I have done a little research on the hamb, but haven't came to a conclusion yet. I have a 41 Ford, stock flathead 8. I bought the correct year t5 to perform the swap, and am already planning open drive line. This weekend I scored over 12 overdrive transmissions, plus 2 truck loads of parts to go with them. I don't know all what I have yet, but I like the idea of keeping my column shift. Is the r10 r11 worth the h***le?
It is kinda cool to go down the road and shift one of those Borg Warner units.The beauty of the T5 is that it there are electrical gizmos to fiddle with and the T5 is shorter.
The R11 overdrive was used behind big block Ford V8's in the early 60's, you'll never hurt it with a Flathead. Many of the Flatheads used the R10, it should hold up just fine.
R-11 overdrive has a 4 pinion planetary, the R-10 is a 3 pinion; 4 pinion is stronger. I am Butch/56serdandelivery.
Any good books on what fits with what? Or do I have a m***ive jig saw puzzle with no picture for reference. Some of these have a trans brake, and some have 4 shift arms. Any hints on where to start? Thanks
this is a start... http://www.vanpeltsales.com/FH_web/flathead_drawings_trans.htm might help you ID some of them.
The Chrysler/Desoto/Plymouth unit is a highly desired item. It's the emergency equipped one in 2nd pic. Watch out for them South Wind heaters - they 'splode, you know ...
Not sure what you have there but I installed a 49 Mercury transmission with BW overdrive in my flathead powered 40 coupe. I was able to change out the shift arms on the side cover and it hooked up to my 40 shift linkage just fine. The transmission itself had some problems which I am working on now. The overdrive worked great. The X member had to be modified fit the overdrive unit. I am mot familiar with the 41 frame X member so I don't know what modifications will be required to fir the unit to the car. Van Pelt's book and web site is very helpful if you are a beginner or experienced transmission builder.
Had a BW o'drive behind a banger and currently have a T-5 behind another banger. IMO, the T-5 may not be traditional, but a lot better than the BW.
I'm using a 1984-1987 Ford Pickup F170T 3-Spd+ Overdrive Trans, with Aluminum Case. This uses a open Top case & top Shifter. The Top Shifter Stick comes out at the Stock 1932 Ford location in the Wooden Floor Board. Old Standard BorqWarner Front Mounting to old Ford Hogs Head adapter. Im using an Aluminum Closed Drive adapter, Eliminating the long Tail-shaft tube, Shorting the Trans Main Drive & machining a 6-Spline main shaft to fit Stock Ford Universal Joint to 1932 Stock Torque Tube, a Halibrand H-101 Aluminum case Center Section Rear End. This is going into my 1932 Ford Roadster Pickup. Using Stock K Member, Stock 32 Front member, Model A Rear member. I can have a Chose of several Different Engines. SBC, SBF, Baby Dodge Hemi, Chevy II I-L4 C.I. 153 or 181. I purchase the Trans for $350. Ship to my Door from Indiana to East Texas. These Trans are Really Hot for the Model A Guys. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Had a lot of fun with the BW electric OD transmissions in my old Studebakers.However,if you use one of those,ya better eat a bunch of Wheaties for breakfast and a lot of spinich for lunch and supper.They are heavy old ******s. Good luck.Have fun.Be safe. Leo
I decided to go another way, I have a stock 4 banger 30 Ford model A phaeton. I thought about the inline B/W or a 2 speed Columbia. Then I had what I felt is a much better idea. I purchased a new Ford Ranger truck 4 speed transmission. If you order from the dealer you can pick and choose the gear ratios from low to 4th. I decided to use standard model A ratios for low 2nd and high. For the forth gear I picked a 23% overdrive set. The best thing is its all syncro and 4 speeds with a 23% overdrive ratio in 4th. At 55 mph, my engine is running at 35 mph rpms. It works really well and keeps the r's down and saves some engine wear. I also redrilled the flywheel and used a newer Mustang Clutch ***embly and throw out bearing and fork. At the same time I machined the original flywheel down nearly 30 pounds. Of course I balanced the motor at the same time. Keep in mind too much overdrive will cause the engine to bog and overheat. Some guys that use the B/W (27%) overdrive have overheating issues. just sayin' br***carguy
I have a 3sp with od in a 49 Plymouth r10 unit works great and you can "shove it on down into overdrive" as the song goes. I used governor to supply ground to a 12v relay that in turn supplies voltsge to the solenoid (this happens at 22 mph) push in cable to engage (can be done at any speed or stopped) let foot off gas (overdrive engages) push on gas and you are in overdrive, i didnt use the kickdown switch as it is a flat six and doesnt p*** anything other than gas stations i get 18 when cruising hwy Sent from my SM-G900P using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I went ahead and bought a bw overdrive for my 41. Came out of a 50 Mercury I believe. Does anyone know how much frame work I'll be in for to get it mouted? It will be about 3 weeks before I can actually try it myself. My car is a 41 Tudor sedan
There's a working R11 in my 47 Packard Super. Love the function, the indicator light comes on to show when it's available, which is about 25-30 MPH in either 2nd or 3rd gear. The 2nd gear OD is pretty handy for stop sign to stop sign situations. The electric kick down is handy too. The money items for my get up is the relay box (looks like a 5-6 post voltage regulator), the cable, kick down switch and solenoids. I look fwd to driving it quite often and the OD is a big reason for it.
If you want OD and Old School you run two 3 speeds, one turned around backward. With all those transmissions you are in there like swim wear. Truthfully I am not a big fan of OD, I did like the OD in my '53 Merc but I have no idea what it was called. Back then if you wanted OD you just either got a car with it in it or went to the wrecking yard and got one.
My 63 Belair love the Tremec WC T5 behind a 355 SBC. When shifting to 5th gear at 75 mph the rpm's drop to 1900. First gear is still low enough to light up the tires. Gary
LOL I would have guessed that you had a gear venders. I have driven a gear venders over/under drive and really like them. If I were a rich man I would own one. Gman and I don't always agree in transmission choice, but I would not change much on his car if I owned it and his transmission would be the absolute last thing I would think of changing, if at all. That old Chebby is really well put together.
Be aware of what the actual overdrive ratio is. Most R10 / R11 boxes I have dealt with had either 0.62 or 0.67 OD ratios. That is a big RPM drop for a Flathead V8. The big Packard straight 8's are really happy dropping into that 1500 to 1800 rpm range when cruising, but Henry's bent 8 typically isn't (depending on your build specs, cam, etc). That is were the .72 OD of the T5 is often more conducive to a Flathead V8. It keeps the motor around the 2200 to 2400 RPMs that flat V8's are typically happier at when cruising. Your mileage will vary depending on rear axle ratio, tire size, etc.
FORD AODs are long, quite fat and IMO too much of an overdrive step for my 268" flattie... requires a spacer/adaptor between the block and ******...
I think my od is .70. I have the rear geared at 3.73, and plan to run around 29 inch tires. Motor is all stock, and I don't have any plans for cam swap in the near future. Mileage doesn't mean much to me at this point, but I do plan to drive it 98%highway. My work commute is 90miles round trip and want it to survive.
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