to tell about the hour long chat we had but it was nice to hear the stories and I jotted down as much as I could and put it in the file. He bought it at 17 years old and still rides an ultraglide today at 75 years old. Rode the bike 600 miles with a passenger in 1965 on a buddy seat. When he decided to move he left with $7 in his pocket on a 500 mile ride to the town he still lives in currently, he had $3 of the $7 left when he got there. Gas must've been pennies if his math is right but it was fun to listen and he's happy to hear its getting restored.
I had two options for the seat color from Heathers Leathers and I went with the darker one, just looks richer / better to me. Right or wrong compared to original I dont know.
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