That does not look like a GearVendor.
They do not have an attachment that bolts to the side that I can see.

If I knew how to post a picture of the GV unit, I would.

 

Also, any one here ever seen, or have a Hone Overdrive, or a Hone-O-Drive?

 

What your refering to "bolt on the side" isn't the side. It's the bottom. GV offers a deep sump that also can be bolted to the bottom, which is what you may have seen.
Also the exploded diagram is of a J type. GV and myself use a P type. Both units are very similar and as noted in my previous post there are some small differences.
In actuality GV bought the rights from Laycock which is the company that started these units. Trust me when I say the photo's are the same as a GV unit, after all where do you think I got the rebuild parts from? GV.

 

In the exploded diagram it looks like there are 2 round cases that bolt together, but now that I look closer, it seems as if there are 2 views of the same part.

So, you are saying that the Hone 0 Drive, or Hone Overdrive, was sold to Gear Vendor and the Gear Vendor's current product is the redesigned result of that design?
I know the Hone was mechanically engaged with a shifter and the Gear Vendor is hydraulically engaged by an electric switch.

I did like the two pictures here.
They were clear and close up.





But would love to see more of the internals just as clear and close up.

That exploded picture was not too clear and the parts ID list was missing.

Sorry to nag, but I saw an original brochure a couple decades ago and it said the Cougar had the option of having a 2 speed rear end and have seen nothing about it until a couple days ago when someone ID'd it as the Hone Overdrive bolted to either the 8 or 9 inch rear end.



Is there an on line repair, or rebuild manual I can access?

I just need to see the guts of the thing!!!!

 

I guess we could use one of the overdrive units they used to put in the model T's it just went on the driveshaft. I forget who built it.

 

Here is is along with a stock case trans with syncro internals.

The trans goes for $4000!
The OD is so much $$,$$$,$$$ THEY SAY TO CALL FOR THE PRICE!!!!!

Model A and Auto Accessories

 

ARCHANGEL:

I didn't want to get into a history report write up but I'll briefly explain.
A company called GKN/Laycock overdrive makes overdrive unit in Europe for MANY manufacturers such as Volvo.
The way Gear Vendors got started was by making the adapter to put this unit already being produced behind any transmission they want. This is why older units said Laycock P TYPE and the adapter said "GV".
I wouldn't recommend anyone to go ripping into one of these units unless you have experience with rebuilding hydraulic operated units such as transmissions and such. These units are loaded with valves inside of valves and tolerences that must be checked for reassembly. Also the unit needs to be tested for the pressures through the test port. At certain RPM it must pump 20 some psi and when activated jump up to about 400 psi. Even the activation solinoid has valves inside of it. There are many o-rings also and some are close to size of each other but cannot be mixed up.
If you can't comprehend the exploded view of the J TYPE then I wouldn't recommend you taking one of these units apart.
Your next topic was the other OD unit that bolts to the rear axle pinion giving you a 2 speed rear. I never made mention of the unit but I have seen them and are not applicable in the Ford diesel truck world.
Hope this clears out any confusion. Any other ?'s ask away but i don't have any other photos of it apart. I only took pics of the clutch that was wore out at the time with my phone to show someone else.

 

Here's a little more in depth from wikpedia

"Overdrive in Europe
The vast majority of overdrives in European cars were manufactured by an English company called Laycock de Normanville (later GKN Laycock), at its Little London Road site in Sheffield, which is now demolished and remanufactured in the UK by an ex-Laycock de Normanville employee trading as Overdrive Spares. The system was devised by an Englishman, named Captain Edgar J de Normanville (1884 - 1968)<SUP id=cite_ref-Motor1968_0-0 class=reference>[1]</SUP>, through a chance meeting with a Laycock Products Engineer. De Normanville overdrives were found in vehicles manufactured by Ford, British Leyland, Jaguar, Rootes Group and Volvo to name but a few. Another British company, the former aircraft builder Fairey, built a successful all-mechanical unit for the Land Rover, which is still in production in America today.
The first production vehicle to feature the Laycock system was the 1948 Standard Vanguard Saloon. The first unit to be created was the A-type overdrive, this was fitted to many sports cars during the 1950s. Several famous marques used A-type overdrives, including Jaguar, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Austin Healey, Jensen, Bristol, AC and Armstrong Siddeley. Later the A-type overdrive was to be fitted to the entire range of TR cars.
In 1959, the Laycock Engineering Company introduced the D-type overdrive, which was fitted to a variety of motor cars including Volvo 120 and 1800s, Sunbeam Alpines and Rapiers, Triumph Spitfires, and also early 3-synchro MGBs.
From 1967 the LH-type overdrive was introduced, and this featured in a variety of models, including 4-synchro MGBs, the Ford Zephyr, early Reliant Scimitars, TVRs, and Gilberns.
The J-type overdrive was introduced in the early 1970s, and was adapted to fit Volvo, Triumph, Vauxhall/Opel, American Motors and Chrysler motorcars, and Ford Transit vans.
The P-type overdrive marked the last updates and included both a Gear Vendors U.S. version and a Volvo version. The Volvo version kept the same package size as the J-type but with the updated 18 element freewheel and stronger splines through the planet carrier. The Gear Vendors U.S. version uses a larger 1.375 outer diameter output shaft for higher capacity and a longer rear case.
Over a period of 40 years, Laycock Engineering manufactured over three and a half million overdrive Units, and over one million of these were fitted to Volvo motorcars.
In 2008 the U.S. company Gear Vendors, Inc. of El Cajon, California purchased all the overdrive assets of GKN to continue production of the U.S. version and all spares for J and P types worldwide.
The system features an oil pressure operated device attached to the back of the standard gearbox operating on the gearbox output shaft. Through a system of oil pressure, solenoids and pistons, the overdrive would drop the revs on whatever gears it was used on by 22%. For instance, the overdrive system applied to a Triumph TR5 operates on 2nd, 3rd and top gear. When engaged, the overdrive would drop the revs by approximately 450 rpm. The advantages this had on fuel consumption was quite marked over long distances."

 

this is amazing! i am on a ford forum and discover info about over drive fit on volvo(vintage) that i am very familiar with ! A part from my f250 my other ride for the last 20 years is Volvo 120 and 140 series( a 66 and a 1968) and I can tell you guys, those over drive are very very strong. I have pull twice cost to cost of Canada in winter condition and true the Rockies with a trailer about 4500lb (most of it on the over drive!) by-passing the 4th gear relay the over drive will work on 2 3 4 gears no problem! it pop out on the first. I am talking about a over drive over 40 years old with 300 000 miles!!!! Thanks for the history lesson.

 

Then you are as familiar as I with the known original application. The volvo's used a 4th gear indicator switch that would only allow activation of the solenoid. Also had a reverse switch to also break the connection so there were no accidental activations in reverse. Any late 80's upto 87 used the p-type. If aquired you just need the adapter and input shaft coupler and output yoke from gear vendors to add it to your Ford. Of course GV doesn't want you to know that.

 

I had a 1960 Austin Healey 3000 that had the overdrive in 2, 3 and 4.

Made that thing a lot more fun to drive in the mountains with plenty of gear selections.

 

I knew that overdrives like this were more popular on cars before the late 70s and 80s, but never could figure out why they would loose that wonderful add onin LATER years. Could it be that apathy was really that deep in those eras?

Great post, BTW.

 

If you go back up and look at the list, the overdrives started in Europe where fuel costs have always been higher.

With the fuel shortages in the 70's and early 80's they made their way across the big pond.

Then when the fuel prices dropped again, no one wanted to pay more for the overdrive, so they faded.

Fuel starts going up again, and now the car companies are building them right into the transmissions.

I have no doubt if fuel went back below 50 cents a gallon, we would probably be seeing direct drive transmissions again.

 

I just like the idea of one that I can activate when on the freeway that costs less than $2500!

The Hone O Drive seems like a fairly simple design that is nothing more than a mechanical lever (or an electrical solenoid) activating a syncro collar to shift a planetary from direct to OD.

It looks like it, or something like it, could be cheaply made, or roughly duplicated, using some existing transmission parts to get something in the neighborhood of a .75 to .65 overdrive.

If I could make one for $1000 and save $1500 by deleting the hydraulic control, I would!

You would be surprised by the number of over-sized parts that can be machined down to fit another application.

 

In the early sixties there were quite a few american made overdrives. I had a 65 rambler that had bucket seats and a console with a 2 stick setup from the factory. The shifter on the right was overdrive abd you could split all 3 gears. This was a cast iron unit intergrated with the three speed. Even in the 50's studebakers and some fords had overdrives. Kinda like hydraulic clutches late 50's and early 60's then disappeared for 25 years different generation of engineers I guess.