HT (HalfTrack) Transfer Case

[1943ht]

Has anyone pulled their HT transfer case without dropping the trany? Info appreciated!

 

[WillWagner]

I've never done one, but, I can look tomorrow and see if is possible.

 

[1943ht]

I would be most grateful!!

 

[WillWagner]

I forgot....I have to go today to get my truck and trailer, I'll look.

 

[WillWagner]

I forgot....again. I put a note in my lunch box, I WILL do it my next Monday, that would be everyone else's Tuesday. Thanks Geo!

 

[1943ht]

​

After the input I received and going thru the manuals, I decided to pull my T case (TC) this weekend and free up my hi/low and front wheel drive slides without pulling the transmission, PTO etc. After dropping the heavy duty frame cross member and pulling all those 76 year old cotter pins out of the 16 drive shaft mounting bolts, I pulled my driveshaft and emergency brake disk (I had pulled the front driveshaft years ago when recovering the Queen from the desert as the track was locked into 4 wheel high). I then pulled the emergency brake (I need new shoe linings!), the linkage for the winch PTO from the side of the case, and both shift lever cotter pins and clevis pins (The ones on the shift levers were relatively clean and I was able to get at the cotter pins….rear pins on the slides were a bit frozen up).

I was set to pull my TC. Pulling the plug and the pan draining the gear oil was a pleasant surprise as it was as clean and Carmel colored as the day it was pumped into the trany. No burned odor or water. The inside of the case and the gears were as clean and shiny as the day they were manufactured NO PITTING. There were no metal chips on the drain plug magnet. There are seven external bolts that mate the TC to the trany and two internal bolts with wire that bolt the bottom of the TC to the trany. In addition there are two bolts from the top driveline support that bot into the top of the TC.

Once the case was out it was fairly easy to work the slides loose after pulling off what remained of the boots that once covered the slide at the TC and the sticky clevis pins. I was able to polish up both slides and in a very short time they were moving smoothly and with a solid clunk as the forks moved gears inside the case into their respective locations. I made a new gasket for the mating surface of the TC where it mates with the trany and then proceeded to put everything back together again. I picked up a trany jack from harbor freight which came in very handy for install and removal of the TC. It was nice to finally put the front driveshaft back into place after all these years. The levers shift very smoothly and I need to now source some new boots for the shafts, and a set of emergency brake shoes.

I managed to clean up my emergency brake mechanism to include all the adjustment screws/bolts before reassembly. The brake mechanism moves very nicely. I also installed a new speedo cable that I had purchased years ago and found in one of the many parts boxes I was finally able to go thru. Lots of stuff found that I’ve not seen since 2007.

Next project is the generator and Voltage regulator and install of the front wire harness. Then the brakes!! ​

 

[WillWagner]

Well, I took pics today, but you got it figured out. Sorry I was so late I was gonna say to remove the floor and see if it comes out from the top you affirmed that too!

Here are the pics I took, looks like we will be removing thing to fix oil leaks as well as the stuck valve.

 

[1943ht]

Will, it's tough to pull it up thru the top because of that top brace that supports the TC. I dropped mine out thru the bottom. That top brace is PIA to get at the bolts on the side where it attaches to the frame.

On a peculiar note, my shift lever is now stuck in third gear and does not want to move. Not sure what's going on, so I'm going to pull the shift tower and check it out. Can't figure out if installing the TC somehow locked up my shift column. Makes no sense as the only interface between the TC and trany is the drive gear that fits into TC and mates up with those gears.

Pulled my master cylinder and started pulling the hydrovac... master cylinder and hydrovac had brake fluid running out when I pulled the lines. Hope that's a good sign.

Will I see what looks to be Michelin Invincible solid rubber tires on that track. Was it a French HT at one time? A 1943 M16? Just curious regards its history

 

[1943ht]

Will one last question on that track ... does the rubber track have any markings on the edge that look like small circles with the letters TRAUCO in each circle?

 

[WillWagner]

I'll look at the track tomorrow, heard that before? I installed a new set of tracks on another HT a few years ago, they were new Israeli made, don't know the Mfgr. Yes, this is a French return, '43 M16 with a quad 50 in it...still powers up too. It has a stuck valve I need to fix. It is on a list.....

 

[WillWagner]

I looked this morning, absolutely no labels on the track. 11 of 1981 is molded into them, but no other markings anywhere. Craig says he believes they are Hodgkiss tracks

 

[1943ht]

Thanks for looking Will. TRAUCO, is a German Company that made track for the French army in the 50's. They are still in business.

 

[Valley Rock]

Curious as to what transfer case resides in a HT ?

 

[1943ht]

Spicer model number SP3641 trany with transfer case.

 

[1943ht]

Here is a pic with the track markings TRAUCO not TYCO ..GETTING OLD SUCKS

When you turn the symbol right side up, it looks like a track riding on two bogie wheels. Words translate to Trauco Metal Rubber.

 

[1943ht]

I may have mentioned that after installing my transfer case my track gear shift seemed to be stuck!! So after pulling my shift tower I found that the linkage for my 3rd and 4th gears was locked up tight. Tore down the shifter and it seems that I might have an issue with the ball bearings that control the shift rods. Am going to go through the tower, clean and reassemble the linkage after a thorough inspection. I know it's not the trany as I can manually shift all the gears by sliding them into position ...the only one that threw me off a bit was reverse. I could easily slide the reverse lever into position and observe the change in direction of the main shaft. But the track would not move. After examining the shift tower, I noted that the first gear engages when the reverse gear detent is pushed in and the shifter moved to reverse position. Broke out the drivetrain manual and it confirms that the 1st gear does engage when the trany is put into reverse as this gear actually drives the track in reverse. Lots of other interesting reading regards the transfer case setup, hi and low range and the safeties built in with regard to front wheel drive. Fascinating design regards the trany and transfer case and a lot more complicated than any Jeep, or M37 I've had more experience with!