I am looking into a truck to do light work around the farm as my 6.9 idi after 476,000 miles requires a rebuild as the rings are very worn out. I need something with 4x4 as things get soggy but I dont really need another 1 ton truck. The truck is a 1964 F100 with a 390 V8. The truck is a 4x4 with a 3 speed Column shift transmission. Paint it nice except for a spot on the passenger bed that has rust and the inside of the bed that has spots of surface rust. The truck is cheap for a reason though. The syncro is done in 1st gear so the owner said you cant downshift into it and he usually just stalls it in 2nd then starts is back up again but has kept from driving it recently to not mess up the clutch. I called a buddy of mine who rebuilds transmissions to see if he could get me a rebuild kit and I would do it myself but idk what trans it is. The owner said it came with the truck. Now if it is the 3.03 Ford Toploader wasnt first gear non sycronized ? If so there wouldnt be a syncro shifting down from 2nd to 1st correct ? I assume the trans would be the 3.03. I had a 1975 F250 Camper Special when I was a teenager in high school and it didnt have a 1st gear syncro ring and it had the 3.03 trans. I asked the owner for the dataplate picture so that might help out. Just wondering if it was the toploader or not. EDIT: I forgot to add that the truck has a factory installed overdrive as well.

 

From a NumberDummy post concerning a 1964 model.
If the 3 speed has overdrive, it's the optional Warner T-86 (no 1st gear syncro). The optional Warner T-85N with overdrive was installed in 1965/71 F100's.
Some parts may be difficult to find and there is some electrical stuff involved to make that thing work.

 

I would not assume anything just based on the year of the truck or the data plate. The truck did not come with that 390 or any FE engine so if the engine was swapped the trans may have been as well. Not that it didn't exist but I've also never heard of an overdrive in any slick 4x4. Even the three speed column shift is rare in a 4x4. Maybe this truck was converted to 4x4? Factory 4x4 would be a 120" wheelbase with a wrong bed or flareside. Need some pictures.

 

isnt the T86 a floorshift transmission ? Or did they make column shift versions ?

 

the trans is original according to owner. He said the original engine was a 223 I6 but the engine broke and was replaced with a 390 out of his mother's 64 T Bird cause a tree fell on it.

 

No floor-shifted 3 speeds on 1961-1966 trucks. All 3 speeds from the factory were column-shifted in those years. The thing that strikes me first is there would be a coupling shaft between the back of the transmission and the front of the transfer case. In 1964 all 4x4 trucks had the 120" wheelbase, no question there. There were only 2 coupling shafts used with the 3 speeds. One for the light duty and another for the medium duty. Notice they are within 1 1/4" length of each other. The 3 speed with overdrive transmission was quite a bit longer than the standard 3 speed transmissions and there seems to be no part number listed for a 3 speed with overdrive. If you want to be on the safe side get a picture of the warranty plate and assuming it is original, then it should tell how it was originally equipped and if it was a special order. The coupling shafts were just a little more than a foot long. They can only get so short and still function. I wonder what this 1964 F100 truck uses for the coupling shaft?





Here's an example of the C5TZ-4817-P used on the 1965 F100/250 with NP435 4-speed and 1966 F250 with the same transmission.

 

The owner got back to me, the transmission is a 3.03 Transmission. The syncro ring is worn out so shifting down into first causes grinding. The overdrive unit is activated by a lever in the dash that must be pulled out and is a reduction of 20%. So 3rd wouldnt be 1:1 it would be .80:1 I guess ??? Either way its supposed to keep the RPMs down. Except it doesnt work something with a solenoid is bad and they are hard to find as these overdrives werent exactly cheap back in the 60's and the owner said his father paid $435 extra for the install from factory option in 1964. The truck has a Dana 44 front and rear which I thought was wierd as I thought half tons had the 9 inch rear. The owner said the truck is a 1964 F100 Highboy. I didnt think Highboys came about until 1967/1968. 1969 is the oldest highboy I have ever seen at an auto show. Either way this truck seems like a thrown together restoration that the owner doesnt want anymore. The paint has patches of rust showing, the engine doesnt belong to the truck, the overdrive doesnt work, 1st gear syncro is worn out, the truck idles rough and high rpm and idk what the specs are for this truck. I guess let me put it like this. In the winter I sell firewood so make money for the farm. I pickup wood, haul it home, split it and then sell it. I assume the truck can carry 1,000lbs in the bed. I assume the truck can tow 5,000lbs. However assumptions arent anything certain and I dont want to buy a truck that wont fit my needs. If anyone knows the tow specs of one of these F100s let me know. Thanks for all the help.

 

What you are describing sounds like a T86. You need to go in person and get pictures of the warranty plate and the transmission. Here is one of many threads concerning those OD transmissions. 3 speed OD will it fit. - Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums (ford-trucks.com)
My truck originally had a T85 the PO removed it for the same reasons pointed out in the linked thread.
Personally, I think trying to use a 59-year-old, unrestored vehicle for any kind of work will not turn out well.

 

The 3.03 transmission was made by Ford. The overdrive that was available in the 2WD series was the T86 which was made by Warner Gear. Here's some pages from the 1964 Salesmans Facts Book.

First up is the 2WD series. Under Standard Equipment is the Ford 3-speed


And optional equipment had 3 possible Warner transmissions including the overdrive. These are what are called Regular Production Options or RPOs.


And 4WD series. Same standard equipment for transmission.


And the advertised RPO. Just the Warner T98A 4-speed for the 4WDs.


I'm not saying the overdrive couldn't have happened, but it would be a Domestic Special Order or DSO, which is listed on the warranty plate as additional numbers. The transmission being a DSO would then normally result in a blank entry for the transmission on the warranty plate. You can see why it would be interesting to see that information.

 

lets see some pics

how did they slap the 390 into the wishbone frame??