Velvet Drive 1004/1005 V-Drive

By Chris, Hale Marine · 40+ years rebuilding Velvet Drive and ZF transmissions

Short answer: The Velvet Drive 1004/1005 is the cast-iron V-drive, built as either a gear-drive (output turns with the engine) or chain-drive (output turns opposite). Velvet Drive no longer makes the gears and shafts, and the splines wear on every unit, so Chris says don't buy a boat with one.

The 1004 and 1005 are Velvet Drive's cast-iron V-drives. Part numbers run 1004-xxx and 1005-xxx (we've shown the 1004-002, 1004-011, 1005-002, 1005-004, 1005-005 and 1005-011), and the units on our channel run from 1.5:1 to 2.5:1. They share their case style, cooling line out port and pressure port layout with the cast-iron 71 and 72 series. Dry weight is about 190 lb on a 71-series V-drive and 203 lb on a 72-series one, and both hold about 4 quarts.

Gear drive vs. chain drive

Every 1004/1005 is built as either a gear-drive or a chain-drive unit, and you have to order the right one. On a gear-drive, the output turns the same direction as the engine. On a chain-drive, it turns the opposite way. Forward is the same on both: lever toward the engine.

Velvet Drive builds gear and chain versions in matching ratio pairs, and the two numbers in a pair don't quite land on the same figure: 1.99 (gear) and 1.98 (chain), 2.50 and 2.49, 3.10 and 3.14, 0.97 and 0.96, 1.53 and 1.51, 1.21 and 1.21. The spec sheet rounds each pair to one number, so a tag or a catalog listing that gives a single clean ratio isn't necessarily wrong if it's a hair off another source. Across both types, the full range runs 0.96:1 to 3.14:1.

They don't need a baffle inside, either. A tube handles returning fluid from the pump instead.

Pressure and the control-valve spring

Same pressure story as the rest of the cast-iron line: the control-valve spring sets the range. Velvet Drive's V-drive manual gives these with the oil at 140°F. Current-production units use a black spring, running 115 to 135 psi in neutral, forward and reverse at 500 rpm, up to 125 to 160 at 2,000. Older units used a white spring, which reads about 25 psi lower everywhere, 90 to 120 at 500 rpm and 100 to 125 at 2,000. If you've got an older unit and the gauge reads lower than you expected, check which spring is in it before you assume something's wrong.

Velvet Drive Selector Valve white Spring

Chris's take: think twice before you buy one

Chris is blunt about this line: don't buy a boat with a cast-iron V-drive in it. Velvet Drive is no longer manufacturing the gears, shafts and other components for the 1004/1005. And on every cast-iron V-drive we pull in, the shaft and gear splines wear from going back and forth. Some aren't as bad as others, but they all do it, and it shows up with age, ten to fifteen years or more, not hours run. Chris calls it just a poor design from back in the seventies.

You can't judge one of these by looking at a few parts, either. On one 1005, the reverse planetary looked brand new and the output shaft and input shaft were in perfect condition, and the gears were still shot. We replace all the bearings and races on every V-drive rebuild. On one unit the damper itself looked to be digging into the input shaft. The last gear set we got from Velvet Drive took almost a year to come in, and Chris has said gear sets are no longer available.

Rebuild cost

Why these run more than a 71C or 72C: the parts are no longer available, and doing one properly, shimming included, takes days. Call us for a current quote on your specific unit: (804) 333-3677, Monday through Friday 9 to 3 Eastern, or sales@halemarine.com.