MTFCA Forum

Has anyone tried to re-rivet their transmission drums?
Has anyone tried to tighten up loose transmission drum rivets ?
Does anyone know what tool was used to rivet drums?
Is there a source for replacement riveted gears/shafts for drums?
My driving plate rivets are just slightly loose. Not scary/cracked loose thou. Is there a technique to make them tighter or should one just start over with new? I see Langs sells the rivets
I like pictures if you have them. thanks

Clean the area on the non output shaft side and check very close between the rivets. That is where you find most cracks.
Check your main shaft alignment. Main cause for loose rivets and cracks.

New rivets is way to go, if not cracked.

Thanks Dan I will be sure to check it out! I still plans to have all the drums checked as well. I have a small number of bucking bar tools but wanted to Familiarize my self with the specific tooling to get the desired results. Iam not sure what type/shape/size would be best.

Bryant wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 09, 2022 3:08 pm

Has anyone tried to re-rivet their transmission drums?
Has anyone tried to tighten up loose transmission drum rivets ?
Does anyone know what tool was used to rivet drums?
Is there a source for replacement riveted gears/shafts for drums?
My driving plate rivets are just slightly loose. Not scary/cracked loose thou. Is there a technique to make them tighter or should one just start over with new? I see Langs sells the rivets
I like pictures if you have them. thanks

Before you spend the money on the rivets and spend the time to tighten gears up; have the drums cleaned and magnafluxed as a loose drum is a cracked drum.



Just imagine the load of the car against those rivets everytime you step on the pedal.
Though we make the new transmission drums and gears.
I speak from experience of old cracked drums and trying to find good ones for engine rebuilding that we decided to make our own.

if the drums aren't cracked you can get the rivets from these fine people: Lang's model T or https://www.bigflatsrivet.com/

I'd check the drums and flanges for cracks first. Then remove and replace the rivets one at a time. I like to do them hot, but others will do them cold. You just need a heavy backing buck and a good hammer. They will need to be faced off once done. The whole deal is not that difficult.

Allan from down under.

Dan Hatch wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 09, 2022 3:17 pm

Clean the area on the non output shaft side and check very close between the rivets. That is where you find most cracks.
Check your main shaft alignment. Main cause for loose rivets and cracks.

New rivets is way to go, if not cracked.
60A59206-767A-4A91-9878-42F20902FE08.jpeg

Main shaft & pan alignment issues that are the cause of broken cranks near the flange. If you find the drive plat & brake drum rivets loose, there has been a lot of bad strain forces on that crank. With the motor torn down, a magnaflux check of this crank would be a wise added step.

All rivet pressing is cold with a 20 ton press. This is what works for me & is pressure controllable.
The output plate is the easiest to fix. Being the shaft & plate are both steel, there is little concern for creating more cracks @ the rivet holes.
If the rivets are noticeably a little loose, I re press them one @ a time in an opposite pattern.12, 6, 9, 3, 1, 7, 4, & 10 o-clock.
If the rivets are really loose & show edge wear, I remove them & bolt the plate & shaft together in 4 alternating places & set the 4 new rivets. Un bolt & repeat. Machine rivet faces if necessary. Not critical on the drive plate unless you used too long rivets.
Final securement is 3 alternating 3/4" wire weld beads between the plate & flange edge.
Last step is to square up/re machine all plate mating surfaces.

Drums are another matter. Being cast iron, Its easy to crack the rivet holes. Not too much pressure, just enough to set the rivets firmly.
Agreed that the drum needs a full inspection before & after re riveting. Wouldnt it suck to find a cracked web after all this work? New rivets will need to be machined flush on both sides with the shaft/gear indicated square. Drums will need a square up cut when done to the band face & output plate mounting surfaces.

Not a job for the typical hobbyist.

Thank you all for the useful information! My engine has already been rebuilt so the crank is ok. My next step will be to have everything checked for cracks. Fortunately all my drum rivets are nice and tight. The drive plate was my main concern. I do have a good source with a machine shop. With this information I can decide what I can and can’t do in my transmission rebuilding journey. Thanks again to all

Bryant

here is one way to do it, as shown by a respected rebuilder of such things: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XV_MOkUnFC4

gist of the operation starts around 21:00 minute mark

It is not the ONLY way to do it, but it is a good way to do it

Thanks Scott!
I have watched a bunch of his videos and somehow missed that one. He made it look pretty straight forward. I am more of a visual learner so that helps to. Good stuff

So are there any suppliers of new gears/shafts that are riveted to the drums/drive plate? Or only used ones?

also my drive plate had this style holding it together. All the ones I have seen have bolt heads. Just an observation…

Early wide drum. 26. Not easy to get a good torque on.
Substituting drilled allen bolts is better than these screws IMHO.

Bryant wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 10, 2022 4:59 pm

So are there any suppliers of new gears/shafts that are riveted to the drums/drive plate? Or only used ones?

Yes we make new drums and gears that are fully machined to each other so you don't have to install new drums on old gears.
http://www.jandm-machine.com/custom_works.html

Thank you sir I have bookmarked your site! Looks like high quality goods

Another choice for new drums and new gears is Dave’s Restoration
https://www.davesrestorationandmachine.com/