I am currently doing a SM 420 conversion on my FJ40. I picked up a good 420 out of a early fifties 3/4 pickup. The potential problem that I am worried about is the fact the these early models do not have a oil seal in the input bearing retainer. These early models have a screwed on oil slinger on the input shaft. . I am not familiar with this kind of setup and I am concerned that when the vehilce is nose down for a prolonged period of time that the oil would have a tendancy to "walk" out the front onto the input shaft . It looks to me like it could get past the bearing and past the slinger. I thought about using a later bearing reatainer with the seal , but it will not work as there is no smooth area for which the seal could connect.

What da ya think??

if there is only a rough surface you could just jam a speedy-sleeve (seal repair kit thingy) on there... then run the later style bearing retainer
other than that drill a hole in the bottom of the extension bit that the throwout bearing rides on.........so the oil will run down the front of the tranny and not get right "into' the clutch area.

Anyone else got a idea on this?

I'd bet that you could swap in a later model input shaft with the seal surface and then run the later bearing retainer. I'm sure someone here has these parts.

Please let me know what you came up with...I am right in the middle of swapping in my sm420. JFATEP@TELEPORT.COM

I was told by another person not to worry abouot it. The oil slinger will keep the oil from coming out the front during rotation.
The only problem that could happen would be for the tranny to be nose down for a long period of time without the tranny in operation. The tranny wouild have to be really tilted for the oil to come out while sitting in that extended position. It would never happen while sitting or mildly tilted because of the depth of the oil is not high enough.

* note to self*... don't park the cruiser in a severe down hill (nose down)position for a long period of time!!

I have decide it is not a concern or we would have heard about it before now. There is a ton of 420s in use with no such problem. IMHO

bennett

What about water crossing ?

I think somepeople don't understand the "slinger" . There is a taper cone type washer on the front of the shaft and it should, with a film of oil, actually ride on a machined surface on the trans. nose so there is no gap like some people are thinking and my transmision guy told me as long as the shaft it turning the film of oil acts as a seal so unless you were to park in water that was above the nose of the trans. for a long period of time I don't believe you would get any measurable amount of water in the trans.