'34 or '35 gearbox question

[David Pollock]

I cannot comment about availability in your area, but 34 stuff has always been scarce around here. You are correct that 35 has the mount for the handbrake lever on the side of the case. I think 36 but 37 for sure had the lever mounted in the floor board. 38 and 39 used a different rear casting as the handbrake cable goes on the driver's side. Internal parts, in most "cases" interchange.   I know of at least one owner around here changing his 34 to 35 components to avoid the problem of sagging mounts and the gear lever coming disconnected.   ps, Carla, I have not forgotten about the 34 headgasket, just busy on the farm.

[Carla]

Hello, all,

I think I've commented here previously about my insecurities regarding the '34 free-wheeling box, and the possibiity, however unlikely, that the lockout might come adrift on the road.

So.......I'd promised the f/w box from our car to a gentleman who wants to bring his PE back to exact originality......but I'm having an incredibly difficult time finding a non-f/w gearbox with which to replace it.

I think I asked here previously, but, anyway, I'm asking again.........has anyone a '34 non-f/w gearbox from a PF or later production PE which they'd care to sell?

Failing that, has anyone a '35 gearbox they'd sell us?

From all I can tell, the '35 box is a significantly stronger unit, with a lot better parts availability.

One of the local Chrysler Club members fitted a '35 box to his '34, by having to do the obvious cross-member modification. I was able to find a spare '34 cross-member on ebay, from someone who was hot-rodding his '34, so no problem with saving the original one to be able to go back to originality later.

If I understand correctly, the '35 box, or at least the '35 case, is appropriate, as the handbrake lever mounts to the transmission case, whereas the '36-'38 cases didn't have the provision for handbrake mounting. If I remember correctly, the parts book shows good interchange of the internal parts for the '35 to '38 gearboxes, and we already have a couple of '36 or '37 boxes which may have usable internal components.

Have good usable '34 gearboxes, and/or the internal parts necessary to rebuild one, become so scarce as to be impractical to try to find one?

cheers

Carla