I am working on an old Divco (milk truck) and need some advice. Most of the drive train (except the engine) seem to be Ford parts. It has a Warner T9 transmission in it.



I want to keep the 4 speed crashbox but with the rear end (6.66) I max out at 40MPH. Ideally I'd like to keep the stock rear end and install an overdrive. Are there any OD units that will bolt up to a T9?

I have done far too many hours of Googling and all I have for my efforts is a headache.

Thanks!

 

I assume your search included "brownie box" and "gear bender" "gear splitter"... I did a ton of searching as well myself (T8 crashbox and 4.27 gears). It's been a long time since I did the googling, but I think I found a brownie unit that was a single split with that rear end I would just about think you need a double split.

I ended up choosing the T5 route myself so I didn't save any of my research, and didn't go through it myself. Most guys do a trans swap when it is all said and done - I think MTFLAT did some research into splitters as well.

 

What year and model is your Divco? What I've found is that Divco shared parts with Studebaker, and like you said, Ford. If you have a split Timken axle, like used by Ford and Studebaker, you might be able to swap in a complete Ford axle from either an F-3 (Timken #51524 with 4.86/1 ratio), F-4 (Timken 53566 with 5.14/1), or early F-350 (Timken B150 with 5.14/1 ratio) depending on which bolt pattern hubs and wheels you need. You could then team this with a set of 19.5" wheels and tires to achieve the results you want while keeping a near stock appearing package, and avoiding the cost of a custom O/D unit.

One thing I can think of that might work against this would be hub piloted versus stud piloted wheels. Many Divcos used special Motor Wheel Corporation "Spoksteel" hub piloted wheels that are very distinctive, and I'd think you'd want to keep them if you have them. I'll see if I have a picture of one to show what I mean. Stu

 

The overdrive / transmission swap has been heavily discussed in this thread: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...rogress-3.html

 

My Divco is a 1957 Model 374. It does have a Timken split axle with 6x7.25" lug spacing. The wheels I have look just like those in the picture but are lug centric. The lug holes are tapered to match the lug nuts.

If I could just swap the rear axle rather than messing with an OD that would be great. Either way I am going to stick with my T9.

 

Okay, good. All the better that your wheels are stud piloted. The next thing to consider then is rear track width, and to see how the offset of your stock Motor Wheel Spoksteel wheels compares to that of the Budds used on the F-350s. As said above, 1953 to 1956 F-350s used Timken B150 rear axles. The stock final drive ratio was 5.14/1, and the optional ratio was 5.83/1. Your same 6 lug x 7.25" bolt pattern was used on all F-350s up to 1966. While I don't have tech data for the newer year trucks, hopefully our friend Bill (NumberDummy), or another member, will speak up with additional info about them.

You'll see below that the rear track on the '54 F-350s, both single rear wheel and inner dual rear wheel, is 62.5". This same measurement I know would be correct for 1953, and would I believe be the same for the '55 and '56 DRW models. I will assume the SRW models for '55 and '56 have a narrower axle housing because I know their wheels have much less positive offset (only 1/2"). Less wheel offset would move the track outward and suggest a narrower axle. So you'll need to compare the track width of your Divco to these charts to see whether the Timken B150 axle used by Ford would closely match your original track width. Please ignore the fact that the line drawings show 5 lug hubs/wheels on these trucks. Artist error. The top drawing is correct with the 6 lug configuration.

I don't have wheel width and offset measurements specific to your 1957 Model 374, but have a 1951 Motor Wheel Corporation reference that shows their earlier wheels like yours had offsets between 4 1/8" and 4 1/4", depending on wheel width. These figures were consistent no matter whether in SRW or DRW configuration. The Budd wheels used on the '53/'54 SRW and DRW F-350s had 4 3/4" offset. So, if your wheels have less offset than the F-350 wheels you might end up with slightly wider rear track than original.

The last things to consider I believe would be rear spring pad width, and parking brake configuration. The F-350 axle would be designed for a SAE standard 34" rear frame width, and the parking brake would have been mounted on the transmission rather than on the rear axle. You'll want to compare these to your Divco. Hope this helps some. Stu

 

Maybe I misread this, we serviced a lot of those 300 series both single and
duel wheels. Best of my knowledge mid 50s should be 6cyl Hercules 4
speed t9 crash box column shift split Tim axle. They would run a goverend
55 mph on a flat road. I have seen a few with slant 6 Chysler power, then
much later were floor shift NP with Ford 300 6 with Eaton axle. I have
seen a couple with 5sp OD (light duty) trans usually duel wheel jobs. Comes to mind you should scope out UPS trucks with that lug nut pattern.
What Im trying to say is if your truck is Ford powered you have no problem
sticking a 5OD trans, Hercules I dont know. Be advised peole think Divco
is reserved for Milk truck, not so. Many were ordered for the job or highway use. Forgot some used Continental engines another American
icon gone to company mergers.