I have never seen a closed driveshaft OD trans but if you come up with a bolt in there will be people waiting in line to learn. We made one years ago by using the closed shaft ball housing Speedway sells for sprint cars and adapting it to the Borgwarner OD housing. Both the torque tube and the driveshaft had to be modified. I have been toying with the idea of mounting a BW unit where the hanger bearing is on a 3/4 ton or bigger. My 50 3/4T has a closed shaft from tranny to the bearing, a slip joint, and then an open shaft on to the rear end. I like to use a 3/4T when hooked to a trailer. The hesitation from jumping onto this is I don't know how well the BW overdrive would hold up to heavy duty use. It wasn't designed for this although I've seen the 3sp OD trans in 67-72 1/2 tons.
Overdrive Some folks here will be old enough (ahem) to remember " Ruckstel " O.D. units fitted to brand 'F's A and T Models..... This fine company also made overdrives for our trucks and sold them under the name " Truckstel " ~ I've only ever seen one and the A-Hole who had it , BEAD BLASTED IT , then sold it to me and shopped it around and re sold it for a higher price before I could go fetch the damned thing . it's prolly in a scrap bin by now Some folks get O.D. by fitting the...? T-5 ? tranny , this requires deleting the Torque Tube IIRC .
Nate and Evan, My truck has all open shaft and is a one ton, as far as hauling goes it does as I need for now. I wanted the overdrive for the long trips into Arizona which I do with it from the Ventura County, Cal. Area. I had thought the newer one tons had a overdrive tranny which maybe would work like the rearends up to '72. Being the 514/1 pumpkin can be changed to a 410/1 by just changing it out. As it was I wanted more highway comfort and had the rearend changed out to a 342/1 and the housing shortened to fit the wheelbase of the truck.
The guys over on OldGMCTrucks.com have been using A833 transmissions when they need an OD. There is some machine work necessary, but it is not extensive. You'd probably have to do some driveshaft work too.
One Ton Pickups Thanx , I thought so but didn't want to stuff my foot back in my face again.... Way back when , I had a neighbor with a one ton longbed '49 , he was a gardener and it was tatty & dirty but a clean old truck with babbit - pounder 235 and Muncie SM420 tranny , one day the brakes failed and he said I could have it for $75.00 ~ I stupidly didn't buy it becausde I don't cotton to long bed trucks..... After a couple years he had it towed away and crushed for scrap .
Sorry to hear that they sent it to the heap pile. Maybe it was pieced out and other trucks are still around because of it.
