If it is open drive and it came from a Chev it will be 12 volts. They switch to open drive and 12 volts in 1955
T 85 does not have a synchro on 1 st gear, but it was the basic design that led to the T 10 4 speed, gear size, synchro, bearings etc. If you wire up a toggle switch to shift the solenopid into overdrive you have to turn off the switch, pull a bit foreward to let it shift out of overdrive before you can back up. some overdrives were advertized as a hill holder. would not let you roll backwards on a hill.
Can you show a wiring diagram of what you did? I have a 1952 Nash Amb***ador that has a similar setup. It has a 6v solenoid and I want to put it on a toggle switch to engage the overdrive system.
When I first installed my OD trans, the solenoid was damaged. I took the can off of it and stripped the guts, then just hooked the plunger to a cable. I didn't run the governor, just the lockout cable and a second cable to move the plunger. This works fine if you don't move the plunger while you foot is on the gas. Later I got the proper solenoid to make it automatic, with a kickdown switch, control relay, speed governor, and everything. But on a hot rod, to save weight, you can just leave all that stuff off and use a short cable thru the floor for each function.
I have a '53 Studebaker with O.D. and love it in its stock configuration....just gotta remember to put it in reverse when parked. I converted the car to 12V and had to replace the solenoid. Which brings up a story. Back in 1962 I borrowed my cousin's '59 Plymouth convertible to go to the prom. I left my 'first '33 Plymouth ('55 Plymouth 6 w/ O.D.) with him to use that weekend. I warned him about leaving it in reverse when parked......He forgot, and it rolled back, across the street, and hit his insurance man's car!
Sorry to wreck a good story, but the OD will not roll away backwards in overdrive, as a matter of fact you can't tow the car backwards with the OD engaged. The reason you leave it in reverse is simply that the OD lockout pin deactivates the OD in reverse. The car will, however, roll away forwards under these conditions.
Great info these old r10s are the coolest. Just finished adapting a later full syncro "r10q-1" unit to a Saginaw 4 speed. Many similarities between the non and full syncro units. Be sure to use GL1 90 wt. tractor type oil in the unit to prevent problems down the road & definitely park it in reverse, I loaned a family member my old 66 c10 283 o/d years ago and it came back needing a new front clip! 2nd pic is modified lever to disengage o/d so it won't roll away. Fifth avenue's book is very helpful if you've never busted one of these apart . We've got 3 old rigs using them and all are wired the hard factory way but worth the effort , the relays are the expensive part , I'm always looking for them at the bone yard. Good luck they're a blast to drive.
Yeah guys, Overdrive cars roll forward freely in OD but not back. Some cars called this feature "free-wheeling" or such, and had a FreeWheeling knob on the dash. These cars will coast freely when in OD. Normal engine braking is not available until they drop out of OD, when you to slow to 25 MPH or less.
One advantage of OD is that the free-wheeling at speeds below 28 mph (on my Studie) is that it acts like it has synchros in first gear, but engine braking does not work below 28 in 2nd or high. The OD will go when I put a 331 Hemi in it, though.
A side note, if your input is cut down behind the splines, it is from a 6 banger, not a V8. It will still bolt up but some parts might be weaker.
Here is my two cents....have installed 3 overdrives so I am quite familiar on their operation These overdrives mostly work the same. Do not use switches....spend $25.00 for the harness which is easy to install following the wire diagram posted above... Use a governor, a relay and a solenoid...and a kickdown switch and engagement cable.....all are available for sale....governor $20-$50...relay...$100......solenoid $150-$200.......kick down switch $25-$50....engagement cable $60....electrical harness $25. The dangers in using a switch instead of a governor is that it will be a question of time before you forget to flip that switch off to get out of overdrive at every stop sign. If you start off from a dead stop in overdrive it is like trying to take off from a dead start in 3rd gear....you will over a short period of time destroy your clutch.....plus it is possible to backup and forget your car is still in overdrive and then your planetary and sun gear can be destroyed, and your car could roll away from you because it will free wheel. When using a governor the ****** is kicked out of overdrive when slowing down to around 23-28 mph and goes directly into direct gear...nothing to remember..and..no clutch slipping damage....no chance of planetary damage ....plus you have to install something into the large governor hole in the ******...it might as well be a governor and a governor is usually trouble free...and the least costly of all. If you are going to install an overdrive setup then do it properly and you will have no regrets. One last thing, just because your solenoid plunger extends outward when given a shot of power from a battery does not mean 100% that it is operational. In a solenoid there are two (2) sets of points, a primary and a secondary...the primary pushes out the the shaft into the ****** pawl but the secondary points keeps the shaft engaged in the pawl. There is a web site called Fordification which explains the working of the O/D ****** pretty clearly......take your time and ask this forum questions when needed.....J in CT
I've had mine for years with the toggle switch, relays and a cable. I pretty much only use it on the freeway (too much traffic and stop lights here). Rarely forget to pull it out of o/d, but if I do then it's easy as clutch in, flip the switch and pull the cable out. I have a friend that has a stock set-up and that works great too, but I worked with what I had. My set-up (12v):
Actually the opposite is true. They will freewheel until upshifted, then you'll have engine braking. Upon downshifting, freewheeling resumes. As far as reverse, the problem is if the trans is upshifted and you try reverse, otherwise reverse operates normally.
Sorry, I must be losing touch. I haven't driven either of my OD cars in 20+ years. Typically I always had the cable out unless I had to go down a mountain or drive in steep areas, as pushing the cable in defeats the overdrive and the free wheeling. So OD was always available in town, and as it's quite flat here and I had 3.90 gears, I could always just start in second then kick it up and down between 2nd to 2nd OD. I did have to push the clutch at a stop, but otherwise 40 to 45 MPH in town is the limit & I easily did 55 in 2nd OD & 85+ in 3rd OD.
The quote above is wrong, just the opposite is true. DD only vehicle the last 18 years, IN is OD enabled, pull OUT lever for regular 3 speed, just like having two transmissions. I don't use the transmissions in tandem, meaning one then the other when I drive...if I'm hauling a load I use the straight 3 speed with constant engine braking from the transmission, pleasure driving is the full OD mode. I use the governor and a convenient push-pull switch to engage/defeat OD capability with a relay and an reminder light on the dash.
Nice work. I tried to figure out a reverse lock-out feature for my four speed conversion, but couldn't get it right. I have been using the four speed about three months now with out the OD. I just haven't got all my electric components together yet. Plus I wanted to drive the car this summer and do the OD wiring and some other stuff this winter. I built my own shifter mount and linkage so that I could use the hole in the floor where the Muncie shifter was.
Does anyone know of a vendor who deal in Borg Warner OD transmission parts and things such as solenoids and wiring harnesses for them. I'm going to be fooling around with a T-85 R-11 soon and need the parts to make it work. The car it is going in currently just has a straight T-85 non-OD. Thanks
I don't think anyone is making a complete harness, you will have to build that up yourself. However, you should be able to get all of the switches, relays, cables, and solenoids from a Galaxie restoration house like Mac's or Concours.
Fifth Avenue Internet Garage has solenoids and relays. Brace yourself for pricing, regardless of who the seller is.
"I think that the '49/'50 Packards have something like a B/W T-85 in them that have syncro's on all three gears," Sorry, T-85s were not full syncro....just 2nd and 3thrd.
As posted above, Fifth Ave. Garage will have the the electrical components you need. Plus advice and instructions on rebuilding these units. http://www.fifthaveinternetgarage.com/ East Coast Chevy sells a wiring harness for tri-fives, but you might get it to work. http://www.eastcoastchevy.com/
Here is a wiring diagram I got from a very smart old-timer for a setup with stock everything (including kickdown) AND a toggle switch kickdown you can run from inside the car instead of having to floor it to kick it down:
The Jalopy Journal
