I want the overdrives

I want an overdrive unit for my '66 Impala. Actually I want a column shifted T-56, but lets stay realistic.

I'd like to drive my Impala on a semi-regular basis, but until I can get it above 15mpg SWMBO just isn't going to let that happen (especially when the Honda gets 43mpg). I thought an overdrive kit might be a good way to make that happen under $1000.

There seems to be a "stock" option for this transmission available, but with those units approaching a half-century of age, I have my doubts. Furthermore, I can't seem to find a single one of them for sale...

There seems to be a company called "Gear Vendors" but their site isn't working. Also, an e-mail I sent them just got returned. I'm wondering if they went the way of the dodo.

Is there another option that I should be looking at?

Maybe replace the 12-bolt rear axle with this Audi 01E I have laying around and make the Impala IRS?

Start crawling the junkyards for a rebuildable core, as I highly doubt you want to convert to floor shift(which opens up your options a lot). Or some serious hacking/engineering of the column shifter to add a 3rd control rod for a 4 spd od trans like a 833. Well, I guess you could put in a 833 without altering anything, you'd just lose reverse.

I see a few on car-part.com for $250-$375, I cant imagine the rebuild kit is very expensive.

700R4

Oh god, that is awesome! I've really got to remember to save car-part.com as a favorite.

(sorry, no 700r4. I kind of dig the three on the tree)

I am not sure that you can have three gears and OD...

singleslammer wrote: I am not sure that you can have three gears and OD...

A three speed manual transmission with an overdrive was a pretty common thing up through the 1960s, and was a regular option on 1966 Chevrolets.

Try Hemmings.

LS3 with the Goodwrench trans to go with it ~22mpg? (and 400+ tire roasting HP)

FWIW, the Gear Vendors website opened for me without issues. My understanding is that GV stuff is good but not cheap.

However... looking back through the mists of time to the Kennedy Administration, my father had a 1958 V8 Rambler Ambassador with three-on-the-tree and an overdrive that operated (as far as I recall) with a pull-out knob on the dash, kind of like an old-school air vent. I'm not saying you could find one of these in a junkyard almost 60 years later (finding Jimmy Hoffa is probably a better bet), but there might be info on the AMC sites that could help. Or Javelin's Dad might have one in the attic.

I just finished a rebuild of the Chevy version of the A833. It's called the MY6 in most cases, and it's a great transmission. They are rare, and finding hard parts can be a chore. I used Jamie Passon of Passon Performance for darn near everything except when I needed an actual fourth gear, which I sourced online through the most terrible website ever. The guy came through though, and now it's rebuilt on the bench. I got the transmission for free, and have maybe $200 all-in to the rebuild. I suspect you could imaginer your way into it working on a column shift. It still has two shift forks, 1-2 and 3-4 plus the reverse.

Added: I have heard nothing but excellent things about Gear Vendors, but they are really proud of their unit. Expect to pay for it. The benefit is that there seems to be no practical limit to the poer they hold up to.

To score a GV unit cheap look to old RVs. You'll still need the proper adapter to your trans as 99.9998% of RVs with this unit were automatics. You might get one for free if you buy an old RV and part it out, but this requires more time, more money up front, and extremely cool neighbors.

What type of cash are we talking about. You can find one of the Volvo driveline attached ones for about 1K last I heard. They get used in the classic car world all the time.

That's a Laycock J-type OD, and they can be had for a lot less than $1K. The trouble is that they are not stand-alone, "bolt on with an adapter" type units. The transmission's output shaft is an integral part of making the OD work. I wouldn't really want to put V8 torque through one either.

Huh, must have been a bad day for the interwebz. Gear Vendors site is up and running.

I think I'm going to pass on the LS3 and A883 options, I'm trying to avoid cutting a hole in the floor if possible I know it'll limit my options, but I cant bring myself to do it.

That J-lock is pretty neat. With all the Volvos running around up here I almost wonder if I could pick one up cheap from the junk-yard. V-8 torque is no prob, I got the guttless-Inliner. 155hp when brand new

teh ninja edits: Almost $3k for the gear vendor's option! At that price I could probably get an LS1 / T56 combo! Holy Smokes!

In reply to Hungary Bill:

Well, everyone warned you the GV units weren't cheap.

To expand on what Phill posted, the pic the weary posted is missing the input shaft - which is the output shaft of the transmission, which has the cam drive which operates the hydraulic pump that makes the o/d work.

And I also agree a J-Type would not likely live long behind a V8 - even a stock, low HP one. They still put out a lot more torque than the small 4 and 6 cylinder cars these units were usually installed in. It's not uncommon for hopped up Volvos to get upgraded to a T-5 because the stock trans can't handle the power.

I too have often wondered how difficult it would be to get a column shifter to operate a new 5 or 6 spd trans. There are some cars (and especially vans) where column shift woud be desired.

What about a 200-4R with a manual valve body connected to an automatic steering column & shift setup out of an 80's G-body?

It'd be a hoot to have some sort of "racheting" system. One where I could pull the lever towards me to shift up, push to shift down. Dunno how "R" would work, but it'd be a hoot to see the passenger's reaction.

But then again, what would I do with that third pedal?

In reply to Hungary Bill:

Remove it and swap the pedal cluster out for an auto car setup.

What are your rear gears right now? And do you know the ratios of your 3-speed Saginaw?

I know this won't exactly do what you are looking at, but what if you put in higher gears and at the same time put in another 3-sp Saginaw with a lower first gear? Just hypothetically, if you have a 3.55 in there now with a 1-line 3 speed (2.54 first gear) but swapped it out for a 2.73 and a "3-line" 3-sp Saginaw (3.50 first gear) you would keep your first gear about the same but have a significantly higher (lower numerically) top gear.

Again, it is all academic without knowing what ratios are in there currently.

I believe I currently have a 3.73 rear end in there now (but have never actually checked) and I'm not sure which Saginaw I have installed. Honestly I'm not sure what they meant by "three-line" etc.

So I did teh maths:

If I could get that overdrive unit installed, I believe it's a 70% output. That would give me a .70:1 transmission output as a final drive (essentially another gear).

Right now (estimating 3.73 gears, no overdrive) I would be at 3000RPM at 60mph.

With a .7 overdrive unit I'd be at 2100RPM at the same speed.

If I were to swap the 3.73 for a 2.73 it'd give me almost the same result as the overdrive, but with the drawback that every gear would be reduced by the final drive ratio (which may not be a bad thing...)

I think I'm still leaning towards the Saginaw Overdrive unit. It seems the cheapest, seemingly most useful, and the option that would be most easily adapted to my current setup (requires the least amount of changes).

http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/pts/4652701807.html

http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/pts/4668121780.html

Maybe you can use just the OD?

There is a place down in Vancouver that can probably hook you up with a 3 speed overdrive Saginaw if you want. They typically cannibalize them to build 4-speed overdrives. Not sure if it is ok to post here, so PM me if you are interested.

Ian F wrote: I too have often wondered how difficult it would be to get a column shifter to operate a new 5 or 6 spd trans. There are some cars (and especially vans) where column shift woud be desired.

Alter the shifter on trans to mimic a FWD type trans shifter, add FWD cable shifter setup(or use marine control cables), modify column shift to accept cables, done.