The pilot bearing is, indeed, a ball bearing, Hudson p/n 71161 "#200", which is just a 6200 bearing (10X30X9) available in open, single or double shielded or sealed/prelubricated. The original was open style (no shields). It really doesn't matter who makes it unless you have a preference.
IMHO, if you go to the trouble of replacing the transmission, it will still growl in low and a little less in second since low is a spur cut gear-set that is inherently noisy, and second, although a helical cut set, will still be audible to a lesser degree. Unless it's severe or has a "ratchety-clank" element in its voice, it's just part of the charm of driving a 30's vintage car.
Good luck,
Frank

Thank you, Frank.

It makes more noise than I am accustomed to coming from a Model A Ford transmission, which of course has all straight-cut gears, and most of them turning all the time, although not necessarily in mesh.

My seller said the transmission was perfect; he had never had any trouble with it.

My first impression when I rode in the car from the bus station in Naples, Florida to the seller's home there was that the transmission may have never malfunctioned in any kind of failure mode, but it made more noise than I liked.

One the other hand, I had no trouble at all with the transmission on my drive from Naples, Florida (south of Fort Myers) to Bryan, Texas. So it can't be too awfully bad, and you may be absolutely correct that it's doing what it is supposed to do.

If I were to find that my carefully disassembled, inspected, cleaned, repaired as seemed needful, and carefully reassembled replacement transmission that I found outside Chicago, growls about like the other one, that would indeed be a good joke on me. And I would tell all so they could enjoy the joke also.

Part of my master transmission plan is to set the finished transmission up on the cross slide of a big lathe, drive the input shaft with the lathe chuck, and try it in all gears, stopping the lathe for shifting as needed.

So I now intend to go and get that pilot bearing. Thanks again.

Robert,
Please let us know how it goes.
F

Robert: one thing you might do, is to find another '34 owner (or actually anyone with a '32 to '40, since I believe these are all the same basic transmission) and ask them to ride in your car and tell you if your transmission is any noisier than theirs!

A very good idea. Compare with similar others.

Only problem is that these cars are uncommon around here. Not quite as rare as chicken lips, but close.

I think I've only seen three that I can name out in the real world: My grandfather's 1936 car, the 1934 car that provoked my desire to have it or one like it, and the 1934 car I have now.

Or does it have me? Sometimes it may be hard to tell.

I joined the nearest HET Club Chapter, and was told "It's good to have a Terraplane in the chapter." or something like that.

You are absolutely correct. My ideas about how much noise is normal for a transmission to make may be way out in left field. If they are, I suspect I will find that out soon enough, and I will try to learn the truth.

In the meantime, I still have the transmission I found and bought, and I can't very well abandon that.

In the worst case, I will have illustrated a saying I heard some years ago: "It's good training. Learns you humility."

IF YOU NEED ANOTHER TRANSMISSION FOR PARTS I HAVE A FEW SPAIR ONES IN MY PILE OUT BACK $100 WOULD BUY ONE

Thank you, Paul. I'll remember this, and if I a piece that needs replacement, I'll be in touch.

I'm about to crack into my 33 Terraplane transmission to do some rebuild work, I'll be watching your progress here to learn.

I hope yours goes as well as I hope mine will.

Note that I said "will" (future tense, if I remember correctly). It seems as though it takes me approximately forever to do anything. I hope you do not have that problem as part of your ground rules.

If all goes reasonably well, I ought to hit the transmission toward Thursday of this week.

I would recommend that you seriously consider upgrading that '33 transmission with a later version. they were not a particularly good version. In fact Hudson issued a bulletin recommending replacement rather than repair, with a special on new units.

[quote="Geoff Clark" post=4556]I would recommend that you seriously consider upgrading that '33 transmission with a later version. they were not a particularly good version. In fact Hudson issued a bulletin recommending replacement rather than repair, with a special on new units.

Geoff, thanks for the info. I had looked into that briefly, but my 33 trans in the most complete. Is there any information on what needs to be done to swap these out? The linkage looks a little tricky, but Im missing a few parts anyway. I have a few later transmissions, I guess its time to get those back out and see which is best.

Matt

I think the conventional wisdom is that "they got it right (finally) in 1938."

1939 and 1940 (which cars I understand had column shift, and a shifter that fit on the casting where a floor shift would otherwise be)are said to be interchangeable with earlier floor shift transmissions, needing only the top off a floor shift transmission to live happily ever after.

Hello Matt Faust: I found you in Knoxville TN, but not an email address. I will be glad to share what I do (and learn, hopefully not the hard way) in the transmission fix-up project.

My used transmission came from a stash of parts advertised here. It's marked "32-35 TERR" in the yellow paint crayon that some wrecking yards use. I got it with bell housing and U-joint attached.

First think, drained remaining nasty oil. Jet washed whole thing. Poured it full of solvent, let it sit for about a week, turning input shaft when passing by.

Drained solvent, sprayed down gears and inside with Dexron-Mercon ATF to hopefully minimize rusting. Turned input shaft, shifted into various gears. Let it sit with gears etc pretty well coated with ATF.

Took bell housing off (top shifter was already off when I got transmission, removed for easier boxing to ship. Had a piece of cardboard bolted to case in lieu of shifter, which I also got. Shifter shows very little wear, which I'm hoping is a good sign.

That's where I am now. More to follow. My personal email is rebighampe@yahoo.com.

Matt, there are transmissions out there, and you ought to consider the reputation of the 1933 transmission, which Geoff Clark, who ought to know, reported. What a shame to put a smoking Terraplane 8 in front of a (known) weak transmission.

Paul Schuster said he had (at least several) your choice $100. Not bad.

I got my extra transmission from a post in Parts for sale. A fellow named Luke Blaser near Chicago. 843-289-0477 Charged me $200 for a used transmission marked "32-35 Terr" in yellow paint crayon like some wrecking yards use. I asked him about Terraplane trsnsmissions and had to describe it: "Floor shift, only about 8 inches long behind bell housing." I'm sure if he has more he knows it now. He seems
like a straight up guy to me.

The club member in Arizona who rebuilds transmissions sells parts, I understand.

For best results get a 1938, 1939, or 1940 transmission. There's a recent post telling how to identify the year model by stamped markings on the case. Your car may have had the 1933 transmission replaced with a better one. A lot can happen in 80 years. That's not original, by the way. Someone else said it before I.

Best of luck.