Hi all, I purchased a BW R10 overdrive for my 51 Plymouth, not installed yet. I understand that the R11 overdrive (say from Ford's truck) are heavier duty than the r10 od parts. Does anyone know if any of the r11 parts are compatible with the r10. Obviously I am wondering if I can improve my r10 by installing heavier duty r11 parts? Thx
Most of the parts are different and won't interchange. If your Plymouth still has the original motor, the R10 will be plenty strong enough.
Ford went to the R11 behind the T-85 trans for the 312's in 56. They (and the transmission) were much stronger than the T-86/R10 combo. But if you're not abusing it, that unit will work fine. One thing to remember (besides side stepping the clutch) is the O/D sees the torque output of the engine behind the gearbox. So 2nd gear puts more load on, and 2nd over is worse when the o/d is engaged. If your Plymouth has the stock engine it'll be fine as Steve says. With an upgrade, maybe not. I kept one alive behind a worn 352 for a couple years before I sold it.
Something I learned is don't re-invent the wheel. It will be time and money consuming, and the gain not worth the effort.
You are fine I run a r 10 od in my 51 flatty merc little more horsepower than the Plymouth and a lot heavier car no problems yet. Old timer told me the trans has a small hole in it to let oil into the od unit I always check both the trans and the od at every oil change on motor.
I ran an R10 behind a 230 with headers, dual carbs and aluminum head in a 48 Plymouth coupe for 8 years with no problems. About 4 years of it was as a daily and it was still working just as it should when I sold it. 230 2 by hkestes posted May 26, 2012 at 12:06 AM
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