Borg-Warner Overdrive (1957 Ranchero)

[David Conwill]

Back story: I've been looking for an overdrive transmission to retrofit into my '61 Falcon. I have the proper bellhousing to put a '49 to '64 type Ford transmission behind a 200ci straight-six engine.

A Craigslist search near me has yielded a '57 Ranchero 3-speed with overdrive. I haven't called yet, because I don't know when I'll have a minute to go look at it. Before I do, I want to know what I'm looking for.

I understand the case should tell me what model transmission (T86, T85, etc.) it should be, and the overdrive should be likewise marked (R9, R10, R11). I figure behind a Falcon six, even a T86 with an R9 overdrive should be just fine.

Is there anything in particular I should be aware of that might be a deal killer on this transmission? He's asking $100, which I understand is about average for one.

Thanks in advance,

Dave

 

[40cpe]

$100 is really cheap for a working overdrive. If the governor, solenoid, relay, kickdown switch is not there you can spend much more than the transmission cost to get all the parts. You also need to be sure the OD section is not frozen/locked up. Put the lock-out lever in the rearmost position, put the transmission in gear, hold the input shaft with one hand and turn the output shaft. It should turn the input shaft in one direction and not in the other. If that test checks ok, it should at least go into overdrive. There could still be worn parts in either end of the transmission. The T-86 will hold up fine unless you really abuse it.