We removed a granny 4sp from a 57 with a 235 and put in an old BorgWarner overdrive trans but before I run the wiring through the govenor I had the solenoid hooked to a toggle switch for a trip to the muffler shop. Naturally I had to go through all 6 forward speeds and drive 40mph in first gear. The truck has the factory 3.90 rear end so it was straining to keep up with traffic till it dropped into OD for a 2.73 final drive and then those mullets in the left lane were holding me up.
Fun Keep on truckin . I am gonna build me an overdrive solution in the future aswell. The 235 engine loves it. Martinius.
"those mullets in the left lane were holding me up." "...so it was straining to keep up with traffic till it dropped into OD for a 2.73 final drive and then those mullets in the left lane were holding me up." That is funny as....!!!!! That has to be the quote of the day! That would be a good segment for the day or week..."The Daily Quote" I can see it now. Coilover, that has to be Plano humor...I have a bro over there and I can see him saying something like that...I will have to send that quote to him...Well, now he has moved to Mckinney...but same diff. Thanks, for making my day! I was a little down, because it is hot as anything and I am doing a little body work...half in the sun. Thanks again, rod
Will you be doing a tech article on this swap as compared to the T-5 swap? Which do you prefer and why?
Gee, the tech article would be real short. Since the OD unit is just replaces the tailhousing of the factory 3sp everything fits---driveshaft, shifter arms/rods, everything. Two wires from the solenoid and one from the govenor up to a relay and kickdown switch and your ready to go. Carter sells a ready made OD wire harness for about twenty bucks but we make our own. Any relay that can be grounded to activate (like a horn relay) will work but it is better to find one rated for continuous duty. Bosch has one. They want $50 for a repaired kick down switch on ebay so naturally I'm going to make one.
Will it work on a 4 speed? I am guessing no. Seems a lot simpler than doing the T-5 swap from my perspective.
If you are asking if the OD unit will bolt to a 4sp the answer is no. It is for open driveshafts and it will not bolt to a 3sp unless you replace the main shaft and drill a hole for the reverse lock out rod. By far the easiest is just to pick up the whole overdrive trans at a swap meet; usually $100-$250. Just make sure the solenoid works as they are pricey. It's a direct swap for the factory 3sp (if truck has open driveshaft) but has to have a driveshaft made when replacing a 4sp. About the only change is one has to use bolts and nuts in the bottom trans to bellhousing holes because the lower holes are not threaded on the OD trans like they are on truck trannys.
Call me a big dummy. I guess I am asking if the BW trans will bolt up to the 235 replacing the 4 speed. The T-5 swap requires a spacer plate. I already have an open driveline which I thought was standard on the 1 ton, but I guess I need to start decoding the numbers and see if what I have actually belongs on the truck. So far, I know the engine and doors have been swapped who knows what else....
I'm pretty sure the BW 3 speed is just a bolt on. If I'm wrong I'm sure Nate or Evan will let me know.
Is this what we're talking about? Since I decided to stick with a Stovebolt, and wanted to keep the three-on-the-tree, I hadn't considered going to an open driveline. Something to chew on. -- Guess I just need the O/D unit, rear, and a driveshaft. Interesting! I'm seeing several different BW O/Ds. T85, T86, T87... Which will work with the stock Chevy trans?
Overdrive Yep ; If you get the tranny for a pre 1963 Chevy Sedan or Truck it's pretty much a bolt up deal , there's always some fiddling to do and often the drive shaft needs shortening , it prolly needs new U-Joints anyhow so no worries . Overdrive is nice , it allows clutchless up shifting but , it you forget to pull the lockout handle while rolling to a stop when parking , you'll damage/ruin it when you try to back out of the parking space..... I never used the kick down switch nor the governor , steep hills are a breeze in second gear overdrive .
If one uses the govenor then it drops out of OD when you get below 28mph so nothing can get damaged but IT IS in freewheeling after dropping out of OD so a good hand brake or remembering to put it in reverse is necessary. I drove the old cars so long that putting in reverse to park for me is as routine as putting an automatic in park is for the younger drivers.
Still wondering about interchangeability and part numbers. I see many of these available for Fords, but not so many from Chevies. Will an R10E-1 work?
Let me ask another way - are these things brand-specific, or can a "Ford" B-W overdrive be used seamlessly with a Chevy?
Nope, the overdrive guts are all interchangeable but the housings are brand specific. If all transmissions were the same then all the OD housings would be but the trans are all different. I don't know what kind of facilities you have available but many circle track cars used to run Ford toploader 3sp transmissions behing their Chevy engines. The toploaders were much stronger than the old Chevy 3 speeds. The Ford OD trans is just the 3sp toploader with the BW OD unit on back. Some of the very old Ford OD trans were the side shift 3 speeds which are about par to the Chevy in strength. When dealing with very old overdrives many of the solenoids are 6v ones.
Have a lead on one a couple of hours away. How big are these things? (Lengthwise...) If it's a go, will I be able to fit it in the trunk of the Crown Vic, or do I need to borrow my buddy's trailer?
It will fit in the trunk of the Crown Vic, with proper trunk protection The OD unit is smaller than a transmission, I think.
