guys, i have a 3spd. o.d. in my new project: a 56' chevy 3100 panel and the cable for the o.d. is gone. not being familiar with the setup some pictures and a few leads where i can purchase one would help. just getting started so research is needed. thanks
Not sure if the truck ones are the same, but my '57 hardtop was an original OD car. It had a small chrome T-handle just to the right of the steering collumn, under the dash, labeled "OVERDRIVE". Other than that, it looked like a choke cable. You could probably rig up a choke cable for the same function, if you can't find an OD one. My OD never worked (the wiring was all messed up), and the collumn linkage was shot, so I put in a 4 speed (back in the mid 80s) and removed it all. Don't know what happened to the OD handle, but I still have the trans, sitting in my parents' ba*****t (one of the many parts still there I need to get!).
I don't know if the Ford OD cable is an exact match (if that matters) but it is available from the 50s Ford parts houses. You might check the tri5 chevy houses for a repro. too.
That cable has nothing to do with the operation/function of the O.D. It serves only to enable or disable the O.D. Any choke cable long enough to reach from somewhere in the vicinity of of the dash to the lockout lever on the transmission will do-you don't need an O. E. M. cable. Crawl under the truck and find the lockout lever, work it with your hand so you know how it works then hook up a cable to it. Pull the cable out (lever forward) and it's disabled; push the cable in (lever to the rear) and it's enabled. The actual operation is a function of the governor switch and the solenoid (engage /disengage).
http://www.fifthaveinternetgarage.com/parts/parts_counter_3.html These guys have OD cables as well as other parts...some of em are a little spendy.
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