Guys,

I want to install a T-85 over drive unit in my 56. I have the bell housing clutch, pedals,column shift,linkage etc. The transmission is from a 63 FE 390 station wagon. I do not have the relay, wiring, or the floor switch. I do have the wiring diagram from the 56 Ford Parts manual.



I have several questions:

Are the relay, and floor switch still available? Source?

Also need the cable and dash mount. Source?



This trans does not look like the one in the Ford Manual. It does read T-85 and R-10 on it's casting marks. The input shaft looks like the manual trans from my 56 parts car.

The oddity is the trans has a Third " shift arm" behind the two shift fork control arms on the side plate of the transmission. This third arm seems to be loose and not control anything. WHAT IS IT FOR? It is an attaching point for the activation cable?



I also have no attaching information as to where to mount the Dash cable or how it attaches to the transmission.



Can anyone help me?



Thanks

Jim

Elkhorn, NE

  Jim Rowe Elkhorn, NE

Jim.

       The third lever is where you attach the cable. This engages, or locks out the OD unit. The kickdown switch is, or was available from Concours or Dennis Carpenter, and probably MAC. I bought a used relay from Concours, but I imagine there's several other options on this relay. Strikes me that any 12 volt DC relay that will carry 25 or 30 amps would work just fine. I have an electrical schematic somewhere that I got off the net, I'll be happy to send you a copy or the IP address to download your own.

Frank/Rebop

Bristol, In ( by Elkhart) 

Frank,

Thanks for your quick reply. This trans has three levers on the side cover and the engagement lever on the tail shaft of the trans. I know the rear lever is where the cable attaches, But what is the " third" lever behind the two shift levers for???



I could use the diagram if you could send it.



Thanks for your help!

  Jim Rowe Elkhorn, NE

Jim, As frank said , the third lever is to engage the over drive ,  the cable you are talking about mounts under the dash  to the right of the steering column...if you dont have a bracket  you can make one using a piece of angle iron ,  about  one inch to one1 1/4  wide drill one hole for the handle mount on the end of the cable ,  drill two holes to mount under the dash ......run cable to the third lever...cable should be out , and when engaged push in to push the lever back toward the rear of car.....thats the easy part....next is the electrical part ,  !!!  I am in the process of doing the same thing on a 55 crown...havnt got the ecectrical worked out yet ,  but i know it can be hocked to a toggle switch ..........Luck....Sam.........................West Central  Florida

56 victoria

Jim,

        I'll dig up the schematic. You lost me on the three lever gearbox. Only ones I ever saw with three levers were t-10 four speeds and they sure didn't have OD's on them. All I'd know to do would be to pull the side cover and see what you have.

Frank/Rebop

Bristol, In ( by Elkhart) 

I’m also clueless on the three levers on the side cover.  Should be two levers on the side cover and then the overdrive lever itself further downstream on the transmission.

 

On my ’55, I bypassed the relay and the floor mounted switch under the accelerator when I installed the electronic ignition conversion.  I did not like the idea of ‘shorting’ out the ignition circuit to get the momentary kill on the engine in which to drop down a gear when depressing the pedal to the floor.  Previous experience on electronic ignition conversions was that they do not like voltage spikes and shorting out the ignition was definitely a spike so I didn’t go there.  I simply installed a push pull switch located just above the parking brake lever in which to run voltage to the overdrive speed governor.  I then let the governor control when voltage is applied to the overdrive solenoid on the tranny based on the speed of the car.  Hope that makes sense.

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)

I too am puzzled by the 3 lever side cover.  Didn't the toploader 4 speeds use this arrangement?  Also, I didn't think B-W ever put the light duty (R-10) overdrive behind the T-85.  All the T-85s I've seen had the HD (R11) overdrive.  Is this some kind of pieced together trans in a T-85 case with a toploader side cover and a R10 OD?

John

John - "The Hoosier Hurricane"

Guys,

I will take some pic of this "odd trans".

Now comes the hard part .........figuring out how to post them.



I will try.



Thanks again for the information.

  Jim Rowe Elkhorn, NE

If I remember correctly, the reverse lever was on the tailshaft, behind the main case on the T10's.

Frank/Rebop

Bristol, In ( by Elkhart) 

Guys,

I have attached the picture of the T-85. I was wrong Frank it is an R-11.

The third arm I'm talking about is the long one in the picture. The first two shift arms are missing. I hope the ones from my 56 STD trans will work.

Again, what is that long third arm? it just swings from the top pivot and doesn't act like it's connected inside the trans.



Help if you can.





  Jim Rowe Elkhorn, NE