model a overdrive

Ditto on the praise for Mitchell overdrives. Put one in at age 78 by myself and only took two days (I'm not a mechanic!) I drive at 55 mph and turn about 1800 rpm, just smooth as silk.
 
As I have posted MANY times, I do some very long trips in m Model A while towing. 95% of the time, I'm in overdrive 3rd gear but high second is a VERY handy extra "gear".
In stop - start city traffic, the extra gears are more than handy.With the gap between 1st and 2nd being so wide, high 1st is handy too.
With an original gearbox, the shift from high 2nd to standard 3rd is easy, quick and silent. One of my cars has a Mitchell gearbox as well as the O/D. High 2nd to 3rd is easy with one action. I hook my fingers around both levers and pull back. I'm not sure how easy that would be in a LHD car.
I have 4 with Mitchell O/Ds and one with a Mitchell cog box as well.
 
nkaminar said:
Ruckstell overdrive advertisement appeared as early as September 1930.

Here is an ad for the Ruckstell overdrive transmission, page 124. https://books.google.com/books?id=9CcDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA124&dq=Ruckstell+overdrive&hl=en&ei=jn3ZTrvhOObg0QGmr_n3DQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CDsQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=Ruckstell%20overdrive&f=false
Click to expand...
From "Ford Model "A" Album" by Floyd Clymer and Leslie R. Henry, Clymer Publications, Los Angeles, CA, 12th Printing April 1973
 

Attachments

Warford made a 3 speed auxiliary, (under, direct, over) for Model Ts, Dunno if they also made for other makes.
 
From nKaminar's 1931 Popular Science advertisement.
 

Attachments

  • Overdrive2.jpg
    Overdrive2.jpg
    53.6 KB · Views: 41
Last edited:
Thank you so much for all the responses so far! Some of them have been very helpful and have put my mind at ease.
 
In addition to a shift lever the Mitchell can be had with a cable actuator which can be installed on the stock shift lever.
 
jeepguy1948 said:
In addition to a shift lever the Mitchell can be had with a cable actuator which can be installed on the stock shift lever.
Click to expand...

That is true and I have two of them. It takes a while to get shifting right without grinding gears. Apart from the appearance, I don't see any real advantage.
 
Synchro909 said:
That is true and I have two of them. It takes a while to get shifting right without grinding gears. Apart from the appearance, I don't see any real advantage.
Click to expand...

One of my club members has juice brakes in his car. The hydraulic lines for the rear brakes interfered with the routing of the floor lever. He opted to install the cable shifter rather than reroute the brake lines. He’s happy with it.
 
jeepguy1948 said:
In addition to a shift lever the Mitchell can be had with a cable actuator which can be installed on the stock shift lever.
Click to expand...

I have not seen it installed on the stock shift lever.

I have seen the cable actuator mounted to the side of the steering column, which looked pretty handy. It eliminates the second shift lever for the Mitchell overdrive taking up space on the floor. If I installed an overdrive, that's where I think I would put the shift knob.

Back in the 50's, when overdrive was an option that many people got from the factory or added, having a knob under the dash or in the dash that you pulled out and pushed back in was a common way that the overdrive was engaged and disengaged.

It was not a shift that you made often, you usually waited until you were out on the open road to engage, and then left it there in O/D until you stopped or came into a city and had to slow way down.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top