T90 rebuild kit question

Hi everyone,  I recently received a complete T90 rebuild kit from Kaiser Willys and am a little confused.   The countershaft bearing spacer that I received in the kit is much bigger inside and outside diameter than the old one.  The new countershaft itself is exactly the same size as the old one.  The countershaft cluster gear itself is an exact match of the old one.   Basically what I'm looking at is that the new spacer is a tight fit in the cluster gear and a very loose fit on the counter shaft,  and the old spacer is a loose fit in the cluster gear (both new and old ) but a tight fit on the counter shaft. Is this right?  I guess the spacer is nothing more than a spacer,  meant to keep the roller bearings in place and the bearings themselves would be a tight fit between the cluster gear and the counter shaft,  but wouldn't thh spacer bounce around in the spinning cluster gear and cause vibration and damage?   I have not tried putting it and the needle bearings inside the cluster gear yet but it all seems that it would be a little loosey goosey to me. Anyone seen this before?  

I just tore diwn two T90s. Both original spacers measured .975"- .980" OD. If your original is similar, use it rather than what they sent. BTW, I just ordered the master rebuild kit from Novak. I'll check their spacer when it arrives. I also ordered some NOS parts from Pete Debella. 

Hey! Its round and made of metal, close enough for Amix-Ada

Kinnett wrote: Guess what,  I checked the bearing spacer washers supplied with the kit and they won't fit inside the cluster gear.  They are obviously stamped steel, with stamping ridges on them and not flat.   I can fix them,  but....

Mike from Kaiser Willys is going to send me a new small parts kit from a different supplier.   I will post on this string how the parts compare.   I must say that my experience with Kaiser Willys customer service has always been and continues to be exceptional.   

I think Novak makes their own stuff and makes a good quality kit you'll be happy with

Finish nails in place of missing needle bearings? That's awesome!  I wrote something wrong earlier,  the old spacer is longer than the new one supplied in the kit and there were only 4 washers in the transmission,  just like you said Bruce.  The needle bearings in the kit match the old ones and they seem hard -  I tried to mark them with a cold chisel and ball peen hammer and couldn't.  

   Omg ! _ _ SE Kansas

   I had better not toss out that old can of finish-nails quite yet.

We would probably get lots of chuckles seeing how people made things work with a Bubb-Fix, being a last resort fix.

   Here is one of my Bubba-Solutions on the '46 Willys that I was installing Saginaw power steering onto:
   The little L134 had a single groove crank pulley, and after combing the wrecking yard for a "donor-pulley" I discovered that the Smog-Air-Pump pulley off of a Chevy 350 was the correct diameter to match the crank pulley, and it was the correct width for the narrow belt.
   I centered it best I could and "stitch-welded it to my crank pulley in-frame with my mig welder. Never had a problem with it, and on the Rubicon Trail I could turn the steering wheel at idle with two-fingers effortlessly.
   Sometimes Bubba-Fixes do work very well. :)

   Changing u-joints is always a challenge, so I will keep on-hand a variety of different diameters of Finish-Nails. (just in case)

   I have had very good luck with Novak, and installed his T-18 adapter-kit in 1984, into a '77 jeep (for the Rubicon) and it is like-new today.

   It has been 20+ years since rebuilding a T-90 that reading this is a good refresher and i am interested in what will be the solution to the spacer.

   Len


Edited by Greaser007 - 11 Dec. 2018 at 5:17pm