Mitchell O.D. in a 1937 Ford?

A couple of choices ar 9 pinion, 37 ring gear - 4.11; 9 pinion, 34 ring gear - 3.78. These are the most common. There are a couple of others I don't know off the top of my head. It could also be a 3.54.
 
ssffnomad said:
I would not rely on Housing Stamping to achieve gear ratio.
Drain the Oil.
Remove fill plug.
Spray some Brake Clean on the Ring gear.
Let it dry.
Take a long skinny modeling brush , and apply some white paint to one gear tooth.
Let it dry over night.
Next morning, rotate and count ring gear teeth.
Click to expand...

The above is the best way to do it.

If your speedometer reads correctly, you could look at the numbers marked on your speedo "turtle" and use the Green Book chart. Look for the tooth count of the turtle and look at the rear-end ratios at the top of the columns. The yellow highlighting is for my gear set.

560650
 
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It is a reprint of a parts book with diagrams. There are errors in it which David Rehor has pointed out several times. It is readily available.

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The Green Book is a reprint of the 1950 Parts Catalog that Ford printed. It was the last parts catalog that Ford made in the USA that covered the 28-48 cars and 28-47 trucks. It contains many changes and omissions from earlier parts catalogs. When publishing the Green Book Ford wasn't interested in how the vehicle was originally made, rather Ford was interested in what parts they still had that would fit onto any given vehicle if it rolled into their garage for repair. I have both a Green Book and a parts catalog printed at the end of the year for each vehicle I own. I have about two feet of book shelf space dedicated to old Ford parts catalogs, but somehow I find parts faster than my friends who only have a green book.


Regarding the Mitchell fitting without floor modifications, you will find different answers from people. I called Mitchell at one point and was assured no floor modifications would be needed to fit one of their overdrives into a 38 Ford passenger car. There is a 36 Ford around that has a Mitchell that required floor modifications, and I measured up the location of the overdrive. Sure enough, I would have to modify my floor too. I highly recommend measuring your vehicle and making up your own mind. Please don't take this as a bashing of the Mitchell, they are a great overdrive.
 
Thank you all for the relevant information. And I'm all over getting the parts books.
I'm normally a Model T guy so that's why I seem so lost. I wanted to get into something more roadable.
 
Funny world we live in. I'm normally an early V8 guy who recently purchased a Model T. Welcome to the used car era where crankshafts don't break.
 
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