Last summer I picked up a R10g1 Borg Warner overdrive transmission, out of a '55 Plymouth. Wanting to get it into my '48 by the end of spring, I dropped it off at a recommended "ol' timer" to do a freshen up. Unlike the transmission shops I had talked to, he immediately knew what I was talking about, and was willing to do the work, but was concerned that he wouldn't be able to find parts. We agreed that I will be in charge of supplying all the needed parts. I know that Andy B's has the 3 speed gasket and small part set and bearings but prices seem high. I had previously tracked down all the sealed bearings through normal parts sources for around half the cost. Anyone known the actual supplier of these transmission kits? What other service parts will I need? Thanks guys!
There really isn't anything in them that needs regular replacement....but if specific parts are worn or broken, you need to replace them, and the usual source of parts is a spare OD transmission, since the parts have been out of production for several decades.
I am looking to replace the roller bearings, assorted snap rings, washers, ball bearings, seals and gaskets while I have this thing apart and out. Has sat outside for some time, so hard to tell what I am in for... Studebaker International has the loose rollers for the overdrive, all sorts of snap rings, looks like very reasonable prices. For the trans itself, it looks like 6207z ball bearing for the front, 6206z for the case extension. I may just have to wait till the trans is apart to know the rear bearing. I have National 8160s for the tailshaft seal. Do these numbers look right? Len Dawson's has the best price on the rollers and snap rings for the trans that I have found so far, Northwest transmission only has mopar Automatics listed, but I will call them Monday and see if they have parts for the manual transmissions.
I have a '56 chevy version that snapped off the output shaft. It's a parts trans now. I don't know how many internal parts BW made interchangeable but if you can use any of it let me know. I do have the solenoid also - 12V.
Thank you! If your trans is an R10 (vs an R11) then I think most of the guts of the OD will interchange. I do need a solenoid, as mine failed the test, but hopefully it is just bad points. Unfortunately, car is 6V.
How come you are using sealed (or shielded) bearings in a transmission? They should be open. But if you've already bought them, you can just pry out the seals.
I think pretty much all the BW R10 parts are pretty much the same. Mac at Van Pelts is the go to guy for the Ford guys, I’d bet he could help to some degree, if not the whole deal. http://www.vanpeltsales.com/
The 6V solenloids seem to last a long time if you run them on 12v. I did some research on this when I had the Hudson several years ago. I put about 5k miles on it at 12v, no issues. If you have a 12v solenoid trying to run on 6v, probably won't work...
Van Pelt has the Overdrive Book for $16. Probably a good thing to get along with the gaskets and seals.
Also this BW manual. Not Willy’s specific. http://www.oldwillysforum.com/forum/TechData/BWOverdriveManual.pdf
Hey Hillbilly Werewolf, I have what I believe to be a mid 50's BW 3 speed OD unit. I am in need of an input shaft bearing, would you know a website biz that are selling those.
Are you talking about the bearing at the front of the transmission? It would help to know which transmission you have. If it's a chevy from 55-65ish, it could be a Muncie 318. The BW overdrive was used on lots of 3 speed transmissions in the 50s...
You could just measure up the old bearing and order it from a bearing place, they are standard bearings, not special to automobiles.
Well, my "ol' timer" had the trans 'til around June with no progress, so I retrieved it. I have been really busy with work this year, so I have just embraced the roar of the road. It has been on my mind though, as I am driving it more on the expressway. I have found the top speed to be just south of 80mph, where it just flat runs out of steam. I did talk to a local transmission shop that was willing to go through it, but i think I will try to sneak it into work and open it up myself, soon.
Most of the solenoid failures are due to a "useable link" under the cover that melts and a soft solder connection to save the windings. Thousands of good units have been thrown away that could have been re soldered. As said before most internal parts interchange. Input shafts may not. There were some later upgrades as in the reverse kickout.
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