my 72 f100 has a three on the tree with a 302 i am looking for a 3 speed with an overdrive i am planning to put a floor shifter in 3.89 gears i really need an overdrive i just dont know what i am looking for can anyone give me some advice. Thanks.

 

I think the simplest would be one of the cast iron toploader 4 speeds, or as Ford called them 3+OD. I'm not posative but I think it would even bolt right to your bellhousing but you might need to change the bellhousing too. There are at least 4 other overdrives Ford has used over the years but they are either harder to find or more work to swap over.

 

don't get it confused with a regular toploader out of a car....the 4th gear on those is 1:1.....the 3+OD I believe came exclusively in trucks....check the link The Borg-Warner Overdrive Transmission Explained- FORDification.com

 

The easiest thing for you would be to swap the rear end to a 3.5. If you are never towing you might consider a 3.25. It will take the ump out of the 302 but the mpgs will pick up, and for far less invested than a tranny swap.




John

 

They offered a 3spd OD model in these trucks. T85? sumthin or other. My '64 wagon had one(but it was the small bearing retainer version for the 5bolt bellhousing).

Friend had one behind a 390 in his bumpside truck. Comes with a cable under the dash to control the OD. Looks about like a std 3spd, but slightly different tailhousing.

Might be kinda hard to come by, not sure how popular. The newer SROD 4spd(OD model) will need a floor shifter installed.