55.2-59 Searching for Overdrives

[SanJosesSteve]

My 59 GMC is still running around with its original 270 mated to a 3 on the tree transmission. I love the 3 speed for driving in town as I don't have to shift very often. I think adding an overdrive would really go a long way to make the occasional freeway jaunts more enjoyable.

What am I shopping for? What should I expect to pay? Is it as easy as searching for a "Borg Warner R10 Overdrive" ?

Is there a specific model I'm looking for to mate to my existing (recently rebuilt) 3-speed? Can I even do that or am I shopping for a complete Trans/Overdrive package? I really want to keep my original transmission.

Anyone know of a shop that sells these as rebuilt units or am I destined to wander the local wreckers looking at drivetrains?

The 400 mile trip I made last summer in it would have been way better if I could have brought the RPMs down while cruising the highway!

Thanks, Steve

[MIKESAD50]

Steve,
Have you checked with gear vendors, they do add on overdrive units for many applications and transmissions.

[NorCalGal]

I bought a Gear Vendor unit, pricey but if I sell my truck I can keep my over drive unit.

[1968k20]

Originally Posted by SanJosesSteve

My 59 GMC is still running around with its original 270 mated to a 3 on the tree transmission. I love the 3 speed for driving in town as I don't have to shift very often. I think adding an overdrive would really go a long way to make the occasional freeway jaunts more enjoyable.

What am I shopping for? What should I expect to pay? Is it as easy as searching for a "Borg Warner R10 Overdrive" ?

Is there a specific model I'm looking for to mate to my existing (recently rebuilt) 3-speed? Can I even do that or am I shopping for a complete Trans/Overdrive package? I really want to keep my original transmission.

Anyone know of a shop that sells these as rebuilt units or am I destined to wander the local wreckers looking at drivetrains?

The 400 mile trip I made last summer in it would have been way better if I could have brought the RPMs down while cruising the highway!

Thanks, Steve

Where was that picture taken? Beautiful! Looks like Lassen Park

[whitedog76]

Advance Adapters has the “Ranger” overdrive. http://www.advanceadapters.com/produ...etainer-index/

It sandwiches between your bellhousing and trans. Technically, you would have 6 forward gears with it or just use it as an overdrive. You would have to modify your shift linkages though.

Kind of pricey.

[mr48chev]

That Ranger overdrive is pretty much like the overdrive my buddy had in his mid 70'S C30 with 454 an 4 speed. Probably a lot stronger than the one he had though.

The Gear vendors would be a lot simpler to install though. They are spendy but are real popular with the motor home owners. One of the guys on the HAMB has one in his blown 454 Nova. There are still some old 3 speed overdrive transmissions floating around when you can find one. That would be the cheap way to go even though they bring a pretty stiff asking price most of the time. Stiff compared to the price for three speeds like is in the truck now.

[paulspickupparts]

Here is one that would bolt in the place of yours provided you have the same tailshaft. . It is not mine and there are maniy others on ebay. A little better one is the borg warner used in 67-72 pickups. The later ones have a sychro first gear and a little heavier duty. As far as prices. I have seen $90 for a bad core to $1500 for totally rebuilt.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1955-55-Che...5ac5wM&vxp=mtr

[1957 Chief]

I put a Bel-air one in my 1949 3100. Def well worth it.

When you do find one, make sure it has a governor on it and a solenoid. Buying those two things are expensive. You will also need the cable. You can buy the electrical harnesses, but it was easier for me to make one. I usually see 4/5 of em at the bigger swap meets.

Bubba

[1project2many]

There are currently some used / rebuildable GM OD units on Ebay.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Manual-Tran...-/142666231532

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1955-55-Che...-/362229877350

How flexible are you with OD choices? Is a 4 speed with OD a possibility or are you sticking closer to the original configuration?

[whitedog76]

What about the MY6/A833 trans?

I know you would need a seperated linkage for reverse, though.

[SanJosesSteve]

Aside from converting to a twin reservoir M/C, the truck is pretty much stock. I'd like to get an overdrive that would leave as much of my original drive line intact as possible. That's why I'm thinking the R-10 is the way to go.

I was hoping there was a specialty shop that sold these as rebuilt but I guess that is not the case. The current e-bay offerings are a bit far from the West Coast but at least I think I now know what I'm looking for.

That picture in the snow was taken on the eastern slope of highway 108 about a mile down from the summit. Lassen is not that far a away....... good guess! -Steve

[Mac the Yankee]

2 wheel drive NP833's are getting pretty hard to find (at least in my area), and expensive when you do-

also, make sure it has the correct bellhousing, shifter, and rods... took me a number of years to find my 833- it was a bare trans... so now I'm trying to find the shifter (I have a 4wd shifter and it doesn't fit- has to be 2wd), rods, and bellhousing... yeehaw.

If you can find one that's complete and affordable, excellent!

Laycock overdrives (like the Gear Vendors OD) can be found on earlier Volvos and sometimes under motor homes- good to know if you like to hunt salvage yards

[Janky59]

There is a good thread in the '60-'66 section on the Borg Warner option. The thread is here:

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...=313886&page=4

I learned a lot about wiring, etc. from that thread. I installed a Borg Warner OD for the same reasons as you in my '59 w/235. The best thing to me is everything bolts up to your stock stuff, no driveshaft mods, the 3 speed linkage hooks right up, input shaft, etc. The one glitch I had was I had to install Helicoils in the ears on the 2nd trans I got to take the bolts from inside the bell housing. This was because it was out of a car instead of a truck, that's my understanding at least.

I bought a rebuilt unit from Garage Motorsports in Vancouver, WA. It wasn't cheap, oh well.

The other option is the later model 5 speed out of 80's GM cars. There is a couple of good writes up on that too, a bit more involved, but people have good results. I'll try and dig up a link on that later.

The link is: https://lugnutz65chevystepside.weebl...info-page.html

This is for the T5 trans set up, a lot of good info there.

[1project2many]

Some of the early '80s Vettes used a Super T10 4 speed with overdrive called the Doug Nash 4+3. The transmissions weren't bulletproof by any means but in a mild application like your truck they would work well enough. It's essentially a 4 speed manual attached to a 2 speed automatic.

Unfortunately your column shifter wouldn't work with the 4 speed and in addition to installing a floor shifter you'd need to change both the clutch disc and the driveshaft yoke. But if you stumble across one on CL it might be worth picking up.



http://garage.grumpysperformance.com...-related.9812/

[Old Truck Man]

The original Transmission in your truck should be a 318 Muncie. It has the 4 bolt side cover. The early overdrive transmissions where a 319 Muncie. and they are a 318 muncie case with a warner overdrive unit attached. the full syncro Saginaw transmissions didn't appear until the mid 60,s. I have a couple of the 319 transmissions and one of the later Saginaw overdrives. pictured is a 66 319 I removed from a pk.

[Old Truck Man]

Originally Posted by Janky59

There is a good thread in the '60-'66 section on the Borg Warner option. The thread is here:

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...=313886&page=4

I learned a lot about wiring, etc. from that thread. I installed a Borg Warner OD for the same reasons as you in my '59 w/235. The best thing to me is everything bolts up to your stock stuff, no driveshaft mods, the 3 speed linkage hooks right up, input shaft, etc. The one glitch I had was I had to install Helicoils in the ears on the 2nd trans I got to take the bolts from inside the bell housing. This was because it was out of a car instead of a truck, that's my understanding at least.

I bought a rebuilt unit from Garage Motorsports in Vancouver, WA. It wasn't cheap, oh well.

The other option is the later model 5 speed out of 80's GM cars. There is a couple of good writes up on that too, a bit more involved, but people have good results. I'll try and dig up a link on that later.

The link is: https://lugnutz65chevystepside.weebl...info-page.html

This is for the T5 trans set up, a lot of good info there.

yes truck transmissions have threads in the bottom attaching ears. you can just use a longer bolt with a nut and lock washer. heres a picture of the threads on my 66 truck overdrive.

[SanJosesSteve]

So I've found two Muncie 3 speed overdrive transmissions locally, but am still not sure which one "fits" my 1959. One says R10 H1 on its tail cone and the other says R10 K1.

They look pretty similar, can anybody give me a hint as to what the H & K denote?

Thanks! -Steve

[1project2many]

R10 is the "Version" of the overdrive unit. There is also an older R9 and a later R11.

I've tried several searches for casting numbers with little luck. But this page mentions the H vs K casting codes.
https://www.trifive.com/forums/showthread.php?t=131916

The H transmission may be for a 55-57 vehicle?.

[sfcharr]

Are you still looking for an overdrive transmission for your truck?

[Marty68]

Originally Posted by sfcharr

Are you still looking for an overdrive transmission for your truck?

I am contemplating t5 or?? need to lower highway rpms to help the survivability of the 283

[mr48chev]

If you don't mind the floor shift there are some options with later 5 speed overdrive truck transmissions A bit spendy in some respects for an NV 3500 or NV4500 but probably a couple thousand less than a Gear vendors unit.
There
There is always the watching for the "parting out motorhome" adds where one might have a gear vendors od in it too that can be had for a few hundred bucks. There are the units that replace the tail shaft on turbo 400 or other automatics and there are stand alone units that are fitted in the driveline like a divorced transfer case on a 4x4.

[sfcharr]

I have a complete Muncie 3 speed with over drive that has been rebuilt. It has everything with the unit. Solenoid, factory kick-down switch, governor switch, relay, wiring harness, shift rods and levers and slip yoke. If your interested let me know. R10H -1A overdrive, casting # on transmission is 3741357 if you want to research the application

[Ironworking]

Take a look at these. Maybe there is something here you can use.

https://killeen.craigslist.org/pts/d...902888640.html

https://images.craigslist.org/00y0y_...A_1200x900.jpg

[D'Monsta]

Originally Posted by sfcharr

I have a complete Muncie 3 speed with over drive that has been rebuilt. It has everything with the unit. Solenoid, factory kick-down switch, governor switch, relay, wiring harness, shift rods and levers and slip yoke. If your interested let me know. R10H -1A overdrive, casting # on transmission is 3741357 if you want to research the application

I see this is from a few years ago, but do you still have that set-up? I may want it if I can afford it..

[mr48chev]

The last post was over two years ago.