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Old May 7th, 2017, 04:24 PM
George Bongert George Bongert is offline
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Default Re: RT 910 10 speed retrofit from 5 spd

Quote:
Originally Posted by 401bluebird View Post
High-
After years of waiting, I am about to refresh my GMC chassis 1960 Bluebird all American Motorhome conversion. My 401 GMC v6 is tight and runs well. It has a Clark 5 speed which doesn't offer enough gear choices for this marginally powered coach.

My friend, a diesel bus mechanic, suggested I find an Eaton/Fuller RT 910 road ranger 10 speed trans. Says they are very common and can be acquired for fairly cheap. It offers the obvious closer gear spreads, plus as a bonus, an overdrive final ratio; something I can really use.

My bus chassis has the large bell housing, which I am to believe is an SAE 2 size. Has anyone done such a swap before? My mechanic friend said that there are two basic shifting mechanisms, one is cable, the other is mechanical rods.

I appreciate any insights offered.
-Andy Carlson
Ojai CA

Greetings 401bluebird!

I'm not sure what you will need to make this transmission swap, and the Fuller Roadranger 10 speed would be a good choice for your application. However, there is one drawback to the Fuller Roadranger transmission, that being that it is a non-synchronized transmission, (I assume your Clark 5 speed IS synchronized) meaning that you will have to learn how to double clutch when shifting from one gear to the next, or learn to shift gears without clutching by using engine RPMs. In most truck driving schools, it is recommended to double clutch these transmissions, but I know many over the road haulers who use the engine RPMs and no clutch method when shifting gears. I once drove a sweet corn truck for neighbor who taught me how to shift these transmissions without using the clutch, and they shifted as smooth as silk. I'll quote what he said to me as he taught me how to handle these transmissions: "We only use the clutch on these (Fuller Roadranger) transmissions for three things~~~stop, start, and back up"! This sounds like an interesting project! Good Luck!
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