MTFCA Forum

I just noticed thar my retainer has wear from the pin. The wear is .010” The part is .062” thick and worn area .052”
Would this be safe to use. Do not know what acceptable wear would be.


John

2 ways I've seen over the years are, built up with a bit of brazing and another was a washer made to fit.

If you have a Ace hardware in your area check out nut,bolt and etc. section.
They have retainer washers of all sizes. They are maybe called bushings also for different applications. It’s surprising how many types they have.
They have some spacer bushings that just might fit in the retainer. They look awful close.
Your retainer is about average for wear. If your concerned about it build it up with a little brass.
In my experience I’ve never seen one that’s worn through but anything is possible. Lots of T transmissions are running with some like yours. It will probably last like it is for as long as you have your car.
I would try the washer route first. You may be surprised what Ace has that’s already pretty close.

Thanks for your replies. I did not know if this was unusual wear. Now I have some choices.

John

How about re cutting the slots @ 90 degrees? Now you have NOS condition. And you didnt warp or mess with the metallurgy.

In answer to your question, thats looks like more wear than What I normally see. Were I rebuilding & finding this, I would have blindly gone to the pile & grabbed a less worn part. In thinking about it, .010 wear in 100 years, No need to be concerned until the year 2221.

John, I had typed the same response about shifting the slots, but it also means drilling the two larger holes in the side to allow the retainer to be fitted. No great problem, just a little more to do.

Allan from down under.

I think shifting or clocking the pin 90 degrees will still have the insert hole(s) 45 degrees out...why would you say that the outside holes have to be redrilled?

Scott_Conger wrote: ↑

Mon Jul 19, 2021 8:38 pm

I think shifting or clocking the pin 90 degrees will still have the insert hole(s) 45 degrees out...why would you say that the outside holes have to be redrilled?

Holes dont need to be re-drilled. Twist the cup the opposite direction to hit the new lock point.

Why not just replace it with an unworn one? They are not that valuable to begin with.

Scott, I checked three retainers in my stash. Unlike the one in the first photo, the cut outs are all in line with the holes in the side. I cannot recall ever having to rotate the retainer somewhat after inserting the pin. perhaps this is a Canadian thing. Is it at all difficult to turn the retainer while the spring exerts tension?

Allan from down under.

Allan

there was a posting about just this subject not so long ago and I found for the first time that there were retainers with the holes lined up with the slots just as you have learned that there are some where the holes are NOT lined up. I don't recall if it was determined to be a "Canadian thing" or if it was just a random thing. Myself I have never seen them lined up.

It isn't too difficult a job to jog it around and get the pin to snap into the slots but it is a bit more of a job to "unhook" them and rotate to line up the holes to drift it out.

I thought about recutting the slots in my mill, but the metal is hardened and thin. Do not have ac cess to known better ones so I am using an .048 thick bushing-washer. This is the last part I need to finish the engine.

John