Compatible transmissions for the M35a3 with the cat 3116

[quickfarms]

What speed are the tires rated for?

 

[trukhead]

Glen is on the money.....you need a pete..600 hp....18 speed....3.55 or 3.o8 rears....cruse at 85-92 mph.....put the duece bed on it....DAS

not really, a 3116 @ 2700RPM will set your teeth on edge.

I know, I did it from MD to MA, almost 500 miles in a single (LOOOONG-a55ed day)

Rarely have the nerve to drive mine over 45, even with 395s - it sounds like something is going to break/explode with the drive-train noise level at that speed.

Edit - oops - i see A3 now - likely runs a bit quieter than an A2 =)

I hope to take my A3 from Atlanta to the family farm in south Georgia multiple times a year. The trip is 240 miles which means that I could make the trip in about 1.5 hours less time (each way) if I could travel at 70mph. I would rather take that time and use it around the farm/river/ponds than to use it absorbing the scenery along I-16 (I have made that trip hundreds of times and there is nothing along that route that I haven't already seen or care to see). To each his own though.

If you plan on turning an A3 tire at 70mph, be prepared to be a dead man.

The 14.5 x20 michelin tire is rated for 55 mph stamped on the tire somewhere I do believe. Compund that with the fact that the military ran that tire at a maximum inflation presurre of 45 psi when it is rated for 80 psi max means that an old tire, ran at half inflation for its life before you got it, at 30% over its maximum speed when you are running to your farm doesn't sound like the stars lining up for you to win the happiness jackpot

Then the cost of the tranny swap, ouch.

I'd spend that money on a calender and numerous appointments with a gear jammer with the above mentioned pete and a lowboy drop deck trailer and and hire them on the calender dates to haul the duece to the farm and back. You might get 80 out of the duece with that setup.. In WI we have to license all newer MVs with HMV plate(with no weight restrictions or brake classifications, however for maintenance or special occasions only) plates so I thought if I wanted to get my A3 up to speed, I'd buy a rebuilt in 2008 rebuild M920 and a trailer and put some 2.90's out back and and up front, that A3 would really burn rubber.I think any time one gets to take a fresh 920 out, that is a special occasion. The A3 would still go farther off road any way and the winch of an anchored 920 would pull the A3 out or apart.

Or may be just build a cheap pole shed and park the A3 on the farm and get another A3 for the city where you live....opcorn:

 

[Rambling Wreck]

I knew it wouldn't take long for a comment about the speed and being a dead man. For the sake of brevity I didn't list out the other mods that would take place before I run 70mph on a regular basis but tires are one of them.

 

[1 Patriot-of-many]

delete

 

[jaymcb]

The 14.5 x20 michelin tire is rated for 55 mph stamped on the tire somewhere I do believe. Compund that with the fact that the military ran that tire at a maximum inflation presurre of 45 psi when it is rated for 80 psi max means that an old tire, ran at half inflation for its life before you got it, at 30% over its maximum speed when you are running to your farm doesn't sound like the stars lining up for you to win the happiness jackpot

What are 395's rated for?

Still, to sum up 7 pages in a nutshell....it is going to cost you almost as much as you paid or the WHOLE truck to go much faster than 48-50MPH in an A3.

still on the nice-to-have list. If I could find a way to do it affordably, even if I had to crawl under and shift a spicer manually, and not have 6x6 unless I went back to 1:1, I would do it.

If I feel the need to do 65 in a FMV, there's always my wheel chock 1009.....

 

[Rambling Wreck]

I don't think it is prudent to say that a transmission upgrade in an A3 will cost as much as the whole truck. To me this thread is full of dead ends and guesses because no one has ever tried to upgrade the transmission before (that or whoever has performed an upgrade has failed to share in this tread). With that said, this thread is inconclusive.

 

[jaymcb]

M35Tom has a solution:
Buy his $1500 gear set.
Then buy a 3053 spicer transmission.
Then buy a flywheel
Then buy a clutch set
Then buy all the linkage, etc you need for a third pedal
Then, unless you have a heavy truck facility at your fingertips, you buy someone's time to fabricate, install, change, etc your 4 speed auto to a 5 speed modified manual.

I can see this going over 5k in a heartbeat if you as quoted earlier don't 'have some of the parts'. I for one do not have deuce clutch, linkage or transmission parts floating around. I envy those that do.

I bought my truck less than a year ago, and I paid just over 6k for it from GL. I stand by my comment that you could spend as much as you spent on your truck to make this change. It's my reality, I wish it weren't, because I'd like very much to have a higher top speed than pushing up to 2700 to hit 50.

Has anyone thought about leaving the A3 transmission as is, but putting a lockup converter in, maybe switch operated for highway use? IS one made for the A3 transmission? Seems to me a lockup converter might not be a bank breaker if there's one that fits.

 

[Rambling Wreck]

All I am saying is that the jury is still out on this and that we shouldn't draw any cost conclusions yet. Surely there will be additional cost in converting from an automatic to a manual but that isn't necessarily what I plan on doing. There are other options. Hopefully your lockup converter idea is a viable option.

 

[jaymcb]

I'd be down for trying a lockup converter if one exists.....

 

[trukhead]

I'd be down for trying a lockup converter if one exists.....

That transmission exists, It's called the 1545, It came installed in my A3 and after the "flush" it is a sweet tranny.

To make the truck go faster, just install 3 overson 4.90 axle gear sets and your golden. They go for $1200 ish each. That option is still cheaper than a tranny swap.

opcorn:

 

[m-35tom]

3053 trans $200
gear set $1300
clutch $300
flywheel $200
driveshaft $150?
linkage etc $150?

do it yourself you could only have $2500 in it.
does it increase the value of the truck?
i know of one being done now so we will see how it goes.

tom

 

[quickfarms]

3053 trans $200
gear set $1300
clutch $300
flywheel $200
driveshaft $150?
linkage etc $150?

do it yourself you could only have $2500 in it.
does it increase the value of the truck?
i know of one being done now so we will see how it goes.

tom

That is cheaper than buying a good 6 speed Allison

 

[m-35tom]

what is a good 6 speed allison? if you are thinking of a 3060, it is 1: too big 2: electronic and would be a problem to program. any smaller allison would not handle the engine.

 

[jaymcb]

3053 trans $200
gear set $1300
clutch $300
flywheel $200
driveshaft $150?
linkage etc $150?

do it yourself you could only have $2500 in it.
does it increase the value of the truck?
i know of one being done now so we will see how it goes.

tom

at least for around HERE, your numbers look very low.

 

[m-35tom]

the only part that could be a variable would be the trans. everything else is on the net or ebay. of course you will have to factor in shipping, but that is a constant.

tom

 

[Rambling Wreck]

How much do you figure a gear splitter would be?

 

[quickfarms]

How much do you figure a gear splitter would be?

Where would you put it?

They are the size of a transmission and are obsolete

 

[jrobinson5093]

If it where me I would try the 3053 tranny swap. If you had at least a little wrench know how then you should be able to do it. since the truck was designed to use that trans any way it so be fairly easy if you could come up with the parts.

 

[Rambling Wreck]

Where would you put it?

They are the size of a transmission and are obsolete

I saw one online but it may have been on an A2, now that I think about it. I'll look tonight and see if I can find the picture again.

 

[Rambling Wreck]

That transmission exists, It's called the 1545, It came installed in my A3 and after the "flush" it is a sweet tranny.

To make the truck go faster, just install 3 overson 4.90 axle gear sets and your golden. They go for $1200 ish each. That option is still cheaper than a tranny swap.

opcorn:

I eventually plan to bob my truck so that would mean only having to buy two Overson axle gears. $2,400 isn't too bad. I need to determine what the gain in top speed would be. What are the existing axle gear ratios.