Transmission Identification

[cdc3jj]

I bought this trans thinking it was a 3 speed with overdrive but I've never seen one in person. From the pics I see online I'm afraid I was dupped... Here's what I have....

[chris401]

A couple of sites with your numbers say it is a 3 speed OD. This post has the best break down if correct:
http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/99048 ... -dies.html

[Roger Carter]

That appears to be a Single Rail Over Drive transmission. Variations of these were found in everything form Mustang ll's to Econoline vans.

Some had aluminum cases and tail housings while others had cast iron cases and aluminum and cast iron tail housings. Typically the ones with the internal shifter, such as yours, were the all aluminum varieties and referred to as the SROD and the cast iron units had a side mount, bolt on shifter, more like the typical 4 speed top loader. The all cast iron units are typically referred to as "3+1 OD's".
A number of people refer to all the SROD transmissions, regardless of case or shifter, as garbage. I'm not in that group.

The all aluminum transmissions were extremely weak and won't last if you put any horse power in front of them. The aluminum case allowed the clearances to open up between the input gear and cluster gear, resulting in breakage. The cast iron units were a beefier and usually forum in Granada's and Monarch's as well as the F and E series trucks.

Your trans should have a metal tag, usually riveted on the right side of the case, with a series of letters and numbers. If you can post a picture of that tag we can help you positively identify the original application of your trans.

FWIW. I have an all cast iron 3+1 Od in the '66 that is my avatar. There is a warmed over 390 in the truck and the truck has been on the road since '99 with no transmission issues.

Hope this helps.

[ras4434]

Roger I am amazed at not only your knowledge but your ability to lay it out so even I can understand..Well said....this i a great site.

[Roger Carter]

Roger I am amazed at not only your knowledge but your ability to lay it out so even I can understand..Well said....this i a great site.

Ross,

Thanks for the kind words. They are appreciated. Knowledge (?) isn't worth much if you can't share it with others.

Don't want to hi-jack the thread, so drop me an e-mail about your speedometer cable.

Roger

[cdc3jj]

Im pretty sure this is where my tag was...

The trans is going behind a 223, with at most a couple carbs and split headers. And that's only when my lottery numbers hit. So I'm not worried about horsepower. The trans seems to be all cast. The tailshaft and the case feels and sounds the same. The more pics I saw of srod's the more I figured that's what I had. it's probably going to come down to how easy it mounts to my current bell. I also bought a 1998 ford t5 the same day I bought this. I have some challenges with it. Once the motor is out I'll assess the situation before I spend any more cash. Thanks for all the continued help.

[R Pope]

Gotta agree with Roger, the SROD aluminum case trans is crap, the external linkage model is pretty good. It's the old Toploader modified so third gear is OD. Had one hooked to a hot 351W for 60K miles with absolutely no problems. Only drawback is a big ratio jump from second to high, needs a torquer engine to get past it.

[Roger Carter]

You did post a nice picture of the remnants of the trans identification tag.

The trans fit-up to your 223 should be fairly easy, but...

Depending on your fab skills and abilities the cost for the changeover can be anywhere from near nothing to not too bad.

A three speed bell housing will most likely be easier to use for the 3+1 swap than an original 4 speed bell, since you can drill the trans case to the 3 speed (narrow) pattern, if the trans doesn't already have the pattern machined in it. A 4 speed bell housing has a different bolt pattern than a 3 speed, but I don't know if a 3+1 can be modified to fit.

Be sure to use a clutch disc with the same spline as the 3+1. The original disc will most likely have a larger input spline than the 3+1

You will need to confirm the length of the input shaft is the same as the trans that was bolted to the bell you are going to use. Ford has done funny things with input shaft lengths over the years. I have machined "custom" pilot bushings, built spacer plates and even machined the trans mounting surface of bell housings to work through differences in lengths of input shafts.

The front bearing retainer on the 3+1 is most likely larger than the bore in your bell housing. I usually machine down the bearing retainer rather than modify the bell housing, though either will work just fine.

Your 3+1 most likely will have only the "later" bell housing wide pattern bolt holes, though it looks like, in one of the pictures, that it may have the "older" narrow pattern holes drilled in it. The 223 3 speed bell will have the older narrow pattern.

I have found that using socket headed cap screws for the upper trans to bell bolts makes things easier, and using a socket head cap screw for the top right (passenger side) is a necessity. You will need to "fabricate" an Allen wrench to fit this top right cap screw.

Hope this helps.

[Blackwaterforge]

I had one in a Ford van.
You lifted up on the gear shift knob to shift into overdrive.
Shift pattern was a H just like any 4-speed.
It was synchronized in all forward gears.
It was very light duty.
Hauling horseshoes got the best of it and I replaced it with a Borg WARNER 4-speed.
In a truck that's not hauling 15-2500 lbs every day it would be a great transmission.

[cdc3jj]

Thanks for the tips. I have a little while before I'll have to do much fab work and I may end up swaping in a 302 while it's all apart just so an efi conversion should be easy.