I'm posting this here to see if I can get some feed back from people who have used this under drive/over drive unit they offer before.

My truck currently has a C6 transmission and I am weighing options and I was originally looking at an AOD with 4.10:1 gears out back. But with the parts I would have to purchase to do this swap properly I truly believe time wise and money wise I would get a better deal with using this Gear Vendors unit for a C6 that I am looking at. Thing is though I sent them an email with a few questions I have and still haven't heard back from them but I am hoping that this unit will get me what I am looking for without having to spend the extra money of doing a transmission swap.

So anyone out there have one? What do you think of it? How does the gear splitter feature work for you?

 

the c6 doesn't make a good modern trans for a daily driver,not simply because it lacks an over drive but just as importantly,it lacks a locking converter as well.adding an aux od unit can only get you half of what you would end up with,when using either of c6's big brothers; the e4od or 4r100 (e4od being the only option if the '82 truck has a gas engine.)

so just something to consider.

 

I fully understand that. I don't expect this to be able to compare to a modern overdrive transmission. Its just that I like how the truck drives and I drive the truck every day it works good, just lacks acceleration due to the factory 2.75:1 axle ratio and the fact that I went from 28" tall tires stock to 31x10.50R15 tires that are 30 1/2" tall.

So my main goal with this gear vendors unit is to do one of two things either A) go with lower gears to improve acceleration and towing capability while improving highway cruising by selecting a gear that will in over drive be slightly higher than 2.75:1. Or option B) same as above but live with a final ratio of 2.75 or close to it in Over drive to maintain the speed the truck is able to operate at, at a given RPM.

I am leaning towards option B as 3.55:1 gears in the axle with the gear vendors 0.78 over drive engaged in 6th gear (yes I said sixth gear that is another thing that sold me on this unit is it splits your gears and gives you a low/high for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd) the 3.55s would now be 2.77:1 which is very close to my 2.75:1 I have now so in theory I should still be doing 70 mph at 2500 rpm like I am now.

 

but you would be willing to pay thousands of dollars in the attempt.personally i would find a good used e4od donor truck and a used rear axle with 3.55 gearing.then an aftermarket trans controller.sometimes it's just as affordable or even cheaper,to sell the old truck and buy a newer one.
a gas f150 truck with an od trans can be bought for less than a new gearvenders for example.now sell the old truck and your money ahead.

if the '82 a restoration or a hand me down from a late loved one,then of course things are different.
in which case id just keep it like it is and in good shape and run a newer truck for a daily.


i do think there are good ways to make use of a GV od unit.
for example in an f450 truck with 5:13 gearing.keep your tow ratings and get better fuel economy by adding another gear.worth every penny in this case........so long as you drive internet speeds over 55mph very,very often.
so im not against these things.i just would find better solutions for a pickup personally.for less $ to boot.
even in this example however it starts with a trans with an overdrive already and locking converter if the truck is an auto.

 

Well I looked at a AOD swap, by time I purchased a AOD, lock up converter, new carb with the proper TV linkage and locating the proper TV rod I would be at if not just over the cost of this gearvendor unit. Not to mention AOD`s have a very weak over drive and they can easily burn up if left hunting between 3rd and 4th gear. If I am to have a over drive I want it to actually take and work without me having to change from over drive to overdrive lock out just to keep the transmission from destroying itself.

Now with that said, sure I could get a newer electronic transmission and I do these installations all day long at work, thing is the wiring harness, stand alone transmission controller has to be thrown into the cost as well which would easily put the conversion over the price of the gearvendor unit. I have thought of this from multiple sides and this is the best option for the cheapest price. Not to mention going with a late model computer controlled transmission I now have to start buying speedometer converters to convert from electronic to mechanical as these transmissions do not have mechanical hook ups anymore. I know of just one company that makes them and they are around $250 just for the converter which would also have to be thrown into the cost for this swap.

As far as selling the truck and buying something newer that is out of the question. Around here you cant buy a used truck that is newer ie 2000 - 2005 for under a few grand. Now I am stuck with a vehicle that has a lot more computer controlled items that will give me more trouble and cost me more money vs what I have now that is like a military grade watch that just keeps going and going and doesn't give me any trouble.

I fully understand where you are coming from on this. But I have thought of this through multiple angles and though multiple processes of how I could achieve my goal. I have also been thinking on this for almost a week now so I am confident in my current plans as of now as meeting my requirements properly.

 

I have an old motorhome, 78 model, with a 440 dodge and 727 toque flite tranny. In 95 I spent just under 2 grand for gear venders unit. In the years since I've put thousands of trouble free miles on it. In 95 I called Fairbanks Ak. home and the unit has at least 6 or 7 trips over the Alcan. This past summer it made the trip to Colorado.


I live in Wa. now but try to make one good trip in the MH each yr. I can say that I'm sure I've never got the cost back in gas savings but the added drivability is worth the investment time and again. I hardly ever go anywhere without having something in tow....boat or my little Toyota PU. or sometimes a full size PU. I always run the unit in manual rather than auto and use the floor switch to split the gears. It makes handling the hills a snap.


I'm not always this long-winded but if you've got the bucks and aren't buying one for all the gas money you'll save and just want to make your rig more drivable, I say go for it.

 

I have a GV and a 4.10. It's good and it's bullet proof. Before you can say shift it's already done it. I have a 1/2 ton short wide and the GV pushed the effective ratio up to about 3.20. I was mostly interested in performance but now am thinking of a about a 3.75 rear gear to slow things down more on the highway.

 

I think you are artificially skewing the cost and downsides of your AOD conversion in an attempt to justify what you think you want/need.

A used AOD out of a late 80's or very early 90's F150 or E150 would easily fit the bill for what you want to do. Even if you factor in a rebuild the cost would be half the cost of a gear vendors unit. You can get a throttle valve cable from summit for about $80 (double that for a Lokar equivalent) and that would get you set for proper TV geometry.

Combine that with some 3.73 rear gears and you'd have a really great cruiser.

I've had quite a few vehicles with the AOD and when taken care of they can last a long time. They aren't real prone to hunting if you pay attention when you drive. Being that you have a mechanical linkage from the trans to your right foot, you can actually feel how hard to press before causing a downshift.

The later units are pretty well sorted out and will handle a 302 with ease, so long as you get one that came from a vehicle with a V8 to start with.

When towing, just pull it out of OD. Lots of hills, consider the same. In town, I usually pulled mine out of OD. My 89 tbird had over 200k miles on the original AOD and had a nice snappy shift once I set the throttle valve up a bit. Worked great up until the day I stopped driving it, but I took good care of it too.

No matter what you do, it is a terrible investment. You'll never get your mine back in fuel savings. Smarter money probably just leaves it alone or changes to a 3.23ish gear to get some of your performance back. 3,000 rpm on the highway is nothing to be afraid of, other than the extra fuel used, but even thats going to be cheaper than any OD conversion.

My $0.02