Having finally got the Carawagon running in November 2020, it took me until the following April to get round to working on it again.  I'd removed its Fairey overdrive back in 2018 and trialled it in the 88" (while its own was being rebuilt).  It generally behaved okay, but sounded very 'bearing-y.'  After the 88" got its own overdrive back, the Carawagon's ended up sat in the garage for a few months.  I came across it when having a bit of a sort out, and decided to get working on it.  This post covers its disassembly.

Here it is having just been removed from the Carawagon in May 2018, with the standard issue coating of oily sludge:


As it was in April 2021, following a cleaning session and some service in the 88":


When working on Fairey/Superwinch overdrives, I use the repair and service manual written by Ulrico Becker, which is available in 'PDF' form on the Series I Club website.  As well as providing step-by-step rebuilding instructions, it lists all the bearing and seal sizes required, so is helpful in sourcing parts.

Once the top cover has been removed, the first thing to come out is the selector mechanism.  The detent spring and ball are retained by a pair of grub screws (top only shown here), which are best removed with 'Allen' keys:


With the detent grub screws out, removing the pinch bolt from the selector fork allows the selector shaft to be pulled out; the fork with its brass slipper pads can then be lifted out through the top of the unit:


Removal of the rear cover exposes the large input gear bearing, through which the mainshaft protrudes.  There are a couple of circlips to remove from the end of the mainshaft:


Behind the circlips is the first of the many thrust bearing packs that these units contain.  This one has had a bit of a hard time and lost one of its rollers.  Also shown are the shims used for setting the mainshaft end-float - a little mangled, in this particular unit:


With the first thrust bearing out, the input gear and its bearing can be removed.  The bearing isn't a press fit, so should slide out, or at most require some gentle leverage from inside the casing.  The synchromesh hub is now visible, further along the mainshaft.  At this point, the mainshaft easily pushes out through the front of the unit:


After mainshaft removal, the synchromesh hub can be lifted through the top of the casing.  Here you can see how it sits with the previously removed input gear:


View inside the casing following mainshaft and synchromesh hub removal.  To the right, the rear of the output gear shaft is exposed; to the left is the laygear, which has thrust bearing packs at both ends (rear pack just visible):


The layshaft is quite easily pulled out from the rear of the casing, and once the laygear has been moved aside, the output gear shaft will slide out through the front.  Inside are numerous roller bearings, spacers and thrust bearings - these often come out with the mainshaft, but if not, can now be slid out through the front of the output gear shaft:


Output gear shaft seal and roller bearing removed from the casing.  With the output shaft removed, these can be tapped out from behind:


Input gear with its bearing removed.  This does require a press, unless you're willing to risk brute force.  There's also a circlip that has to come off first:


All the components of the main unit laid out at the end of disassembly.  Keeping everything lined up in the order it needs to go back is good for sanity protection, I find.  The column roughly in the centre has all the bearings, spacers and shims for the mainshaft; bottom right is a similar arrangement for the layshaft.  Everything else, you can't really mix up!:


That just leaves the coupling sleeve.  The teeth are in good condition, so it's fine for reuse.  Just the bearing to replace, which slides off once either of the snap rings at each end has been removed:


Bearing removed.  Behind each snap ring is a metal spacer - these need to be retained, as they aren't provided with replacement bearing kits:


In contrast to the overdrive from the 88", all the important components in the Carawagon's turned out to be in very nice nick, so all I had to order were the things I'd change as a matter of course - bearings, seals, etc.  Quite a relief, as these units can quickly become rather expensive to restore, otherwise!  The lever linkage is still in place on the Carawagon for now, if anyone's wondering why it's been omitted from this write up.

Things ended up staying at this point until January this year, as within a couple of days of stripping the overdrive, I found myself allocated to work down in Hertfordshire for the rest of 2021.  On the odd brief visit home, I just sprayed all the components with oil, to avoid any corrosion while they were sat out on the bench.  It's all back together now though, so that procedure will be the topic of my next 'essay!'

Phil

Evening all,

Thought I'd try getting the updates rolling again.  I was hoping 2021 would be the year I could finally get stuck in to the Carawagon, but I ended up working down south for several months, so very little happened with it... again.  I'll lob some photos of the odds and sods that did occur on in the coming days.

I've been allocated closer to home for a while, so there's an opportunity for some movement.  I 'took the plunge' and got the Richards Chassis order in last week, so had better get some bits rebuilt to bolt to it when it arrives!

Phil

does anyone have local knowledge of any lanes near apedale still open?

I'm wondering which tent to bring.

You have more than one

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feels like a long time since we did a thing.mucho mucho marvy!