Technical Saginaw 3 speed overdrive Gurus needed

[22rdstrguy]

I remember reading an article a few years ago about a Studebaker in the Le Carrera Panamericana road race that had the 3 spd od trans modified into a 6 speed , 1, 1od, 2, 2od, 3, 3od. does anyone here have the info for this conversion?
We thought it would be cool to have in my buddy's '52 Chevy pickup, to get it period correct as a late '50s, early '60s farm boys toy, we have gotten a '55 Chev car rear diff and scored a '57 saginaw 3 speed with Overdrive but it is missing the governor(hint, hint, anyone have one?)
Btw, it has a '54 235, Offy 2-1bbl carbs, Fenton headers, hi lift cam, but unfotunately for now it has a '70s Saginaw 4 speed and late '70s malibu rear diff, the front wheels were already converted to '54 Chevy car hubs and drums.
Thanks in adavance.

The old '52 chirpin' the rubber in video below

[Lobucrod]

Dont know about the stude but I had a girl friend in the 60s who had a 61 belaire and it would go into OD in each gear. Dont know why it would but it was cool. Maybe the govenor on the tail housing was stuck or bad.

[22rdstrguy]

[QUOTE=Lobucrod;7622847]Dont know about the stude but I had a girl friend in the 60s who had a 61 belaire and it would go into OD in each gear. Dont know why it would but it was cool. Maybe the govenor on the tail housing was stuck or bad.[/QUOTE]

That is what I was wondering if the governer was removed it might be able to shift it into OD in any gear that would be sweet and simple since it isn't there. Thanks for that info Lobucrod, I'll have to reaserch that a little more, at least I have actually heard/ read of someone that has driven a car that can do so.

[1oldtimer]

the gov is just like a speed sensor, it engages the solenoid after about 23 mph in any gear if the cable is pushed in. I have my '64 panel truck hooked up without the solenoid, just a toggle switch, relay, cable and solenoid and it works fine.

But you do need something to plug up the hole in the trans, I have the gov in the trans but it's not hooked up.

Not really a 6 speed though, 1st gear in o/d is like 2nd without.

[22rdstrguy]

Originally Posted by 1oldtimer

the gov is just like a speed sensor, it engages the solenoid after about 23 mph in any gear if the cable is pushed in. I have my '64 panel truck hooked up without the solenoid, just a toggle switch, relay, cable and solenoid and it works fine.

But you do need something to plug up the hole in the trans, I have the gov in the trans but it's not hooked up.

Not really a 6 speed though, 1st gear in o/d is like 2nd without.

I figured the 1st OD gear would be like 2nd, pretty close to the same ratio. I am sometimes retarded I think so just to amke sure I understand this right, it dosen't need the governer, just a toggle switch, a relay and the solenoid that is on the transmission correct?

[22rdstrguy]

A Million Thanks! to 1oldtimer for the pm's on how to make this work!

[brigrat]

Originally Posted by 22rdstrguy

A Million Thanks! to 1oldtimer for the pm's on how to make this work!

No fair you gotta share!

[Lobucrod]

If I remember correctly (hey it happened in the late 60's) the 6 gears were pretty evenly spaced. OD is something like 70%. If I can find any data on the muncie 3 spd gear ratios I might be able to get the old brain to figure out the actual ratios.

[jimbousman]

Back in the early '70's I read an article about converting a Saginaw four speed to and four speed overdrive bolting the tail-shaft from a late sixties Saginaw three speed on to a a four speed housing. As I remember it there were a few mods that needed to be made to make it work but the results were pretty cool. I went so far as to buy '69 OD trans (last year made) for that purpose.

Fast forward to last year when I ran into a guy who's running this same setup behind his hopped up flathead in his chopped "T" coupe. I sold him the OD as a backup to one he has.

Here's an article about the conversion:
http://www.chevytrucks.org/tech/overdrive.htm

[choprods]

I had one in my High school 56 Chevy back in the day..
It had a toggle switch splitting the wires that used to come from the acelerator pedal kickdown switch to the solenoid on the OD tranny....

[spooler41]

In the early 60's , I had a Chev powered 47 Plymouth Cp. with a O/D in it. It was easy to engage the o/d in all 3 forward gears. You just couldn't shift it very fast. As I remember it , gear splits were evenly split. By the way it sounded great running east ,through the I--90
tunnels, onto the Lake Washington bridge .
....... Jack

[James Curl]

I have one installed on my 55 Chevy pick up with 235 and a 390 cfm four barrel on a Clifford manifold ,HEI, and cast Fenton headers. I run the cable in the OD position all of the time which allows the truck to free wheel any time the solenoid is not engaged. I energizer the solenoid with a toggle switch through a 12 volt relay to carry the current. You just have remember to disengage the OD solenoid before trying to put the vehicle in reverse, also when you park without the solenoid being engaged you have to park in reverse which is the only gear that doesn't freewheel. Other than that it works fine without the governor being wired in the circuit.

[jimbousman]

I ran the toggle switch route in my '49 Ford OD to split the shifts. First, First-OD, Second, Second-OD etc. It was a cool feature but I admit I did not use it much to run through the gears. Shifting was slow and I'm not sure kicking in and out of OD between shifts was all that good for the tranny. Two things I do miss about the old OD was shifting without the clutch and cruising around town in second-OD instead third. The old flathead loved to burble nice at that RPM. I just had to remember that it free wheeled in OD so when you let off the gas, it didn't slow down. Nearly kissed the back of a new Corvair one time.

[22rdstrguy]

Originally Posted by brigrat

No fair you gotta share!

Originally Posted by James Curl

I have one installed on my 55 Chevy pick up with 235 and a 390 cfm four barrel on a Clifford manifold ,HEI, and cast Fenton headers. I run the cable in the OD position all of the time which allows the truck to free wheel any time the solenoid is not engaged. I energizer the solenoid with a toggle switch through a 12 volt relay to carry the current. You just have remember to disengage the OD solenoid before trying to put the vehicle in reverse, also when you park without the solenoid being engaged you have to park in reverse which is the only gear that doesn't freewheel. Other than that it works fine without the governor being wired in the circuit.

Here you go brigrat,
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/s...5&postcount=19
A Big Thanks! for that extra info James

[overspray]

Lots of good threads on overdrive. The old Fords and Chevys operate the same.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/s...0989&showall=1

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/s...elay+overdrive

[NONAME]

Let's see I have 3 Overdrive Transmissions and the original little book article "6 forward speeds for 2 dollars" no scanner or car with OD

[brigrat]

Originally Posted by NONAME

Let's see I have 3 Overdrive Transmissions and the original little book article "6 forward speeds for 2 dollars" no scanner or car with OD

I have the tranny but no book!
Looking for a Saganaw 4 Speed & info to convert................................

[overspray]

Originally Posted by brigrat

I have the tranny but no book!
Looking for a Saganaw 4 Speed & info to convert................................

Here's the link. You need a fully syncronized 3 speed w/overdrive made from 1966-69. They are a little scarcer than the 55-64 nonsyncronized 3 speed overdrive transmissions.

Saginaw 4 speeds are much easier to find and the HAMB has a lot of info.


http://www.chevytrucks.org/tech/overdrive.htm

[overspray]

Originally Posted by NONAME

Let's see I have 3 Overdrive Transmissions and the original little book article "6 forward speeds for 2 dollars" no scanner or car with OD

Yes you can have 6 forward speeds but, some will be almost the same ratio as others so you end up with 4 usable gear change ratios. With the saginaw 4 speed, it would be 5. The overdrive final drive is .85.

[Dale Fairfax]

There was no trick system required to have 6 speeds with O.D. We did it all the time back in the '50s to make the pipes "talk". It's all in the way you drive it. Wind it up in 1st until you reach the governor speed. Let up on the gas and it shifts into 1st O.D. Wind it again till you feel like shifting. When you shift, floor the throttle just as the transmission goes into 2nd. The kickdown takes it out of O.D. so you're into conventional 2nd. Wind it up again and let up on the throttle to allow it to shift into 2nd O.D. That's 4 speeds. Now repeat for third. This is with everything just the way B.W. made it and as Ford installed in the car. No toggle switches, no lockout cable manipulation.