best overdrive for the $$

glenn in camino said:
For the money, I like the Laycock/Volvo if it's built by someone who knows what he's doing.
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the Laycock is a good unit, my only objection is that it does not provide for an accurate speedometer or odometer reading. if you don't care about that, it IS less pricey than the Mitchell. (we have 2 Mitchells and LOVE them!)


UPDATE 11/3/2012: have been informed that Laycock units CAN be modified to make the speedo & odometer accurate. that's a good thing, Martha.........
 
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My vote is for the F150 4-speed with OD. Least obvious of all the OD conversions. Bolt-in kits sell for around $2600.00. Here are a couple of photos:
 

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I have a Laycock from Rich Little in my sedan. Its been great, far superior to the out dated Borg Warner in my station wagon. The other builder of Laycock Overdrives is Glen Pyzak, in Aromas Calif. I checked out his work, and its really nice. He has a special adapter fabricated for the rear mount to the torque tube that looks really strong and professionally designed. I had him rebuild my Laycock after a clutch problem and his work was excellent. He can be reached at:
gpyzak@ix.netcom.com

A major advantage to the Mitchell is it can serve as a gear splitter between second and high at any speed. A Laycock needs to be at about 35 mph for the oil pressure to fully engage the clutch. At lower speeds, you can suffer premature clutch wear. The major advantage to a laycock is lower cost, no extra gear shift and ease of shifting with just a flick of the switch. I have not driven an A with a F150, but those I know who have one are enthusiastic. That the center cross member needs to be cut to install one is a concern to me.



cabrioletgalaxie said:
A friend of mine has 3 Model As all with Volvo ODs in them. He loves them. There is no extra shifter sticking out of the floor. They are electric so you just have a wire and a switch which he has mounted to the shifter near the top, under the knob. It has a reverse lockout in it. Having owned and driven over 8 Volvos and never having trouble with an OD unit, which they all had, I chose the Volvo (Laycock) OK. I ordered and received one about a month ago.
Cost was about $1,600. plus shipping from CA. You need to send a torque tube and driveshaft back as a core.
The person's name is Rich Little and he's been doing these for Model Ts and As for years.
There is another person who builds them as well, also in CA, and has advertised them in Ford Barn withing the last 6-8 months.
To date I haven't not installed the unit. It will go in a sedan which I don't own yet.
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I have a Volvo O/D, it's now in its second Model A. For the money a Volvo is you best bet, but make sure the guy that builds knows what he is doing. In Ca Rich Little is the best. I had it about 10 years, and has worked great.
 
Be sure the Laycock overdrive is the later Model "J" as they are MUCH stronger & more trouble free than the earlier units! It can be identified by the VERY LARGE operating solenoid that just screws into the case. Bill W.
 
BILL WILLIAMSON said:
Be sure the Laycock overdrive is the later Model "J" as they are MUCH stronger & more trouble free than the earlier units! It can be identified by the VERY LARGE operating solenoid that just screws into the case. Bill W.
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That's right. Thanks Bill for noting that, it is an important distinction.

My original was built by Rich Little, and is an excellent piece of work. It did , however, lose the clutch after 40,000 miles. It was not any fault of Rich's, but was the result of using it to climb hills in second at speeds below 35 mph and a troublesome switch which occasionally allowed it to hunt between gears. Normally the Laycock clutch should last about 100K miles. That's what I get for using British parts in an American car. I really do not like the look of the extra gear shift lever of a Mitchell, but it does not have a clutch to fail if I use it below 35 mph. In short, no matter which you choose, there are trade offs. Ya makes yer choice and takes yer poison.

Having seen and used Rich's OD's and then seen Glen's, in comparison, Glen's are of at least the same standard of quality. I'm no longer aware of the wait list length for Rich's OD's, but at the peak of the economy ( remember that???), it was over a year's wait.
 
I run 3.54's in my Fordor with the standard gearbox, and 3.27's with a close ratio gearset in the standard box in the Tourer. No overdrives, cutting crossmembers - all looks stock as a rock. Cheaper too.

Less gear choice maybe, but rolled across the country fine this month in a group including flatties and a Mitchell equipped A roadster PU. Had some spirited trips into the 70's - no problems and raced the Tourer all weekend.

I think the standard gearbox ratios with a 3.27 would leave a big hole though. Second gear for me gives a useful 40-odd mph when needed.
 
From the descriptions above, it sounds like the Mitchell is an auxiliary transmission, as opposed to a traditional Borg-Warner overdrive section, which has an overunning-clutch, and free-wheels when in OD. Do I have this correct ?

Joop - I like your shift / lock-out cable set-up; this is how Chrysler Corp used to hang the lock-out cable on their OD cars during the 1939-'41 era... made it a much easier bolt-in for dealer upgrades.

T-5 conversion: doesn't this require major re-arrangement of rear radius rods and brake rods ?
 
When I was looking at Overdrives, the T-5 looked like just too much "cut & paste". I opted for the F150 Tremec which looks original, no cutting, just bolt in and go (with the kit I purchased). I have all the original stuff that can be put back original if ever I wanted to -- can't see that happening, but I have it anyway.
 
TTF, all the above are good choices. I'd stay away from the Borg Warner OD's as they are the cheapest initially but have a checkered reliability record. If you eventually want a better trans too, my recommendation is the T-10 out of the S-10 Chevy pickup. This a is a more complicated way to go, but expense isn't so bad and the results are great. The F-150 is relatively easy but the gear ratios are not the best.
 
I have a Borg Warner overdrive that I built years ago, I like the OD but the thing I like most is the free-wheeling ability...I live in the mountains and have good brakes....required with free-wheeling.... it takes all the buzz out and is extra fun...

I think the Mitchel would be my next vote....nice unit... and then the 5 speed conversion.... looks nice..Mitchel makes an overdrive transmission too.

The overdrive is nice on long drives at speed...but is also hard on the clutch so make sure you have a good fresh clutch while you are installing the overdrive.

Joel
31 Dlx. roadster owned 50 years...Glide-away rear end.
31 Std. Diesel powered roadster....Opel 60hp. w/overdrive
 
I have not heard of anyone who was unhappy with the Mitchell but I recently installed a Borg Warner for a fraction of the cost. I have 3.78 gears and the overdrive is a 33%. In town I seldom use it but on the hiway it allows me to cruise at 55 -60 mph.
 
A twist: Some of our guys run Pinto engines, which, with their high RPM's, are great on flatlands, but not enough cubic inches for mountains. SO, they put in a Mitchell in backwards for an UNDERDRIVE for "conquering" mountains. Our bone stock Model A's, with their 200.5 cubic inches & amazing lugging power climb like "OLD GOATS!" And remember that "SPECIAL OPTION," it's called, SECOND GEAR!! Bill W.
 
EVERYBODY. most people dont't realise THIS but mitchell od is ava in different gear ratios . YOU CAN REQUEST GEAR RATIOS. HAVE FUN MODELaTONY. LAFAYETTE,LA
 
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