Hello all! This is my first post but have been reading a great deal about our Famous Slant 6 engines and transmissions. I have been working on an old forklift that has a newly rebuilt /6 225 and it came with a revers-o-matic transmission (not Mopar). It is getting old and didn't shift well and I disliked how it worked so I decided to put an A230 3 speed from a 1970 Duster that I found at a wrecking Yard in my beast. I decided on this transmission because all forward gears are syncro'd and I really don't need 4 speeds. Being a forklift I will use mostly Reverse and 1'st and since these are on the same shift rod it will make it easy to shift from forward to reverse. I have what I believe is a Hurst shifter and setting that up should be no problem. My question to the forum is this. I read in one of the posts that it was possible to have the reverse gear machined to accept a syncro ring thus making it a fully synced transmission. As you might have guessed this would make the frequent shifting from forward to reverse much smoother. I want to find out if anyone has any info about adding this syncro and/or a shop they could recommend to do the machining. Any help from my new friends in this Forum would be greatly appreciated and I'm sure someday I can repay the favor.

http://www.slantsix.org/articles/4-spee ... -swaps.htm


Hopefully Doc will chime in. He knows about that syncro'd reverse. He may be a bit busy at the moment with fires.


Greg

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http://www.youtube.com/hyperpack

Thanks Greg!
That was the article I read and it fits my build perfectly. Hope “Doc” has time to chime in. I look forward to his input. Does Doc live in california? I’m in central california near Fresno by the huge creek fire.

I have another question did the A230 come with either a 80mm or 90mm input shaft bearing. I ordered one before measuring it and the one coming is a 90mm but I have an 80mm. Shame on me for assuming and trusting a transmission website just because it said it fit an a230.

If someone has a 80mm bearing for sale or even a decent A230 let me know.

Thanks again

Yes He's In CA.


He used to live in Sunnyvale, but I believe he has moved to the hill country maybe about an hour or 2 north. I don't remember the exact city / area.

Greg

_________________
http://www.youtube.com/hyperpack

I am now in Santa Rosa, CA,( really, Sonoma county, close to the small town of Kenwood)

As for adding a syncro to the reverse in a A230 3 speed, the reverse gear must have the syncro angle machined onto it. ( that area currently has a square shoulder)
The 1st / Reverse slider hub needs some machining to allow room for the new (added) syncro ring. If memory is correct, a 833 four speed 1st / 2nd slider hub will swaps-in and does the job.

Take the reverse gear, along with your 1st gear and the syncro ring, to a local machine shop and see if they can machine the angle. Have them match what is on the 1st gear.
DD

Thanks for the info doc. So if I find a 1st/2nd slider from an a833 will I still need to machine my 1st/rev slider or just replace it?

Just replace it with the 833 unit...
But there are a few different 833 slider hubs (clutch gear, in the FSM) with different "shift struts" sizes so look at the ones you have and match that... it is most likely the later "wide strut" type.
DD

https://www.autozone.com/znetrgs/repair ... 052d8a.gif

I want to stay with the A230 because the 1st/rev is on the same shift rod. I am using this setu in a forklift and 99% of the time I’m going from 1st to reverse. That’s why I want to put a synchro on reverse. So can I just get the 1st/2nd slider from an A833 and replace my 1st/rev slider?

This makes a lot of sense... having operated forklifts in my past.

When I did the "all syncro" 230 3-speed conversion, it was an interesting project to do but I found limited use for it in a street car.
Sure, I never herd the "buzzz-klack" sound as I shifted into reverse but forget about shifting into reverse at a decent rate of speed and "backwards burning the tires... can you say wheel-hop?
I found that it was only useful in a parking situation, where you drive past that open spot, cram-on the brakes as you shift into reverse and "get-to-it" before the other guy behind you pulls into the spot.

But... if I were shifting a forklift into 1st/reverse... all day long, that syncro reverse would be a great thing.
So, I went to the shed and pulled-out the related 230 parts. ( I can't believe I save all this stuff)
I also pulled-out the 1st/2nd clutch hub (later wide shift strut type)



Note the unmachined syncro area on the reverse gear. Also see the different shift strut clutch hubs. (the outer slider ring is also different for each strut type)
My goal here is to re-do what I did 35 years ago...
Step one, machine the reverse gear to accept the sycro ring. ( lathe work)
Getting the angle right is a little tricky but measuring and some "math" gets it.



A good amount of hard steel comes off this area so don't tell... I used my angle grinder to rough-off most of the metal and finished-up with the insert cutter.
Before and after:



I put the machined reverse gear onto the shaft, with all the mating parts and saw that the shoulder on the 833 clutch hub interfered with the ID of the 230 reverse gear.
Unlike the 230 clutch hub, the amount of interference was about .006... not a lot but enough to prevent the reverse gear from fully seating into the hub.
So I polished-out the ID of the reverse gear with the hope that this would do the trick.



Still a little interference so I stuck the hub into the lathe and took a light cut on it's inner hub... that did the trick.
( from memory, the 230 hub has more material that needs to be removed from this area)



And now all fits together like factory design... with the extra reverse syncro ring added!
DD

So the direct answer is No.
You still need to do some minor clearance work to the 833 clutch hub so the 230 reverse gear fits into it completely. (see post above)
DD

WOW Doc!
That is a terrific explanation!
I guess I’ll have head back over to the wrecking yard and find a 1st gear clutch ring to put into the lathe.
This forum is A great source of Slant 6 related info!
Thank again Doc and be in touch if get this working.
SD