Ford  Top Loader Three Speed Transmission Repairs

Purchase the parts and repair it yourself 
OR 
Send your transmission to our shop for repairs

Our specialty is the service of early Ford or Mercury 3 speed standard transmissions from 1928 up through 1959. We may be able to assist you on the Ford 4 speed truck transmissions up through 1952, and on the Ford or Mercury three speed transmissions into the early 1960's as well, including the overdrive transmissions.

If you are confident in your skills and wish to simply purchase the parts you need, please call our sales office to check price and availability for the items you need. We offer an online parts price guide (see link below) with many of the popular pieces listed. Not all items are listed so be sure to check with us if you don't see it online. Please consider purchasing our book:  The Ins and Outs of Early Ford Transmissions , which is a great guide in the identification and assembly of the 1932-52 transmissions, plus much additional information (gear charts, serial number charts, parts specifications, etc) to help you. Click here for info on the book.

If you would prefer to send your transmission here for service, please contact us for more specific information. We request that all service jobs be discussed and reserved in advance. We normally allow 3-4 weeks for a repair job, although it can take longer if a particular part must be located from outside of our parts stock. Regular 1928-48 three speed transmissions can be shipped via UPS, provided they are packaged carefully with sufficient padding to prevent damage. If you prefer to ship a transmission in a wood crate, we will normally try to use your crate for the return shipment.

We have the special tools and equipment in our shop, plus the experience of many rebuilds to provide you with competent and efficient repair of your transmission. Our shop rate is currently $65.00 per hour. We charge $75.00 for the casting cleaning process (including paint) for the four pieces that make up the overall housing. This is a thermal bake process plus a bead blast and a hot wash before paint (standard cast gray paint). There is an additional $25.00 charge for special paint (ie: Ford green). We do not quote a standard rebuild charge since we do not know in advance what parts might be needed beyond the usual bearings, seals, gaskets, etc. Once we have completed the teardown and inspection of your gearbox and gears, we will contact you with an estimate of your total cost of the rebuild.

A common question is how much do we charge for a rebuild. The common wear parts (bearings, seals, thrust washers, gaskets, etc) will typically run about $175.00 but can go higher if additional pieces are needed. A regular three speed transmission typically takes about six hours actual shop time to do a normal teardown, cleanup, and reassembly. Overdrive units (1949-60 Borg Warner type) require 8 hours for the overdrive unit itself. 

A deposit of $200.00 is required with the start of a transmission job. The balance (including return shipping cost) will be assessed on completion of the work. We accept Visa, MasterCard, and Discover Card. Postal money orders and cash are also accepted (we do not accept personal checks for repair work). We welcome customers who wish to visit the shop, but ask that you make arrangements ahead of time.

VANPELT PARTS & SERVICE
Mac VanPelt
Cincinnati, Ohio  USA

(800) 299-7496 (in the USA only)
(513) 943-1537 (outside the USA)

Copyright 2009 - VANPELT PARTS & SERVICE - All rights reserved