I was thumbing thru a parts catalog dreaming about all the cool things I want to buy for my 69, and noticed the pull handle for overdrive for the 57-60. I was curious about that, is that an auxiliary overdrive unit offered by the factory back in the day? Any information regarding that would definitely be interesting, I'd love to be able to add OD to the backside of my FMX.

 

The overdrive was a part of a Borg-Warner 3 speed manual with overdrive transmission. Doubt you could take the overdrive parts and marry them to an FMX auto. And it was offered for much longer than just 57 to 60.

 

So that was an overdrive transmission, not an auxiliary overdrive unit, which I understand started becoming popular in the 50's.

 

It was a three speed manual transmission that had an overdrive unit incorporated into the rear section so you could have overdrive in all three gears, although it was pointless in low so they used a lockout to keep overdrive from engaging in first gear.

 

A lot like the "gear vendors underdrive/overdrive" unit being sold today for 3 grand, I guess?!

 

This overdrive was very simillar to a two speed axle in old farm trucks. Hi and low 2nd and 3rd. Pull the overdrive handle and when you shift to 2nd and tach it up then simply let off the gas and it would shift into hi. Repeat in 3rd. When you needed a little umpf jsut mash it to the floor and there was a kick down switch under the gas pedal. It would shift into the low side of which ever gear you were in.
The amaxing thing, and aggravating at times, about the overdrive was that when you let off the gas the vehicle would freewheel. the engine would not hold back. Unless you were still in 1st.
It was the basic 3 spd Ford tranny with the long shank and it had an electrical solenoid on the tranny and the kickdown switch on the firewall under the gas pedal plus the cable which would select standard or overdrive.
I had mine in a 58 with the 223 six cylinder and it had 4:11 rear end. Tops speed was around 60 without screaming the engine. But i got 18 to 20 MPG.
Really regret selling that old truck it was great.

 

Most of the overdrive cars in the 50s/60s did have 4'11s. If you left the cable pulled out, it would lock out overdrive and have compression braking. With the cable in, it would coast away if parked in reverse since the sprag clutch was designed to free wheel.
The trucks mostly used the Borg-Warner T85 transmission with the beefier R-11 overdrive unit. but I think most of the cars did use some version of the Ford tranny and the lesser R-10 or maybe R-9 unit on back.

 

Most of the overdrives used in cars had 3.50 rear axle ratios, ditto 1965/71 F100's. My purchased new 1965 F100 with Warner T-85N O/D came with 3.50-1.

Many 1953/64 F100's came with 3.89 and 4.11 ratios, but all could have any ratio then offered.

Cable operation: You don't mess with it until you know how the system works. Some people were clueless, shoved that cable in, pulled it out while motoring down the road, which shattered the O/D unit.

With O/D, there's the kickdown switch, O/D relay mounted under the hood on the firewall. O/D cable to the left of the steering column mounted to a bracket, bottom of dash.

The O/D unit itself has a solenoid and a governor. All these O/D parts are obsolete, difficult to find. The 12V O/D relays are non existant and there were four different types.

The 6V relay is the same as Studebaker, has been reproduced by Studebakers West in Redwood City CA