# Custom Dana Transmission Shifter



## TRM

I was asked to post some pictures of the shift linkage that I made to replace the original cable shift for a Dana 3 speed transmission on my Raceliner bike. 

*Here are some pictures and a brief explanation of what's going on.*

This is how the tranny looked when I opened it up to rebuild it.
The boss for the original cable shift is made of plastic. It's the white plastic piece in this picture:






I didn't feel that attaching something directly to the plastic would hold up over time, so I made what is essentially a socket to fit over the plastic shaft. It just so happened that the top of the seat tube that I had cut from the frame was just the right size and even had a collar on it that saved me a step.








Next, I fabricated a bridge piece to hold the 'socket' in place and allow it to turn.





Everything up to this point was designed to give me a metal shaft in place of a plastic shaft to connect the linkage. Then, after a lot of playing with the geometry to make the longer shifter movement work with the shorter shaft rotation, I made a lever mount for connecting a heim joint.





To finish the linkage, I mounted the shift arm (originally a Ford column shifter) with an opposing lever mount welded to it, and connected the two points with a connecting rod made from a piece of stainless brake tubing.











In the end, it shifts very easy and smooth!


----------



## JOEL

You have skills... I notice the additional sprocket at the bottom bracket seems to be connected to the speedometer, and I assume it is there to adjust the chain line as well???


----------



## decotriumph

Nicely done, TRM. It looks well crafted and robust.


----------



## TRM

JOEL said:


> You have skills... I notice the additional sprocket at the bottom bracket seems to be connected to the speedometer, and I assume it is there to adjust the chain line as well???



Thanks Joel. Yes, it is to adjust the chain line but also to drive the tachometer. Just for fun, I converted a speedometer into a tachometer. By using the chain to drive the gauge, it only reads the RPMs of the pedals. If you're coasting down a hill, it goes to zero unlike a wheel driven speedometer.

Here's the gauge face:


----------



## TRM

decotriumph said:


> Nicely done, TRM. It looks well crafted and robust.



Thank you!


----------



## butnut

That is so bad ass! Man, I've been playing with bikes for ages, never knew of a transmission...mad skills bro, dig everything about yer build!


----------



## TRM

butnut said:


> That is so bad ass! Man, I've been playing with bikes for ages, never knew of a transmission...mad skills bro, dig everything about yer build!




Thanks!!!


----------



## Andrew Gorman

That is what the Dana cries out for! The twist grip is just too cheesy looking and takes a LOT of cable pull to get a shift.   I'm plotting something like an Adler Dreigang shifter- here are pix at wingyourheel's site:
http://www.oldbike.eu/wordpress/?page_id=2186
Monkey motion rules OK!


----------



## mcraasch

that is badazz


----------



## jayrev67

Amazing build! I love the tachometer and the stick shift on the Dana. I just picked up a Dana 3 Speed here in Pittsburgh two days ago and can't wait to mount it and see if it is working.


----------



## runningbarre

You guys are blowing my mind!


----------



## bairdco

That's really cool. I was gonna use a dana for a motorized bike transmission but lost interest. Mainly because of the plastic gears.

Weird how dana over engineered every other part, and then used a crappy bunch of plastic to shift it.


----------



## TRM

bairdco said:


> Weird how dana over engineered every other part, and then used a crappy bunch of plastic to shift it.



I agree. I was a little surprised when I took it apart and found the plastic parts. I never did figure out how to disassemble that piece. I was too worried that I would break it and it would be impossible to find a replacement.


----------



## bairdco

My thoughts exactly.  I have an NOS one, and figured out (theoretically, on paper) how to mount it as a jackshaft/transmission, worked out how to put a sprocket onto the crankshaft, and while mocking it all up, realized the cables would be too short so the gripshift wouldn't reach. I could make new cables, but I've built a lot of custom motorized bikes, and just knew if I put it all together, shifting it under power would destroy those cheap gears, and the grip shift would strip out eventually. Sooner, not later.

With your set-up, at least for the gear replacement, it looks more plausible.

Sadly, I've had my fill of blowing up cheap chinese motors, and haven't built any in a while.


----------



## brassbusterpc

That is way to cool, GEAT mind at work. Love it.


----------



## Kennethwill

Very cool bicycle . I restored a 1920s English Sunbeam with a 2 speed gear box in the front sprocket . Thing rides like a dream . As far as stopping with the rod brakes , that's another story


----------



## TRM

brassbusterpc said:


> That is way to cool, GEAT mind at work. Love it.



Thanks!


Kennethwill said:


> Very cool bicycle . I restored a 1920s English Sunbeam with a 2 speed gear box in the front sprocket . Thing rides like a dream . As far as stopping with the rod brakes , that's another story



The Dana is a very cool novelty, but I certainly wouldn't want one on my daily rider! The gearbox creates a lot of drag. That's probably why it didn't catch on.


----------

