One of the best produced videos on Model A's I've seen! The wooden jig for the transmission case and tower makes it so much easier to see the "action" of the transmission's gear changes.

This is the best explanation of the Model A Transmission that I've ever seen. Kudos, George!

Hands down the best explanation I have ever seen. Thanks for posting this.

Wow, George! You made some serious effort to build that wooden frame making it easy to follow the otherwise hidden functions inside the box. You realy found a perfect way to show it outside the box and explained how all parts are working together so well and the filming also was done in a very professional manner. Thank you so much for this fantastic video. Now i like my 29 Roadster even more!

That was probably the most clear demonstration of how a crashbox transmission works. I have rebuilt many manual transmissions, I know how constant mesh transmissions all work, but this was such a beautiful clear simple demonstration of how that transmission works it was easy enough for anybody to understand it.

By far the best visual demonstration I’ve ever seen of anything! Nice work

Very interesting. I’ve never had someone break down the transmission this thoroughly and yet simple to understand. Thanks!

Excellent video. Thank you for taking the time to build the display box. Seeing the tranny in action from the lateral view is neat. It makes you understand why double clutching and matching shaft speeds lets you slide into gears without grinding!

I've seen animations of the process, but nothing like the real thing. What a great job. Thank you.

Good job George, the best video I have seen explaining all the parts and how they fit and work together. It is very simple but efficient I can see grinding a few gears that is why they came up with the synchromesh gears. Nice job!!

Great video. Thank you. The box really helped. Best I've seen on model a trans.

Ditto all positive comments Mr. Bell. At 70, I understand the basics of most tasks on the Model A. But this level of detail is exactly what I value. At 14, I took the tower off my 31 coupe tranny. Figured out how it worked and slid the gears, but only recently studied a couple videos and got the full understanding of the the transmission. Your video is the icing on the cake. Keep'em comin' George

Great video thanks for making the display case it really proves a picture is worth a thousand words.

This is very helpful. No laughing at all from me at your wooden construction. The educational value that wooden structure enabled is significant. Well done. Did you used to be a teacher? You have the perfect demeanor for it. Thank you very much.

Really nice and clear demo of how transmissions work. It's a delight to see how - if you were to imagine what would be needed to create the power delivery and power ratios - this is what one would draft up! And it physically works! Simple, effective and makes you hanker after more simple times of the past. Thanks for sharing!

This may be the most helpful, easy to follow informational video I've ever seen. Very well done. I'm 23 now and I hope to have a Model A of my own in the next couple years. Until then, I'm taking to understanding the mechanical ins and outs of the Model A. Thank you!

I like the visuals; much easier to learn by seeing. Thanks!

A tech discussion at my local chapter pointed me to this video and I am certainly happy I did. I baby the shifting of my '31 Cabriolet because I never want to get inside this transmission but I can now fully appreciate what's going on inside it. Solid parts and simple design. Thanks Henry, Edsel, and George!

Best explanation of gearbox I have ever seen. Great job with the plywood casting - congratulations!

I Loved your demonstration. Very well put together. Only one minor item I would have liked to have demonstrated and that was how the shift lever could be raised by the driver to disengage it and rotate it against the dashboard to allow unencumbered entry or exit from the passenger side. Loved my 1931! Thanks

Great Video! I always had to visualize how this transmission worked. My father, when alive, restored Model As for a living (MAFCAR of Abilene). In 1963 at age 8, I learned to drive this exact version of a Ford 1931 Deluxe Roadster Model A with side mounts and trunk rack in Washington Blue with a rumble seat. I would sit on my father’s lap, as my feet would not reach the petals and I would tell him when to push and let out the clutch. I would handle the throttle myself on the steering column. At age 12, I rebuilt my first Model A engine and transmission that I installed in a 1930 deluxe coupe. I went on to marine engineering school and learned to run a lathe on the same South Bend that you have in your shop. After 35 years, I retired as a Chief Engineer on a 38,700 HP Nine Cylinder Slow Speed Diesel Container Ship that was direct drive (No Transmissions).

Fantastic George ! I’m putting together my gear box because of your videos ! I can’t be more thankful 🙏

Excellent "seminar" on the A Model gearbox. Thank you so much for the time and effort you went to in order to prepare it!

Glad there is someone who can show us the old ways. My Uncle used to work on these growing up. He said he wished he still had all the ones he modified for racing, lol. Sadly he passed away at 90 years old without passing on his knowledge to me.

What a great video. I was born in 1938, so I can identify with that stick shift. I remember shop class and the seniors got to work on one of those transmissions. Thanks for making and sharing this great video. A lot of work went into making that plywood gear box. I'm sure you enjoyed making it.

Thanks, George, Very well presented and easy to understand. Thanks for making the wooden gearbox and explaining the workings in layman's terms. Well done!

I don’t comment too often on KZfaq, but you sure prompted me to. Thank you George! This video explained a lot.

What a great illustration! I didn't laugh until you said "OK enough" then I laughed. No wonder folks could work on thier own vehicles back in the day. Super!

So the wood box example is mind blowing. Thank you and well done!

Good information. So simple but effective

Incredible amount of work to display the action of the gearbox and the explanation of how it functions. Thanks.

Superb demonstration, made everything clear. Thanks for taking the time to build the model, film, and edit the video!

Very good video George. Thanks for taking the time to explain how the transmission works. It is videos like this that makes me see the value in KZfaq and the individual contributors, like you, which make it great.

One of the best explanations I have ever seen!

Outstanding presentation ! As a relatively new Model A (31 Dlx Coupe) owner this is pure gold ! Thank you for all your work and 'cleverness' involved in your demonstration !

That was awesome! As that transmission design, with various refinements, is still in use today.

Actually Mr. Bell, I find your transmission mock up to be quite Elegant. It serves to provide a wealth of information to the eager student. Thank You for your time and craftsmanship and the patience to walk us through the various gearing positions. Great Video. Greetings from Ontario, Canada.

Excellent videos, Thanks for taking the time to help us all!!

Very well explained with your plywood gearbox. Well done.

I did a full transmission rebuild when I was about 12 years old when my dad and I restored a 1931 Deluxe Coupe. I worked on it steady from 5th grade until it was done after high school graduation. Skills learned on the A have helped me be more independent in handling my own mechanical work on the 2005 Jeep I drive daily now. The A was so simple and rugged. Dad passed away just over a year ago and a couple of years before, the A had moved on to another owner. I am sure it is still clocking miles on the road today. I stumbled on your video by chance. You brought me back some memories of our times working on the old car. Nice job! Thanks!

Thanks a lot for this very informative look at this nice little gearbox. Watching it and hearing you explanation is big fun!

Thank you so much for this video!! I just bought a 1931 Ford model a truck and looked it over yesterday was very excited about the inside of the motor being so clean and not locked up! Don't know about the transmission yet so this video would be helpful for me if I need to work on it.

really great demonstration , i was looking for this transmission video on youtube haven't found this much easy to understand

Wow, thank you for the excellent quality video. I can imagine it takes a great amount of time and effort to show and explain things as well as you have. Please know that people like me sincerely appreciate it. :)

After working in machine shops for many years and having a hearing impairment, I appreciate your excellent articulation.

The best explanation of how a basic manual transmission works, period. This could / should be used to teach automotive mechanic students… if they still do that🙄. I consider myself an advanced mechanic and still enjoyed the presentation and found the ratio math useful. Great Job.

Great job. Really appreciate your effort and time spent.

Extremely well done. Great job building the wood housings to support the shafts. Extra thought, time and care went into this one! Appreciated.

Great explanation thank you very much for putting your videos together and for sharing your knowledge

Thank you so much for such an amazing video of this great machine. Things like this make KZfaq great… god bless

Well done, George, from an ex-Zimbabwean in South Africa! I like your relaxed style, clear, concise and well presented. It looks like you have nearly all new parts too. I learnt about 3 speed boxes by having to assemble one for a 1957 Ford Prefect from 3 boxes in parts!

Hey it’s all new to me . Just bought a 29 fordor a week ago. I’ve learned so much about model A’s this last week .Didn’t know much about um two weeks ago. Only that they are machinery 101 Everything evolving after theses cars seems superfluous Looking forward to all the mechanical adventures ahead. Thanks for the lesson 🏆😊

Awesome explanation and a great channel. Probably the best showing how different things on the Model A work. I'd love to see a lot more of repairs and work on your A. Cheers

I’ve rebuilt modern 5spd automatics and understand them well, but the manual transmission always confused me as dumb as that sounds. This video is the best yet I’ve found that is middle of the road on knowledge; assumes I know a bit but doesn’t assume I know too much. Well done.

Excellent presentation very well explained and demonstrated......thank you

Excellent! Very simple and understandable. The Wood trans was unique and makes the functions so easy to follow!

Great video, great explanations, surprisingly similar to todays transmissions. Just add sliding clutches between the gears and snap rings to hold the gears in place and it's about the same!

If all my teachers in school many years ago had explained & demonstrated things with such incredible clarity, I would be in a different place in life today. Extremely well done!! Now more than ever, I look forward to owning/restoring one of these cars some day.

I love your videos and the effort put forth with your training aids, that wood trans case is the bomb! Great job my friend! Your style of presentation makes it possible for anybody to understand how the mystery box works!

Well done! I got my first education on how a transmission works when my brother and I got a transmission out of a '25 Chevy. I was 8 years old at the time. 58 years later, including nearly 48 years in the repair business, that basic education taught me so much...

Great job of showing the power flow. There is nothing to add for a modern automobile except for the addition of synchronizer rings and additional gear ratios.

Best explanation of a gearbox ever. I appreciate the wooden caste housing of the gearbox. The main shaft multipurpose gears are easily understood especially when you explained each component separately. Henry Ford & his craftsmen had a genius design in that gearbox, simple & reliable. Thanks George from Sydney AU.

George, you have done a outstanding service for the Model A community. Thank you Sir!

Really excellent tutorial, Mr. Bell. You explained everything really well. Thanks!

Sir.... thank you.. Some hard work on your behalf, to ensure everyone who watched that ... could not only maintain the early ford manual 3 speed... But they have a CLEAR id.. of how all manual transmissions work... Thank you again...

Well done. Thanks for the effort you put into your videos and excellent explanations.

Thank you for all the work you did in creating this video.

Thanks. I have a 28 AR Sport Coupe that we'll be building in the future, and your video helped explain the transmission to me. Sort of reminded me of one of Henry Ford's watches.

I really admire you, you are a source of wisdom, I learn a lot from your videos, I am a fan of red bone of old cars and South Bend lathes, without a doubt, the best machinery, God bless you.

Hello George. Made it simple enough for me to understand. Thank you veery much.

Splendidly displayed working mock-up, George. Picked up a discarded driveshaft during the early phase of a racoon hunt with a dog pack. Carried it for a good 3 hrs. before the tree & made my Dad proud & happier in me; than I'd ever seen him during the first ten years of my life.

A very clear and concise explanation. The power flow through the transmission is easy to understand with the wooden buck holding the various parts in their proper relationship. Thank you for this video.

You said i owe you a comment, no prob...AWESOME! Best transmission explanation yet.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! I LOVE LEARNING ABOUT THE FORD MODEL A. THESE CARS A VERY SIMPLE AND BASIC. THAT IS WHY THEY ARE SO POPULAR TODAY.

Thanks for this. I've never had anything to do with a model a transmission and likely never will but have just watched this video closely and understood it, finding it extremely interesting! I do own an old Massey Ferguson with a 3 speed main transmission (+ high/low) and expect it will be very similarly laid out to this one as gear gears are in the same positions.

Hell George - This is an unbelievably fantastic video! Thank you so much for the detailed explanation of how the transmission works. I completed an engine swap in my 1931 Ford Model A (original engine blew piston #1 and the donor engine came out of a 1928 Ford Tudor) last week and the engine started up just fine. The donor engine had the transmission still attached, so I just used it, as it was in working condition when both the engine and transmission were removed from the Tudor. I had to remove the shift lever assembly in order to insert the transmission (still attached to the engine) through the engine compartment into the truck as one engine/transmission unit. Well, my first test drive was yesterday and I found out quickly that the only gear that I had was reverse. The transmission would shift (with the clutch in) into 1st, 2nd, and 3rd (but not reverse), but when I let out the clutch the truck would only move in reverse. After watching your video, I think I know how to resolve the issue. It appears that I did not re-assemble the stick shift assembly correctly. I think that the transmission was in reverse gear when I got it, and I didn't re-align the gears appropriately when I reassembled the stick shift box. At 7:24 in your video, the fork that you show is the issue (I think). At 7:58 you show how the fork is slid into place on the reverse/1st gear. After watching your video, I don't think I did that correctly - my reassembled fork missed the gear slot. Therefore, I'm stuck in reverse gear. I am going to take a look this afternoon. Your thoughts? Mike

Absolutely excellent video, and a pleasure to listen to the (very clear) narration. Thank you!

this is THE BEST video I've seen on this topic. Thank you

Great work. Good video. The guys that used to work on these would have loved this.

i taught auto for more than 40 years. amy i show this to my students. presently we are using jam handy's spinning levers. best wishes and a big thanks

The surprise is not how primitive it is, but in how much they got right and haven't changed since: cluster gear, on counter shaft, needle bearings, reverse gear, straight through high gear, H pattern shifting, shift forks, slider splines, cluthc plate and spline, transmission housing casting, shift tower. Seeming only missing synchros.

Thank You for your effort on putting this together, absolutely brilliant

Thanks for the demonstration, I love learning how things work

Very well done. Thank you!

Very good informational video for the people who just wanna know why and how's things work.

This was very well explained. The video was well done. Great job.

George, thank you for posting the great videos. I am in the process of removing my engine and transmission. Your videos helped me see what I am getting into and also helps me visualize the process. Thanks again.

Thank You, really appreciate that, and your time to understand the A transmission!

I’m a machinist and you do good work.

Seeing the transmission at work in the wood housing sure makes it clear how everything works. Great video!

Thank you for putting this together. I needed a refresher as it's been 40 years since I've done a tear-down and rebuild a Ford 3 speed. 1st time was 50 + years ago with my Father guiding me.

Excellent! It would be great to use the same setup to demonstrate why double clutching is necessary, and how it works. I would also like to see how gear synchronizers work to match gear speeds.

Thank you. We all appreciate the great explanation and your wooden mock-up to allow us to get a clear view of what is going on.

Very well explained. Special mention to the ratio calculations. Thank you🙏

... I can almost make that with my machine lathe and a few other hand tools. This is really impressive. Especially considering all the forces involved here. The power isn't mind boggling, but they are impressive. Thanks for showing us this. Its almost inspired me to make my own transmission for a project I have. And yes, this transmission was leagues better than shifting via foot pedal in the midel T hands down!

Once again, OUTSTANDING ..

Thank You Sir, this will definitely help troubleshoot, as my friends 31 coupe transmission keeps locking up after he runs it, preventing a restart.

Just stumbled upon this series of videos in preparation to help my Dad remove and replace the transmission in his 31 model A pickup. Phenomenal job George! You are a true educator and I am enjoying your videos immensely. Keep up the good work. Nice woodworking skills as well!

fantastic video, thank you! I've removed transmissions before, but never dived into them much. they are simpler than I thought. Thank you :-)

Very nice explanation...very clear