Factory 2x4s bolted to the frame

About 73,000 miles, and in one family since it was new. That's what the older man said when he brought his 1936 Chevrolet into a transmission shop with shifting trouble. He's a friend of the granddad who opened the shop in the 60s. Underneath, the tech found a surprising amount of wood from the factory, including a 2x4 bolted along the frame on each side and a few smaller pieces working as braces. With the bell housing off, the transmission was about ten inches long and six or seven wide, and it hardly weighed anything. They set it beside a ZF-S650 out of an F-250 they had in, and the whole Chevy gearbox looked about the size of the Ford's starter.