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I have a 1937 Super Eight Touring Sedan.

When the transmission gets good and warm, like after 30 miles or so, the synchromesh gets wonky. You have to double clutch in order to get the car to shift silently.

Could this be a lubricant problem? More likely is the transmission just worn out.

If I replace the transmission could I use one that had an overdrive in it without a lot of modifications?

the car is a joy to drive on the road and I would have no problem taking a fairly long trip in it if I had a little better gearing.

Dear Tom:

These cars are getting old. When new the trans had a nice firm precision feel, and as the sychros wear it's gets notchy.

If you are having problems with the 1-2 shift that can be adjusted in the car by adding a shim in front of the main shaft bearing. The shim moves the synchro closer to the hub.

There is a procedure outlined in the manual to reckon the shim size, and you can use a machinist's/good ruler rather than the special Packard dial indicator set up I've never seen for sale.

Adjustment for the 2-3 shift require trans removal and shims added behind the front input shaft bearing.

I saw something about new synchros being made which is good, but the forks and yoke plunger springs are wearing as well.

For normal driving you can always just get the trans into high gear by 15-20 mph as well because the motor is that powerful.

Hope this helps