someone mention to me about putting an overdrive on the end of my 3 speed tranny..that i could just cut my driveshaft and weld this thing on and that it was only a coupla of hundred bucks...does this sound right?or am i totally buying ocean front property in Ohio.. i have a limited knowledge of The Modify but i'm trying to take a few steps in the right direction..and hopefully at a little faster pace...so if any one can help me out ..i would appreciate it
Yo, Heather! Does your old Poncho have a closed driveline? If so, adding an aftermarket overdrive might be pretty involved...I think the ones you were told about were designed to work with open drivelines. (Shortening a regular driveshaft isn't a big deal, but shortening and sealing a torque tube to an add-on overdrive unit would be a bigger task.) There ARE aftermarket overdrives that can be added to the tailshaft of popular transmissions, but most of the ones I've seen are for later vehicles with open drive configuration. Unless there is a factory overdrive set-up available for your car, it may be hard to adapt something to your current drivetrain. (Nice meetin' ya in Detroit this past Summer, by the way!)
thanks! it was nice to meet you as well and i'll probably run into you sometime sooner than summer seeing as i'm moving to good old D-town after thanksgiving..heck the old car is already there...haha..i have my priorites in order she does have on open driveshaft so that helps some and i glad to know that it is a possibility on the overdrive..i guess i just need to keep digging trying to figure stuff out...i thought it sounded a little too easy... thanks! heather
I don't know the answer to your question just wanted to say "hi" and I can't wait till your around this town full time. I'm looking forward to having a real hot rod gal as a pal. Big Olds won't be around this winter so if you need any help on yours, just hollar. I'd love to help out.
Factory overdrive trannys were available on most cars from about 49 up into the 60s. These trannys can be found at swap meets for $150 or so. I picked one up from a 57 Chevy at Pate for $60. Some guys want like $250 but those don't usually sell. If you can find one from a similiar car it would probably bolt right up without modifying anything. Does your Poncho use a Chevy style of tranny? These trannys had the O/D on the back and it can be used in each gear so you actually have 6 speeds, although in the original configuaration they used a governor that kept it from grounding below a certain speed so it didn't enguage in first. They were eventually outlawed because in overdrive they freewheel and will roll if left in any gear other than reverse and not locked out. Almost all of them were made by Borg-Warner no matter what type of tranny they are bolted to. I think if you do a little scouting you can find some websites that cover them in deatail.
I don't know what you're running, but it might be easier to try to find a tranny that already has the OD and the shorter drive shaft. I have the OD box on my Ford, it doesn't work, but it's there. Mine looks like the 4x4 transfer case on my Jeep.
The add-on overdrive most popluar these days is the Gear Vendors unit. (they do make them for enclosed, torque-tube driveshafts, by the way). They are very expensive, though. Mopar made 4spd overdrive manual trans out of their A-833. They swapped the internals around so 3rd was 1:1, and 4th ran through the gear cluster positon that was normally 3rd, and exited the tailshaft as an overdriven gear (like .85 or .75:1). Chevrolet bought these transmissions from Chrysler and put them in some of their trucks in the '70s, so it would bolt up to a GM bellhousing if you can find one. Please explain the "freewheeling" of the old-style cable-actuated overdrive trans! I have a Ford T-85 3spd. od I'm going to put in my Buick, and a Chevy 3spd. od laying on the floor for the future. Do I understand that when you leave these in gear, they can still roll down the driveway? I've already had to rebuild my shop because of this happening with my truck. And my Buick is a lot heavier!!! -Brad
Maybe some of the UK Hambsters can tell us if there was an overdrive made for the little 3 speed Ford Dagenham trans that was used in Falcons, Mustangs etc. Was it used in any other English cars? Most Falcon guys go with T5s now but I would rather keep the column shift
Back in the gas crunch days (first edition) of the 70s and 80s there was a neat addon overdrive called the Hone-O-Drive. I hvae one of these, which I used in 3 different vehicles, until one day when it blew up. I guess the big block was just too much for it! This overdrive mounted behind the original tranny, using a ujoint and yoke that slide into the tranny, and then the original driveshaft is cut and shortened and the yoke for it goes into the back of the overdrive. The freewheeling on the Borg Warner overdrive works when it is in overdrive, but not when you pull the control cable out and lock out overdrive. There is an overrunning roller clutch in the overdrive that allows the car to roll forward without turning the engine. Great for mileage...not so great for going down mountain roads.
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