What tranny is this guys? I want this in my truck. MUST HAVE IT! hahaha. I have only had my 63 f100 for a week and I am obsessed with keeping the colum shift but MUST have overdrive. I was reading about the option of gear vendors but i just cant afford it. Your thoughts?

 

Your '63 was available with a BW T8X (5 or 6, not sure) three speed with an OD on the tail. Electrically shifted iirc. You could search for one of those for sale and have the original set up. It is not a 4 on the tree, but rather a 3 + OD.

You could install a Ford 4 speed overdrive trans from the late '70s to mid '80s, modify your existing linkage to shift 1-2-3-4, and have a separate lever for reverse. Not very practical.

There were 4 on the tree shifters for the Dagenham 4 speed in Econolines in the early '60s. Good luck making one of those work if you can find one.

Otherwise, you could convert to an automatic OD with a column shift.

 

Thanks Tod. I really appreciate the info. Can you tell me more about how I can go about having the original trans set up like this with OD. Where do i start. I searched the web for BW T8X TRANSMISSION and not finding much at all. I wouldn't mind having the extra lever for reverse. Can you tell me more about that not being practical? is is dangerous? Thanks I am just learning about all of this.

 

I should have been more clear. The Borg Warner boxes were T85 or T86, maybe even T87s. If you search for "BW T86 with OD for sale", you may find one.

Look at your current transmission. Does it have a bolt on cover where the shift rods attach? Or does it have a tin cover on top? Is first gear synchro?

As for the 2nd lever for reverse, you could break the trans if you left it in two gears at once, so that's really an extreme suggestion. Most people would rather have a floor shifter than fool with something like that.

Just learning.....does this thing run and drive ok as it sits? What else does it need, like maybe brakes, a steering box perhaps?

General info:

The Borg-Warner Overdrive Transmission Explained- FORDification.com

 

It runs GREAT. I jsut had the original autolite carb rebuilt and I sat with the mechanic the entire time to try and learn a few things. He was impressed with the truck and said it seems to be in wonderful running condition and he congratulated me on the purchase. Owning such a cool car and not being able to hit the highway and get some waves before work is just unacceptable to me and I am already finding myself be obsessed with tracking down an overdrive. I'll do a search now and see what I can find.

 

There are many post on the T-86 OD, including mine. Search for T-86 and T86. Also, check out the link The Borg-Warner Overdrive Transmission Explained- FORDification.com which explains the design and operation of the OD. It is cool but not simply a fourth gear. Also you probably will not want to lone your truck to anyone, at least not without locking out the OD first.

Also the T-86 OD for the trucks are not common and the OD parts are obsolete, read hard to find and expensive. My truck came with the OD from the factory and want to restore it that way, and I am prepared to spend as much as a GearVendor unit and take 6 months to find the parts.

Changing the rear axle ratio is the quickest and cheapest way to get your RPMs down at highway speeds. If you have a Ford 9 inch it is real cheap and fast.

 

You want 4-on-the-tree?

1963/64 E100 w/a Dagenham 4 speed (reverse has the distinct limey whine ala Jaguar).

Mercedes-Benz 180/190/219/220/220S with or with Hydrac. If you don't know what Hydrac is, consider yourself fortunate.

Citroen ID19, 1D21, 1D21 Pallas 4 speed & 4 speed Citroenmatic. If you don't know what a Citroen is, consider yourself very fortunate.

 

OK SO HERES THE DEAL... I have 3.89 gearing I have taller tires . At 50mph the rpm's are not that bad. my question is IF I got with 3.4 gearing is it worth it and can I at least cruise 65 mph with out over heating the engine? Its eiher this or I am going to have to get a new tranny and loose the awesome tree shifting that i dig so much.

 

You aren't going to find 3.40 gears, as Ford never offered that ratio. Common 9" ratios are 2.75, 3.00, 3.25, 3.50.

 

what a good price for 3.50 ring and pinion. Is this all I will need?

 

I have no idea what the price will be, new R&P's for 9" are obsolete from FoMoCo. Will either have to find a set NOS or from an aftermarket source, or used gears.

You will also need...for sure, a crush sleeve, housing gasket and a pinion seal.

IMO, since the rear axle will be all apart, replace the differential and pinion bearings/cups, pilot bearing and retainer, both axle bearings and seals.

 

The "pumpkin" (front housing, yoke, differential) of the Ford 9 inch can be unbolted and exchanged for one of another ratio. Search this forum for Ford 9 inch and you will find instructions and estimated cost. In short, depending on where you live, $100-300 at the local junk yard and 3-4 hours exchanging the pumpkin. Make sure your new pumpkin has the same spline count as the original.

Go to the calculators (menu Articles/Spec >>Automotive Calculators) Automotive Calculators offer to you by Ford Trucks Enthusiasts | www.ford-trucks.com and calculate the ratio you need to have the rpm/speed you want. I have a 29.5 tires and 3.89 which gives ~2800 rpm at 65 which is not ideal but is doable. Changing to 2.75 would drop that to 2000 rpm which would be fine if you have well tuned V8 and are mainly highway cruising but would be a little tall for anything else. 3.00 would yield 2200 rpm which is probably a better compromise for cruising and getting started without burning up the clutch. You did not say which engine you have and what it state of tune is. 2.75 or 3.00 is fine for a well tuned V8 on the highway but too tall for most 6s. Search the forum for suggestions on ratios.

 

Depending oh what are you are planning on using the truck for will make a difference on the overdrive options. There were two different overdrives offered a light duty and a heavy duty. Both went with the column shift. I pulled a set of 3.50 gears out of a 65 352 truck and it works great. I actually have 6 forward gears if I want to play Overdrive will work in every gear.

 

Here is a link to a better speed calculator with an overdrive button. Speed Calculator

Play with it and you will see the benefits of the OD. The OD will effectively convert the 3.89 rear end (are great truck gears) to a 2.75 for cruising. There many ways to get to the rpm/speed combo you want.

 

Thanks Macs... its finding the over drive to install on my truck that is proving difficult.