Research Assistance..

[5-90]

I know - lotta weird crap coming down the pipe, and now it's my turn to provide...

If you work for any of the following (especially if you've been there for a while,) I'd appreciate it if you'd hit me backchannel. I'm looking for someone who can provide archival (and probably non-proprietary) technical information for products from the following manufacturers:

Ford Motor Company (all divisions)
General Motors (all divisions)
Chrysler Motors (all divisions)
Toyota Motor Company
Mitsubishi Motor Company
American Axle & Manufacturing
Detroit Diesel
International Truck (archival information on the old "Light Line", and the current LT Diesels)
Isuzu (primarily Diesel engines)
Saginaw Gear (whoever ended up with them)
Muncie Gear (likewise)
Arvin-Meritor (they got Rockwell)
whoever is the current owner of the old Timken Axle line - I don't recall at the moment.
Borg/Warner
Tremec
Allison Transmissions

I'm sure there are a few more, but I'm not recalling them at the moment. I've tried writing a few of these "c/o General Delivery," and all I seem to get is Customer Care - and they don't have any idea what I'm after, since all they know is current production. I need to go back a bit farther...

I don't want internal arrangements or details, I don't want any more on control systems than you couldn't get out of public literature anyhow. What am I looking for? Production timelines and models, mounting details (preferably dimensioned drawings,) bellhousing patterns for engines & transmissions, and the like. Essentially, what could be figured out given time and junkyards - but most scrappers around here keep banker's hours, and would look at me funny if I carted in enough tools to tear the place apart and enough measuring and drafting gear to record it all as I go. This approach is far simpler (although it would probably work out the same - since what I'd spend in the junkyard admit, I'd spend in postage. However, I'd get more for my postage, if this all works out.)

Yes, this is continuing research for Swappology. I've been digging up what I can on my own - and doing fairly well at it - but Google-Fu won't find what isn't there to be found.

I'd also like to eventually be able to visit their production archives, but that's something I can hammer out the details on once I have a contact.

Jon

 

[selarep]

How about exide?

 

[vetteboy]

I don't know if this will help narrow things down, but...

- Muncie was the GM transmission plant in Indiana
- The formation of New Venture Gear was the merger of GM's Muncie plant and Chrysler's Syracuse, NY New Process Gear. This resulted in the NV-series of transmissions, which replaced the crappy GM HM290 and 5LM60 Muncie designs.
- In 2002 GM sold off their shares of NVG to Chrysler, who then sold a majority holding to Magna in 2004, who now has a 80% controlling interest in the company.
- The Muncie, IN plant is no longer in operation (closed 2006).
- No OEM parts for the NV35xx, NV4500, or NV5600 are available anymore

So you might have a difficult time tracing back any information on those particular groups.

 

[5-90]

I don't know if this will help narrow things down, but...

- Muncie was the GM transmission plant in Indiana
- The formation of New Venture Gear was the merger of GM's Muncie plant and Chrysler's Syracuse, NY New Process Gear. This resulted in the NV-series of transmissions, which replaced the crappy GM HM290 and 5LM60 Muncie designs.
- In 2002 GM sold off their shares of NVG to Chrysler, who then sold a majority holding to Magna in 2004, who now has a 80% controlling interest in the company.
- The Muncie, IN plant is no longer in operation (closed 2006).
- No OEM parts for the NV35xx, NV4500, or NV5600 are available anymore

So you might have a difficult time tracing back any information on those particular groups.

Thanks. I knew about the NVG sell-off to Magna (Canadian, aren't they?) and I knew that Muncie was GM, but the rest of the stuff is new.

And, I'm not strictly looking for parts information - more tech, engineering specs (cube volume, weight, torque input/output specs, mounting, bellhousings, ...) and (if they can be had!) unit service manuals, like you get from the Dana Expert site (I need to write AAM again, unless someone here has an "in" that goes farther than the website do.)

Are the OEM parts for the NV35/45/56xx series Dx'd because the transmissions aren't made anymore, or what? I have found out a bit about NVG7xxx-series gearboxes that seemed to be used in light trucks, but haven't found out much about them yet. As I said, I'm more after engineering specs and such - and looking at donors made over the last forty to fifty years (say, 1950-now, just to round it off - but it may be 1960-now, or even 1970-now, depending on information I find.)

But, even little tidbits like this can prove useful - there's no such thing as "useless information". It's just information I haven't figured out what to do with yet...