OD Transmission inspection and towing

[Wood and Steel]

Hi all, 

 

I found a borg-Warner tranny on craigslist pulled from a '53 Plymouth. It's marked R10G-1. I'm told it was running when pulled. I've been doing some reading, and as I understand it, I will want to make sure to get the kickdown switch, relay, and driveshaft. Is there anything else I would need to check for? How would I go about inspecting it for functionality, and how much work would it be if does need a rebuild? He has the entire drivetrain sitting in his garage, from the radiator to the rear axle.

 

It's off a P24 stamped ('53), 218ci engine, and I have a P30 stamped ('57), 230ci in my '51 Plymouth. Am I correct in thinking it should mount right up?

 

Also, how well do these transmissions handle towing? I'm wanting to get a small boat that I will occasionally pull with it (1,500lbs. +/-). There is very little elevation change here in Indiana, if that matters.

[greg g]

Make sure you get the solenoid.  When I got mine, I found two both condition unknown, and did a two to make one deal.  Assumed that work was needed.  Member Mark Duggan did a rebuild on the one in his p15 shoot him a private message, he can tell you how and what to look for.  He found all his parts on line.  Most 9f 5he faults are electrical.  Although there can be issues with internals, the usually are wear rather than damage.  In the downloads area of this site are several documents for the maint and operation of the OD as well as a couple different wiring schematis do operation with and or without kick down circuits.  There is also an older gent in western PA who does rebuilds.  He just turned 90 I think so I don't know how active he still is, but he did the work on mine to combine the two and put in fresh seal for 600 bucks but that was 3 or 4 years back.  If you don't want to tackle it yourself, you might want to give him a call.  His name is George Ashe.  I have his phone number for if and or when you decide to go that way.  But a good assessment of what you are looking at should be done before you choose your path.

[James_Douglas]

Just get everything you can both in the trans itself and the wiring switches, the cable and handle (and the bracket for it) from under the dash as well. There is no way to know if it is a good or bad unit by looking at it. You would have to open it up. If the planet pinion gears are bad or the needle bearing are going the only way to know is to hold them in your hand.

 

On the flange of the unit it is stamped with the car code and build date. What is it on this one?

 

I am in the middle of rebuilding two units. My base for rebuilding them is 1953 Plymouth. This is with a plate not a pin type syncro clutch.

 

My current unit lasted 15 years and about 50K miles. What failed was the overdrive planet pinion needle bearing in one of the three gears. This was a George Ashe unit that I purchased that did not work on delivery and I had to go through it myself. (Long story you can read if you go back and look at he old threads).

 

There are a couple of items that can bite you, but just hunt me down and I can save you some trouble if you decide to go through it.

 

James

[Loren]

Because so many folks have problems getting their ODs wired up properly and don't want to spend the big bucks on reproduction switches and relays, I've done some research on how to do it on the cheap. There are alternatives.

I've found "modern Bosch style" relays in 6 volt which will do the job for about $8 and government surplus throttle switches for $6.50. 

I even found one source of "Bosch style relays" in 6 volt with a fuse on top! (but they are in England and want $18 for their's)

A nicely made linkage mount for the switch and a color coded wiring harness would go a long way to get folks to hook up their OD properly.

Just thinking out loud.

[Wood and Steel]

4 hours ago, James_Douglas said:

On the flange of the unit it is stamped with the car code and build date. What is it on this one? 1408517 R10G-1

 

I am told it is 1408517 R10G-1 

 

Thanks for your help!

 

 

[Wood and Steel]

46 minutes ago, Loren said:

Because so many folks have problems getting their ODs wired up properly and don't want to spend the big bucks on reproduction switches and relays, I've done some research on how to do it on the cheap. There are alternatives.

I've found "modern Bosch style" relays in 6 volt which will do the job for about $8 and government surplus throttle switches for $6.50. 

I even found one source of "Bosch style relays" in 6 volt with a fuse on top! (but they are in England and want $18 for their's)

A nicely made linkage mount for the switch and a color coded wiring harness would go a long way to get folks to hook up their OD properly.

Just thinking out loud.

Good to know, Thank you!

[James_Douglas]

3 hours ago, Wood and Steel said:

I am told it is 1408517 R10G-1 

 

Thanks for your help!

 

 

 

No...it is on the machined side of the case and looks like the attached.

 

James