Thread: What Is This?

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This is a picture of a 1946 or so 4 speed truck transmission. I took a closeup of the solenoid/switch of some type on the drivers side. Can anyone tell me what this is? See attached Pic.

That's what I thought it might be, the transmission also has a rod about 1/4 inch in diameter that extends the entire length of the shifter. Like you pull up on it and it engages overdrive?

Denny, that may well be, but it kind of looks like a solenoid for a two speed rear axle to me as used in heavy duty trucks. That would be what the rod on the shifter was; to switch from the low side to the high side. I wouldn't guarantee that though.

If the rod runs down the handle and through the ball into the trans itself, it is a reverse gear lockout; there was a lever on the shifter just beneath the knob (there should be a hole for a pin or a screw through the handle about an inch or so below the knob), and you could hook it with your ring and pinky fingers and pull it up to move the handle to the reverse slot. Otherwise, it should be a cable of some sort to operate a two speed rearend or an overdrive unit. The switch??? I thot maybe a backup light switch, but on second thought, that wouldn't be it, because there are no external levers on that trans, and it is not hefty enough to be an operating solenoid, considering the age of the unit, and the level of technology at that time.