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 Installing overdrive transmissions into older cars is in vogue right now. And why not? After two decades on our nation’s highways, they’re hardly exotic technology anymore; boneyards are littered with overdrive transmissions ripe for rebuilding. The development of engines and transmissions on separate timetables means that there are cross-generational applications with few headaches; my old daily-driven 351 Cleveland/Ford AOD combo in my old Montego bore this out.
For all-out quarter-mile racing applications they’re probably a little more delicate and a little more expensive to fiddle with, but for those of us who prefer driving on public roads, Overdrive presents multiple advantages. With Overdrive, a shorter (numerically higher) rear-axle gear for more hair-raising acceleration is now a possibility without sacrificing highway drivability or revving your engine to the stratosphere; a 4.00 rear gear and a 2.87 First means you’ll get pressed back in your seat when you tickle the throttle, while a .67 overdrive gear means an effective 3.0 rear on the highway—plenty tepid at cruise, good for about 2,200 rpm in my combination.
There are so many advantages to overdrive, that it makes classic car ownership just that much easier.
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Re: Slowly Turning: Could Overdrive Have Made the ’70s More Palatable?
