Tom Wesenberg
Well-known member
What's your goal? Do you not want to double clutch, or are you looking to lower the engine speed like an overdrive or 3.27 ring and pinion gears will give you?
Who's running a Mitchell Transmission?
- Thread starter JunkOSC
- Start date
What's your goal? Do you not want to double clutch, or are you looking to lower the engine speed like an overdrive or 3.27 ring and pinion gears will give you?
mrtexas
Well-known member
Have you considered a v8 transmission? It will be cheaper than a Mitchell and do the same thing.
inex01
Senior Member
I also have a Slant Sedan, have the stock trans and installed the 26% overdrive this past spring with a 3.54 rear and it works so well, my engine is a touring but not a over the top touring engine and is very capable with this setup. This past summer I took four 200 mile trips mostly highway running between 55 - 60 MPH and did need to drop out of over drive on long up-hill slopes but mostly stayed in overdrive.
curtisldean
Junior Member
I just finished a running gear upgrade on my 30 coupe, new set of 3.54 rear gears, Mitchell overdrive, and a 15% 1st & 2nd Mitchell synchronized transmission.
The installation was pretty straight forward with no surprises.
My fresh stock engine runs very easily at 50 mph on flat ground and I don't see a huge difference on the hills.
Steve Mitchell was available for Q&A the 2 times I had a question, I am very pleased with the product and service I received.
The installation was pretty straight forward with no surprises.
My fresh stock engine runs very easily at 50 mph on flat ground and I don't see a huge difference on the hills.
Steve Mitchell was available for Q&A the 2 times I had a question, I am very pleased with the product and service I received.
inex01
Senior Member
curtisldean
Junior Member
Thank you Chuck.
Y-Blockhead
Well-known member
This has probably been asked a thousand times but if you could only afford one, Mitchell Syncro Trans or Mitchell O/D, which would be better and for what reasons?
I'm looking at the O/D because the non-syncro trans doesn't bother me (except trying to down shift to first) and I like the idea of gear splitting, giving me "6 gears".
I'm looking at the O/D because the non-syncro trans doesn't bother me (except trying to down shift to first) and I like the idea of gear splitting, giving me "6 gears".
Rich in Tucson
Senior Member
O/D. I cannot think of a single reason to ever down-shift to first gear in a Model A nor in any other vehicle where a synchro would be a benefit except perhaps for a track (racing) car or vertical-climbing rock crawler. Then, a Model T might be a better choice!
daveymc29
Well-known member
I run a Mitchell OD with 3:54 gears and 600 X 16 tires. 55 is no problem, hills may require a down-shift if they are long and steep, but other wise just like stock. I bought the shifter cable which makes it more like a truck to shift, without the handle of a "Browny" box. Thus I can slide across from the curb side, which I found quite difficult with the floor shift lever on the OD. Don't leave home without it. Good people to work with. May buy a synchro box next, but the neutral in the OD makes shifting so simple that I may not.
TerryH
Well-known member
Y-Blockhead, I have just the Mitchell OD in my Town Sedan and will likely never need the synchro ******. To me, double clutching has always been part of the fun of driving a Model A. Having a higher first and second gear would be nice, but not really necessary. But the OD is a whole different story. To me, it is the missing next gear that a Model A really needs, especially living here in Southern California, where surface streets are commonly 45-50 mph, and some freeway driving is necessary to go to many places. On the freeway, I like to be able to easily cruise at 55-60 without pushing the car, and the Mitchell excels at that. And splitting gears in the mountains is very useful. We do an annual trip to Mt. Baldy every year, and 2nd OD is perfect.
Tom Wesenberg
Well-known member
Y-Blockhead
Well-known member
Thanks Terry. That's exactly what I wanted to hear. Being in SoCal we have a lot of different topography (and speeds
) Sometimes I find it would be nice to have a gear between 1-2 and 2-3.Believe me, I avoid it at all costs. Sometimes tho I find it necessary. For one example, in traffic on a hill. If the car in front of me slows down enough, for whatever reason, I have to lug the engine to "get 'er going again" or come to a complete stop so I can get in first. Flat ground I don't have any problems.
But we digress. With the O/D I should be able to shift to first O/D in those (rare) situations, correct?
Last edited:
Marshall57
Senior Member
The transmission does not have a higher third gear. They can raise the first and/or the second gear ratio, but high gear is a 1 to 1 ratio and cannot be increased due to the size of the transmission case. The benefit of this transmission is that you will not have to shift out of first so quickly when leaving a stop light, also the synchronized feature makes everything better. If you need to rebuild your transmission, and map out the costs, adding a little more and ending up with a Mitchell transmission makes a lot of sense. One more addition to this is that if you add an overdrive to the equation you can choose where your second gear ratio will be and that could make a real difference in traffic or the mountains.