TR2/3/3A Prize in every box! TR3 gear box

[Got_All_4]

Had the distinct pleasure of changing my TR3A gear box this weekend. To make a long story short a tooth was chipped on the mountain tour at TRF summer party last year. After some driving around back here in Ohio and hitting a pot hole this spring taking off quickly in 1st a bunch of teeth were sheared off. There was no 1st or reverse after that.

Got a really good used tranny too, cheap. Got a question about the numbers on the box. There are several numbers but which number is the one that would designate about what year it would belong to?

 

[HerronScott]

Is there a number similar to the commission number (TSXXXXX)?

Scott

 

[Silverghost]

You now need to name your car "Leon" after Leon Spinks, the pro boxer! He was missing teeth too!! :laugh:

 

[TR3driver]

The book says there should be a TSxxx number stamped on the LH side; but I just checked two different early crash boxes and couldn't find a number on either one.

This is where it's located on the later gearboxes, though. The CC prefix indicates it's a late TR6 gearbox (which I have installed in my TR3).

 

[tdskip]

My early boxes don't have numbers either.

 

[Don Elliott]

I bought my TR3A brand new in May, 1958 so I can assure you that the numbers stamped on my TR are the orginal ones.

VIN : TS 27489 LO
Engine : TS 27789 E
EB # : 27710
Body No. : 983670
Frame No. : Z 28
G/Box : TS 27764 (with 301039 cast onto the Aluminium casing)

 

[Tr3aguy]

Where the heck do you locate all of those numbers?
Well the last few anyway?

 

[Don Elliott]

With the front valance off, the rad out and maybe the engine out as well, the Frame number is stamped onto the top of the frame mid-center looking straight down from above.

The gearbox number is hand-stamped onto the boss (flat bulge) on the side of gearbox casing half way down. I think it's on the side a bit above and to the rear of the clutch slave cylinder - but I can't be sure. The casting number in cast into the top side as shown just below the dip-stick for checking the oil level and re-filling my original gearbox. All TR2s, TR3s and early TR3As had this dipstick.

 

[JohnnyMead]

JP,
-The body number is on one of the 2 brass plates on the bulkhead above the battery.
-Frame number (its a design update number I think) is a welded-on plate on the top of the cross member just ahead of the engine. Kind of hard to see.
-The TR3 gearbox has a SN stamped on a boss on the left side. Easy to see if the transmission cover is out of the car.
John

 

[Don Elliott]

The gearbox number is barely visible on the top flange of the boss. Zoom in to see exactly where. As noted above, the tunnel needs to be out so you can read it straight down.

 

[TR3driver]

Don, that photo is way too fuzzy to zoom in on.

I still don't see any numbers on mine. Maybe the factory was kind of sloppy about putting the numbers on ?

 

[Got_All_4]

Wow thanks for all the replies! Wasn't expecting all them. Got home from work and went right to the car. Replacing the jute under the carpet. The old jute has been in there since 1981 and was very deteriorated. I'm going to place a carpet question too on another listing.

Anyway I took out TS40272 and put in TS74743. Any idea what year tranny that is? Thanks for the pics. Especially those overdrives. After this happened last August I've been looking for a reasonable overdrive with no luck.

 

[HerronScott]

The International Triumph Registry shows the following commission numbers and dates:

TS22014 Sep 1957
TS83572 Oct 1961

I would have guessed late 1960 or possible early 1961 but some of the TR3's listed in that range appear to have April-May 1960 build dates so likely it's from earlier in 1960.

Scott

 

[Got_All_4]

The original tranny had a wine in first gear. This one does too. Maybe something in that vin line that does that. This is the 3rd tranny in this car. I'll have to dig out the original one buried deep in the shed to match vins.

 

[TR3driver]

Maybe something in that vin line that does that.

I believe that is right. 1st & reverse are "straight cut" gears, which whine a bit. 2-4 are "helical cut". Notice in your photo above how some of the teeth are at an angle, others are straight. The straight cut gives more strength and efficiency, but makes more noise.

 

[Twosheds]

The original tranny had a wine in first gear. This one does too. Maybe something in that vin line that does that. This is the 3rd tranny in this car. I'll have to dig out the original one buried deep in the shed to match vins.

Ought to be a pun made here about wine and vin, but I'm drawing a blank. Some help please?

 

[Andrew Mace]

Ought to be a pun made here about wine and vin, but I'm drawing a blank. Some help please?

Don't you mean "I'm drawing a <span style="font-style: italic">blanque</span>?" :wink: No question that 1960 was a good year for straight-cut-gear wines, though. :laugh:

 

[Twosheds]

Andy comes to the rescue again. Thanks. I'm a little dull today.

 

[Andrew Mace]

 

[martx-5]

My TR3 gearbox is marked TS24093 on a car whose commission number is TS23677L. The engine number is TS24071E. So, the boxes appear to be running slightly ahead of the engine numbers, and several hundred ahead of the commission number.