I am wanting to add an overdrive to my Saginaw 4 speed, as well as go to a 4:11 Rear end. I have located this Saginaw 3 speed w/overdrive, and have saved the article posted here some time ago on the conversion. The article says that the 3 speed needs to be a 1962 or later.... I have not personally seen this 3 speed yet, but here is picture of it. I notice that it seems to have the bell housing attached to it... Any idea on if this one will work for my conversion? Thanks much, Bob
That bell is bolted to the trans with 4 bolts.....it's hard to see. Bell is 55-57 Chevy or later truck bell. They are cast iron. Trans also looks later than 62 to me. Good luck!
you need a Saginaw 3 speed with overdrive, not one of those old Muncies like the picture shows. The Saginaw 3 speed overdrive transmission will look identical to your 4 speed, except it will be missing one shift lever, and it will have an overdrive unit instead of a plain tailhousing. this is a saginaw 3 speed ovedrive
Hey, thanks much for the info. Actually didn't realize it, but after talking to the seller, it turns out that he is a HAMB member too!! Hoodlumrocky... a good guy! Free bump for him !!! Cheers, Bob
a Saginaw must use a Saginaw overdrive unit from a 3 speed + OD. The conversion works because the 3 speed and 4 speed use the same main case. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=164067 that trans in the picture is an earlier one as shown here: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=134582&highlight=overdrive
I had a new 68 camaro with a 327/275 engine and a saginaw 4 speed. It was a terrible shifting piece of crap from day 1. I personally wouldnt have one.
Does the conversion work pretty well? I have a saginaw 4 speed and a muncie M21 four speed. Overdrive would be awsome if I could use one of those transmittions in one of my hotrods with the overdrive. Is it just a bolt on deal or is there alot of fabrication to make a shifter work? I wasn't aware that you could do such a conversion.
I did a google search for Saginaw 4 speed 0verdrive and found the following article http://www.chevytrucks.org/tech/overdrive.htm It tells how to build the transmission.
I didnt build it, but a family friend did. We put a saginaw four speed with a Studebaker tailshaft electric overdrive in my dads powerhawk. pretty cool set up. $0.02
the three speed with O/D is a good piece all by itself. Put in a floor shifter and those 4:11 gears and you will have tons of fun. you are on the right track, Bob
Have had that 2 page April 1975, Hot Rod Magazine article in my files, waiting until I found a 3 speed Saginaw transmission with Overdrive. Today was the day and I took a 1965 "two groove" model home for $250! I had a 4 speed Saginaw [#338935 - "three groove"] waiting. Now, does anyone have recent experience with this add on of an overdrive, particularly for which shifter to use and how to mount it on the thicker, unthreaded OD housing? Any shop to recommend that could do the job for me? Am hoping to add this to my 26 T Coupe with 392 hemi, YES I do know that the OD will not live with the 400 HP, but road manners with the 3.55 rear gears should be excellent.
Hurst used to make a shifter for the Saginaw O/D transmissions. The bracketry mounted the shifter high and forward of the usual location to clear the solenoid.
What Heathen says....I did the 4 speed OD conversion about 7 years ago.It was fairly simple to make a mounting bracket that bolts to the main case , shorten and reshape the shifter rods.
Slightly off topic...Did anyone make a floor shift for the Borg Warner O/D? I have the R-11 from a '51 Merc and need a floor shift, no luck so far at swap meets. Thanks.
I dug out my n.o.s. Hurst shifter for '66 and newer Saginaw O/D transmissions. If you want, I can take a picture of the mounting brackets for you.
Would love to see the photo of the old time shifter for the Saginaw overdrive trans. Looks to me from having my 4 spd and 3 spd OD transmissions side by side that the shifter will have to be very high to work, right through the floor where my leg needs to be! Thanks in advance.
The mounting for a floor shifter to clear the OD solonoid and case puts the unit higher by about four inches than the stock mounting holes on the 4 speed tail shaft. For me, this puts it right in the middle of my leg next to the foot pedals. Not going to work! Perhaps I will try the 3 speed with OD and the new 3.55 rear gears to see how that works for me.
The Jalopy Journal
