Well got a 1950 3 speed with a overdrive now how to hook it up and use it? Does anyone know the proper way to hook up the overdrive and how is the trans? I'm looking to get a bit more top end on the flathead and keep up with the speed demons on the road . Also is this the same trans as the 3 speed with out overdrive? gearing? thanks JOhn
I know that the chevrolet 3 spd OD trans is a little bit the same set up as the ford. The OD unit should kit in after you reach the speed at which the unit is set at. I know that you can hot wire/ground the unit. So you can put in a toggle switch. I will look at my dad's chevelle. It has a 3sd od trans
chevrolet and ford are the same both are made by borg warner. you need a cable, relay and switch. if you want to do it the stock way you need a cable, a kickdown switch, relay, all the brackets and you need to make sure the solenoid/govenor is working. in my panel i use a toggle switch, cable, relay and it works good.
Thanks for the replys guys, Has anyone have one in their car? Is it worth the trouble to put one in?? Also a easiest wat to do it as well thanks JOhn
I love my overdrive!! This is about the 6th or 7th car I've had with overdrive. I used the column shift tube from the 51 Ford I scored the engine and trans from, on a 39 steering shaft and box. Everything lined up great. I wired it up in the stock configuration. I'm using much taller (3.55:1) gears so I can run the flathead at low rpm on the interstate. It works good on a light (Model A coupe) car. I run 1st gear-then 2nd gear then either 2nd overdrive to 3rd overdrive or to 3rd underdrive then to 3rd overdrive. 2nd overdrive and 3rd underdrive are about the same ratio. The engine has compression braking in overdrive, but freewheels in underdrive unless the overdrive lockout cable is pulled out (only do this stopped) . You can push the cable in while moving, but only pull it out when the car is stopped. When I come to a corner, I downshift to 2nd (overdrive) and use compression braking. As I enter the turn, or slighhtly before, it automatically downshifts (at about 26mph) to underdrive and goes into freewheel mode. I hit the gas in 2nd underdrive and run her up over 30mph--let my foot off the gas and she shifts into overdrive--then back on the gas til I'm ready to shift to 3rd. In overdrive, cruising, I can stomp on the gas (actuating the accelerator kickdown switch) and drop her into "passing gear" (3rd underdrive), then, when I've passed the late model front wheel drive car, I let my foot off the gas and she shifts back into overdrive. When you park the car with the overdrive engaged, shift to reverse which automatically (mechanically) locks out the overdrive, and apply the park brake. I'm going to look at another OD set up with a running "Y" block today. I have some extra Chevy overdrives waiting for projects and I have collected the parts to use a saginaw 4 speed with a 66-69 GM overdrive added to the rear of the 4 speed. overspray
My 57 wagon had one and I loved it too. The gears are the same as a standard 3spd. and will interchange. The OD takes place in the tail shaft. For a hot rod, the kick down switch could be optional. It knocks the trans out of OD if you floor it without having to shift gears. A hot rodder like me would just grab second gear and pass. I don't need no stinkin' kick down switch. I saw a stock used Ford 12V relay at Carlisle for 75$ If you wire it as the schematic above shows you can use THIS ARTICLE to diagnose any problems. I just picked up the April 1956 copy of The Ford Mechanic. It goes into great detail with lots of pictures and diagrams on the operation and service of the Ford OD. A great book. I just ordered the wiring harness for the OD in my 56 Ford. I'll be diagnosing my system when the wires come in.
I am about to convert an old Borg Warner Overdrive to a divorced unit to mount behind a standard overdrive automatic transmission. Back in 1965 I had a 56 Studebaker with a 3 speed w/OD and I played 6 speeds on Saturday night cruising Central Ave…..using the bypassed governor and a toggle switch on my floor shifter. My belief is this will enable my car(s)/van to get greater MPG at higher highway speeds. I got three of these old overdrive units. The other two are one missing first/reverse gear. So this is a good use of it. And one is complete T85 transmission with a R11 overdrive, which I would like to keep whole. The third is a R10 taken off a t86E and is a standalone unit. I am seeking another R10 without the 3 speed preferred from another t86e. I would like to simplify a number of their operations. The first one is has anyone made a solid replacement rear sprag? AS I understand it this was mainly to allow freewheeling below 35MPH to allow shifting into the crash first gear. As I will be using a fully automatic transmission without the original 3 speed this seems a worthless and troublesome prone part. OR is there a way to say weld it solid? OR if I understand it certain settings will hold it locked up, no freewheeling? Next I do not really feel it will need the governor or the solenoid, I am thinking as simple on/off in/out overdrive I can fully operate it by putting the part operated by the solenoid in a preferment “on”position and shift in and out of overdrive with the cable operated function, just like pulling or pushing it in or out the control under the dash?? I believe this will work fine to control the OD function. On and Off/in or out. Again my understanding the solenoid was mainly to allow an easy semiautomatic selection of overdrive and to give a nice down shift as well, again the automatic will handle that very well. My plan is to use a servo motor or smaller solenoid to operate this cable and rig it so it has power when IN overdrive and no power drops it out of overdrive and that power will be controlled by a switch both on the shifter lever in the car AND by a switch on the shifter on the transmission to always switch out of over drive with anything other than the forward gears selected. Or two solenoids one for on and one for off and wire a switch to throw it to off when shifted out of any forward gear. So I would set aside the original solenoid and governor as I will have no use for them. Is there a plug for the removed/missing governor?? I plan on making my own cover for the missing solenoid. I have a shop that can machine and cut splines into the input shaft to mount any slip yoke to the input shaft, so my plan is to make front places with a simple seal holder for used slip yoke. For electronic controlled cars there are a number of ways to ass VSS systems to any transmission. Thanks for any help on all of this. Rich
The first one is has anyone made a solid replacement rear sprag? AS I understand it this was mainly to allow freewheeling below 35MPH to allow shifting into the crash first gear. Again my understanding the solenoid was mainly to allow an easy semiautomatic selection of overdrive and to give a nice down shift as well, again the automatic will handle that very well. My plan is to use a servo motor or smaller solenoid to operate this cable and rig it so it has power when IN overdrive and no power drops it out of overdrive and that power will be controlled by a switch both on the shifter lever in the car AND by a switch on the shifter on the transmission to always switch out of over drive with anything other than the forward gears selected. Or two solenoids one for on and one for off and wire a switch to throw it to off when shifted out of any forward gear. So I would set aside the original solenoid and governor as I will have no use for them. Is there a plug for the removed/missing governor?? I plan on making my own cover for the missing solenoid. I have a shop that can machine and cut splines into the input shaft to mount any slip yoke to the input shaft, so my plan is to make front places with a simple seal holder for used slip yoke. For electronic controlled cars there are a number of ways to ass VSS systems to any transmission. Thanks for any help on all of this. Rich[/QUOTE] The purpose of the overrunning clutch is to allow torque freedom so that the solenoid can lock the sun gear stationary. The sun gear pawl wheel has a balking ring that acts like a synchronizer. Once you have torque freedom, via letting up on the throttle and "free wheeling", the balking ring slows down the pawl wheel and lets the solenoid push the pawl in locking the sun gear to the case. If you plan to do this with some type of servo, you still need to be able to break torque or the pawl will just ratchet on the pawl wheel. The other problem is that if you break torque somehow, you are now asking the balking ring to slow down all the mass of the transmission gear train. The overrunning clutch disconnects the transmission gear train from the OD unit. I don't know if it is up to the task. On the original OD setup, the balking ring just has to slow down the sun gear and the mass of the ring gear, drive shaft and rear axle gears are already slowing down as you have to let up on the throttle to make the shift happen.
The Borg-Warner OD unit is a 30% overdrive. If your trans high gear is 1:1, the final ratio would be 0.7:1. My first two drivers both had OD transmissions and I loved them. They were a 54 Mercury and a 58 Chevy Impala.
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