BACKGROUND:
I have a
Perkins 4.108 with a
Hurth transmission in my 1975 Westsail 32. The
engine was installed in 1987 by a previous owner. It was NEW when installed, as was the
Hurth transmission. It's my understanding that the transmission was overhauled once... probably about 20 yrs ago.
I've been having some issues with shifting lately and I've decided to pull the tranny (with the
boat in the water) and do another
rebuild. I have two dilemmas to deal with...
1) I am on Grand Bahama Island, in the aftermath of
Hurricane Dorian and it is impossible to have things shipped here. I have a friend coming over in about a week, however, if I can get the
rebuild kit shipped to him in time.
2) The Hurth case is missing the metal plate providing model and drive ratio information. My best guess is that the tranny is an HBW 10, but I can't be certain. None of the POs have the
installation info, nor remember the model. Also, the installer and later the rebuilder are both out of business. Assuming it is indeed an HBW 10, I also need to know if it is an "Early Model" or "Late Model".
As indicated, my best guess is that the tranny is an HBW 10. But when looking for rebuild kits, there are kits listed with "Early" and "Late" version designations. Unfortunately, none of the sellers seem to know in what year the HBW10 changed from "Early" to "Late". The kits are only somewhat different, but the main gaskets are completely different.
I could order the "Late Model" kit, which has two more
steel clutch plates than the "Early Model" kit (8 vs 6). But I would also have to order both main
gasket kits. Since I won't be able to ship the unused
parts back within the specified timeframe, I would be throwing
money down the drain. And these
parts are not cheap!
QUESTIONS:
Does anyone know the approximate year that the HBW 10 "Late Model" was introduced? With enough leeway, I can assume that my
installation was one version or the other (disregarding the possibility of having been "old stock").
I have photos of the tranny, but most say it is impossble to identify for sure, without first removing it and getting some internal dimensions. I have a PDF online with photos of the tranny, just in case someone out there is smarter than all the rest.
PHOTOS:
http://webbwebs.com/hurth/Hurth_Photos_Jack_Webb.pdf
Thank you in advance, for any help or suggestions. I'm on a tight time crunch to get the parts ordered in time to have my friend bring it over!
Jack Webb