I am restoring an old Ford F-8 with a very tall rear gear ratio (7.3:1). It will receive a Lincoln 460/C-6 transplant, but the final gear ratio will most likely necessitate an overdrive addition.

1. I've looked at the options using an E4OD with a non-electronics kit.
2. Gearvendors aftermarket OD.
3. Two-speed differential.
4. Adaptation of an AOD as in one of the FTE tech articles.
5. Home-brew OD add-on.

HOME-BREW OD ADD-ON, consideration:

I have an old Borg-Warner T-85 3-speed overdrive transmission that's been under the shelf for the last 20 years out of my '64 390 Galaxie that I'll probably never reinstall in the original car.

I have a machine shop in my garage, and I'm curious if someone has ever attempted or know of someone who has taken one of these units and adapted them into a drivetrain.

The wheelbase of the truck is 158" so I have lots of driveshaft available for shortening. Can the OD unit be removed from the old 3-speed case and a yoke with seal mount plate be machined to attach to the output spline of a transmission; fabricate a mount for the unit; and attach the shortened driveshaft to the rear of the OD unit?

If this could be accomplished on my equipment, with a little "sweat equity," and for a few hundred bucks in materials would be a lot cheaper than thousands of $ for a new OD aftermarket unit.

You opinions, please.

Thank you,

Ken McWilliams
Dayton, OH

 

Ken,

You should check out the Spicer 6041 or the Spicer 5831 auxilluery transmissions. Both of these units are 4 speeds have overdrive in 4th. The 6041 is used in bigger trucks with diesels, while the 5831 is used primarily for medium gasoline powered trucks like logging trucks. The cool thing about these is you get underdrive and overdrive in adition to being able to use your primary tranmission like normal. The unit installs like a divorsed tranfer case, like this (engine-trans1-driveshaft-trans2-driveshaft-axle). I plan on putting this set-up in my 1972 f-100 in a month or two, after reserching I felt this was the most flexable arangement.
By the way, I picked mine up for $500 with shift linkage.

 

Hi.
There was an article in Hot Rod magazine in the 70's about what you are talking about.

Some guy made adapter plates to bolt the overdrive unit to:
C-6
727
TH-400
There were 3 different adapters (Ford, Chrysler, Chevy).
He sold the adapters or the plans to machine them.

They hooked one up to a roadrunner with a 727 and a 500 HP 440 C.I. and ran it on the street and strip.

They guy said it would handle 500 HP with an auto.

I have been searching the web forever trying to find some info on this myself.

Regards.

Richard.
winr@sbcglobal.net