Mitchell overdrive

[Tom Endy]

Have any of you folks installed, or attempted to install, a Mitchell overdrive in an early car that had the 370 ratio Ring & Pinion?

Tom Endy

 

[Brentwood Bob]

I think that setup was under my feb 31 ccpu. The ring lost some teeth. I think I went with a later banjo. When I put in the Mitchell. I still have the 3.70 pinion on the original drive line. I haven't figured how to pull it yet. Bob

 

[Tom Endy]

The 370 R&P is completely different from the 378. The adjusting nuts are on the drive shaft instead of the pinion sleeve. There is no way you can put the 370 pinion on a Mitchell stub shaft unless you cut a section of the drive shaft and somehow marry it to the Mitchell stub shaft. The other alternative is to tear the whole rear end apart and install the later R&P.

This is why I asked the question. I am wondering what people have done when they had an early car and put a Mitchell in it.

Tom Endy

 

[Glenn C.]

I had this problem on one of our 28's.....so at that time decided to bite the bullet and change the crown and pinion along with a new drive shaft.

Went with the 9.34 at the time.

 

[Brentwood Bob]

The whole rear end was replaced. One look at the early pinion and my knees got weak, plus it was wrong for Rockie, the early 31 ccpu.
That truck has had a hard life. Towing it around the yard tied to a wheel tractor to free up the drive line was not the best way to free it up, hence the broken pinion teeth. Bob