Hello,I have an all aluminum Ford 3spd + OD (toploader style, Tremec?) that the swap meet seller said came from early 70's Mustang, Econoline, Bronco, F100 etc. It was thrown in for cheap so I grabbed it. It has a shifter that is mounted to a sliding tube gadget allowing for the trans to be mounted in various vehicles. I think it moves forward/back at least 5'. My digging with serial numbers did not reveal too much. I have an old Hot Rod at home that may have some aditional info. If usefull I will post.A fellow HAMBer provided the following to my initial Q (17 May 2003).I have one of these in a 1980 Ford f100.
It is very light and is mexican built.I had trouble with it jumping out of gear and had to install a new 2nd gear300 bucks wholesale yrs agoI bought a similar looking one in Portland a few years ago was from a mid size ford car. The case was the same but had a different input shaft. I think this is a very light trany and would check that the ratio's are decent. Typical ford thinking on mine. They put in a 2:75 rearend with the overdrive and the 302 would be at 1100 at 100km.
And not have enough tourque to pull itself. Would easly do 100km.
In 2nd!Hmmm. I guess I better swap the Hemi for a Pinto 4 banger in the Alater,papa al. Laverda - It sounds like what you got in trade is an SROD (Single Rail Overdrive) 3 + OD (which unfortunately is considered a bit of a red-headed stepchild transmission by Ford guys). The sliding tube gadget is a dead giveaway. The version I'm asking about is referred to as a SMOD (Side Mounted Overdrive), which has a reputation for being much more durable than the SROD.Redbeard - I actually did mean toploader.
The gears go in from the top, and it shifts from the side. Rumor has it that these transmissions can actually be turned into a four-speed toploader by changing the gears. The part number is T170F (Code-RUG).Incidentally, David Kee considers this tranny to be a 'Toploader imposter'. QUOTE QUOTE. Is an SROD (Single Rail Overdrive) 3 + OD (which unfortunately is considered a bit of a red-headed stepchild transmission by Ford guys). Which has a reputation for being much more durable than the SROD./ QUOTE Thanks Z. This may be a dumb Q but.
Is this trans pretty much useless? I have thought about hooking it to the back of my 331 hemi, instead of the Powerflite that is currently there.
Thanks.later,papa al/ QUOTE What I know about the SROD is mostly second-hand. Fat Hack & others would probably have more hard data for ya, and if you do a Google search on SROD you'll find a bunch of info. But from what I've read, an SROD might not be the best choice for a hemi. Whenever I see people talking (typing) about how it's 'probably fine for a stock 4-banger', I start to get nervous. Ford trans info. In the 50's the toploader was used with smaller engines.different design than the 40's top loaders.
Larger engines used the T 85 which has the round bottom side cover. T 85's were used by various other companies starting in the 40's.t 85's were the basic transmission that was redesigned to make the T 10 four speed. Some parts interchange between the t 85 and T 10. Ford then made the top loader all synchro 3 speed.
It was also used by GM in a few cars. Next was the Toploader 4 speed/ It had all the gears inside the main case. The heavy duty top loaders had the 1 3/8 input shaft.
The O/d 4 speed changed gear internals so 3 rd gear was direct and the od used the gears that was 3 rd in former designs. OD spinning the gears results in more wear and less life. As stated before there were both side shift and the single rail shifter, Jeep also used the ford trans with a top cover shifter. Some late model toploader/ O/D also use aluminum cases. From another forum:Two versions of the Top-Loader 4-speed were available. The cast iron version, called the RUG, has external linkage and is a direct swap for non-overdrive units. These are found in '77-'78 Granadas and Monarchs, '78-'79 pickup trucks and '78-'87 vans.
They normally had internal ratios of 3.29:1, 1.84:1, 1.00:1 and.80:1.The aluminum case version found in '79-'83 Mustangs and Capris is called the SROD, has internal shift linkage, an input shaft that is 11/16' longer than a normal Top-Loader with a shifter location 19' from the mounting flange. These usually had ratios of 3.07:1, 1.72:1, 1.00:1 and.70:1.SROD's also came in '80-'83 pickup trucks. These are the preferred trans for early Mustangs as they have the same length input shaft and shifter location (15' from mounting flange) as a normal Top-Loader. Two different ratio sets were available: 3.01:1, 1.78:1, 1.00:1 and.79:1 or 3.25:1, 1.92:1, 1.00:1 and.78:1.My experience with an '85 Fi50 is expect a 2000+RPM drop on shifts. I have a SMOD, or 3+1 overdrive trans going into my '49 F-1. If you have this trans, hold on to it! They are said to be as bullet proof as the old toploaders.
(Havent driven on mine yet).I got mine on an ebay auction for a little over 2 hundred bucks after it was rebuilt. The main problem is shifter availability. Hurst quit making them. My shifter is sloppy and the shift pattern is HUGE!
Not that I mind, but reverse, 1st, and 3rd are about 4' away from the firewall. The shifter I need actually bolts up to the gear box where the tail shaft bolts on. Hurst made that exact shifter for a little while, but decided not to now that I need one! Mine I believe came out of a '78 E-150, but can be found in most 78 and 79 Ford trucks and vans with a manual trans (good luck). They are mostly all iron cases.while some lightweight trucks got the aluminum cases. These were also used in Jeeps with a different shifter. The Jeep shifter was a top mounted shifter that housed the shifter fork rail and the forks.
Acording to all the info I can physically find, they only ran from the late 70's into the very early 80's and were dropped for weight reasons for the:SROD transmissions are completely different than SMOD. SROD tranies are still 3-Speed+overdrive.but the overdrive is actuated by a rod that is on the top drivers side of the transmission. These are also aluminum cased for the most part and tend to be weak. I was told to stay away from the SROD trans if I was building for more than 250HP by many people. The SMOD is a full externally shifted toploader style trans whereas the SROD is fully internal.
The SROD was also a very short lived trans because the T-5 was on the way.The SMOD and SROD trannies get confused often, but if you take the time to look at them they are worlds apart both in construction and durability. SROD trannies were barely able to handle the cars they were put in from the factory. They are, for the most part, a restorers trans to keep things OE. The SMOD is, acording to David Kee, a toploader impostor because it looks almost identical to a 60's toploader. It is stronger, heavier, and longer lasting than the SROD, and parts (other than aftermarket shifters) are readily available for them.
Any transmission shop can locate rebuild kits.Sorry for the rant.I am just miffed that I cant get my shifter anymore!
Manual Transmission Disassembly and InspectionOne of the main advantages of a manual transmission over an automatic transmission, beyond the more-involved driving experience, is that they are very simple to use, fix, and rebuild. There generally are very few things you can do to make them better other than make them stronger if you intend to race them.This Tech Tip is From the Full Book,. For a comprehensive guide on this entire subject you can visit this link:SHARE THIS ARTICLE: Please feel free to share this post on Facebook / Twitter / Google+ or any automotive Forums or blogs you read. You can use the social sharing buttons to the left, or copy and paste the website link: street-driven vehicles, there may be a few minor material changes to improve strength and/or durability, but many if not most of the procedures are similar to factory service procedures. As a result, I won’t show every step for rebuilding a typical manual tranny. I highlight important areas that need to be given some extra attention when rebuilding such a tranny, in this case the Toploader that was available for our 1968 GT.
I show some of the major steps involved in taking this transmission apart and putting it back together again. We again relied on Big 4 Transmissions of Paramount, California, to share some of their expertise with working on this type of transmission.
This helped me address some issues that aren’t normally covered in the shop manual, but which have become commonplace over the years.MUSTANG RESTORATION: MANUAL TRANSMISSION DISASSEMBLY- STEP #1One of the most useful tools needed when rebuilding a manual transmission is a pencil magnet, such as this one. It is invaluable when retrieving small springs, detent pins, and the like from small passages where oil and/or dirt conspire to keep them stuck out of reach. As you remove these small parts, make a note of where they came from, so they go back in the right place.MUSTANG RESTORATION: MANUAL TRANSMISSION DISASSEMBLY- STEP #2Many of the larger external parts of the transmission can be removed at the beginning of the process. These will include the shift linkage, the tranny mount, the top cover, and the input bearing collar, as is shown here. Inspect it for excessive wear or damage on the surface where the throughout bearing slides.
Remove minor scratches with emery cloth, but any significant flaws mean replacement of the part. The shaft seal on the inside of the collar will be replaced; these have a tendency to harden with time and can thus develop a leak.MUSTANG RESTORATION: MANUAL TRANSMISSION DISASSEMBLY- STEP #3During the disassembly of a manual transmission, many small parts, such as detent pins and so on, need to be removed for access to other parts. There are also situations in which parts such as shafts need to be oriented to a certain position before they can be removed. The factory service manual generally describes these procedures in detail.
However, the general rule is that if a part seems to be difficult to remove, don’t force it. Look for of any pins or retaining rings that may have to come out before it can be removed. Also try rotating the part to different positions to see if that solves the problem. Lots of force should not be needed to remove the vast majority of components (except for bearings).MUSTANG RESTORATION: MANUAL TRANSMISSION DISASSEMBLY- STEP #4Look for any signs of wear or surface damage when removing the various support shafts. While it is rare, pitting or galling has occurred under some circumstances. Minor imperfections can be removed with a fine emery cloth or pad, and the parts can then be rinsed in the parts washer to remove any residue.
Reversing the retaining pins is a good thing to do when reinstalling these shafts because the opposite sides of the pins are less worn and provide a more secure fit.MUSTANG RESTORATION: MANUAL TRANSMISSION DISASSEMBLY- STEP #5The shift forks are one of the main components to examine for signs of wear. This usually occurs at the tips where the forks contact the sliding collars over the synchros. A small amount of polishing is fine, but any excessive wear can cause problems with incomplete engagement and/or the transmission coming out of gear. Also look for any cracks or excess wear in the bore for the shaft, but these are fairly rare unless the transmission was abused.MUSTANG RESTORATION: MANUAL TRANSMISSION DISASSEMBLY- STEP #6The sliding collars must also be examined for any signs of excess wear on the outer surface where the shift forks make contact and on the inner teeth as well.
These generally are reused with only a trip to the parts washer needed before they’re reinstalled in the same place.MUSTANG RESTORATION: MANUAL TRANSMISSION DISASSEMBLY- STEP #7The main shaft assembly gets removed and installed/ loaded from the top, hence the name. Be careful lifting the assembly out, so the shaft surfaces and the gear teeth don’t get nicked or scratched. These components are petty stout, but if one of the gear edges scrapes the shaft, damage can occur.
When disassembling the main shaft, look for any galling on the shaft or on the inside of the gears. You want everything to be nice and smooth and free of flaws.MUSTANG RESTORATION: MANUAL TRANSMISSION DISASSEMBLY- STEP #8The main case normally will have some degree of sludge in it just because of the type of gear oil that was used. The main indicator of potential problems is how much material is on the magnetic plug, seen to the left of the reverse gear assembly. If there are a lot of metal filings on this plug, then you can be sure you’re in for an unpleasant surprise in the near future. Larger particles are especially problematic because they can be an indicator of chipped gear teeth or a broken retention or detent pin.
65 Mustang 3 Speed Manual Transmission
Any significant accumulation of material on the magnetic plug should be taken seriously to the point of making sure the source of the material is positively determined.MUSTANG RESTORATION: MANUAL TRANSMISSION DISASSEMBLY- STEP #9There are generally two different sizes for the synchro “dogs”: the shorter ones are for the ¾ synchro, while the longer ones go with the ½ synchro. These normally do not exhibit much wear but are usually replaced anyway as precautions against wear and fatigue. The spring clips that these contact, however, generally do show signs of wear at the points where they touch. The dogs have a tendency to wear grooves in the clips, and thus the clips are always replaced in a rebuild.
While not often, these clips have been known to wear through and break.MUSTANG RESTORATION: MANUAL TRANSMISSION DISASSEMBLY- STEP #10A rebuild kit for a manual transmission includes the usual assortment of gaskets, seals, and bushings, but it should also include new bearings/ rollers, synchro rings, plus the various spring clips, retaining clips, and other small parts. While the bearings do not need to be packed with grease, they should be pre-lubricated with gear oil after they are lightly blown off with air.Written by Frank Bohanan and Republished with Permission of CarTech Inc.