[Healeys] New Project BN1 3 speed Laygear

[Rich C]

Hello all,

I have been working with a brilliant machinist who is into CNC machining, CAD
programming, and specializes in gear cutting.
He's looking for challenges in his business and asked me what's needed. I
handed him a later BN1 laygear with a shattered 2nd gear (3rd gear
internally), explaining that this seems to be their weakness and if I had good
laygears and 2nd gears, I could reassemble a number of BN1 gearboxes and put
them back into service.
He happily took this as a personal challenge and has come back to me 4 weeks
later with quotes and a metallurgy report on the original.
It seems that the original is very hard, too hard in his opinion, with a
Rockwell reading of 64 to 66 which is likely why when they let go, they simply
shatter like glass, taking the other gear with it.
Anyway, making the complete laygear new is no problem. Machining and
installing the bronze inserts in each end would be included as part of the
process.
Of course as with anything, the more pieces made, the cheaper it will be.
I am no machinist, but I'll quote what he has said. He gave me 3 prices for
different hardness qualities.

All case hardening to be approx. .020" deep as per original.

He recommends 9310 case hardened where:
-  5 pieces @  $1576
-  20 pieces @ $1335
-  50 pieces @ $1120

Next he quoted 8620 case hardened where:
- 5 pieces @ $1420
- 20 pieces @ $1183
- 50 pieces @ $1034

Last, he quoted 4140 Nitride where:
5 pieces @1490
20 pieces @1254
50 pieces @1105

These can be done as soon as there is an order placed of at least 5 pieces
minimum. We would ask for 50% up front.

I stated that I would need to run a prototype in a gearbox on the road to
prove out the product before accepting orders.
Please note that this would be a duplicate of the later laygear, as applied
from gearbox 5146, being part number 1B 3693, laygear c/w bushes.

He's now looking into doing the corresponding 2nd gear assembly (3rd gear
internally)

Interested? Discussion please.

Rich Chrysler