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Hello....Does anyone have pro or con information on these two Over Drive unit vendors, and/or any other O.D. unit maker for that matter? I'm looking to install a unit in my '34 Standard Eight coupe.
Thanks,
Tom

as a newbie I don't know if this is relevant, the guy I bought my 120b from said that he had an R11 from a 48 Packard overdrive transmission installed. The thing just run down the road 65 70 75 mph with out a care
Hope that helps
W

I would check into the cost of converting to something like an R11 O/D unit vs the Gear Vendor or Mitchel unit. I know the price of the Gear Vendor is around $2000. I have an R11 in my 38 120 and I can cruise at 66mph at 2500 rpm

For WJames & Phils:

May I respectfully suggest you guys learn more about Packard!

As you guys point out, the concept of an overdrive is fantastic - they enable us to enjoy our "yesterday" cars at todays speeds and todays roads. Without beating the entire "drive-ine" to death from excess rpm.

Let's all be clear about this - the Packard legend for producing a superior product was well deserved and well-earned. The owner of ANY Packard in ANY price range should be proud of what his particular car represents.

Let's briefly review some Packard production history to better understand why what you "know" about your Packard's transmissons and overdrive applications is irrelevant to Tom & the rest of us with "Senior" or "big" Packards made prior to June 1939.

In the early 1930's, Packard management correctly recognized the market for the big "super-cars" they'd built their reputation on, was disappearing. So they set up an entirely separate production facility to make "Junior" Packards. NOTHING from a "Senior" Packard is interchangeable with a "Junior" Packard. They may as well have been different makes of cars.

Your 1935 & later "Junior" Packards had transmission cases of conventional design. So of course it is possible to modify these cars to take later tranmissions with an attached overdrive. The "Junior" Packard transmissions are seperate from & bolt up to a conventional "bell housing" which in turn is attached to a conventional engine casting.

The "big" Packards had an entirely different transmission. Of course it was a much larger and heavier device to handle the much more powerful motors of the "big" Packards.

For our discussion here...the big difference - the "Senior" Packard engines had no bell housing! The transmission case of the "big" Packards was cast as a unit with the bell housing and THAT bolts directly to the rear of the engine casting.

Installing an overdrive in Tom's '34 is, as others have noted, not a problem - the benefits have already been discussed. But that kind of overdrive has NOTHING to do with what you guys with later Packards are familiar with.

To answer Tom's question about which overdrive he should purchase, I can tell him I know people with both makes, and they are delighted with the result.

But again, note this is NOT the kind of (Borg Warner) overdrive that was offered as an option for the "Junior" Packards. It is a separate two-speed auxiliary transmission that is mounted just forward of the differential, using fabricated supports to bolt to the frame rails.

If I may go back to Tom's question about shock absorbers...
Tom - yes - jumping up and down on the front and rear bumpers to check to see if shock-absorbers are working, is a great idea. Well..that is if you are dealing with the much lighter & later "Junior" Packards. Forget about it with the "Seniors" like yours! Your car is sprung much too stiffly - that is why I commented how wrong V8's comment was about "handling on curves" - he obviously dosnt know that by comparison with "Junior" Packards, yours is sprung much more stiffly.... like a sports car!

At the risk of repeating myself...I say again..LISTEN TO OWEN!

Word is Phil Bray sold ORF Corp. to an Ed Linn. Do not know or have a lead on Ed.

Sorry, I did not want to offend any Big/Senior Packard people. I have had my car for less than a year, could not afford a Big Packard, but wanted one for myself.
Sorry again, I watch my post more carefully
W

To Wjames & Others:

IMO there is no need to apologize. Over the years I've posted my thoughts and opinions some of which that have been corrected by this site's "Packard Gray Beards". I consider it a learning and teaching experience for those of us who are the steep portion of the Packard Knowledge Curve.

Thanks Shinyhubcap, and all the rest of you. The question, answers and comments all guide us along in our learning about these magnificent cars, Seniors and Juniors alike.
I don't know what I'd do without each and everyone of you !!
Thanks again,
TomB

Quote:

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NO NO NO ! DONT be sorry and DONT "be more careful"! Post away !

This is for learning and for fun. No question in my mind; I've learned far more from my mistakes than on the rare occasions when I "get it right".....!

Yes - it is helpful when you have a question to ASK A QUESTION rather than volunteer something in an area you are not informed about.

But so what ! Nobody's keeping score!

As best as I am able to determine, the censors that in the past interferred with posts in here have either left us to have our fun, or have learned to stay out of our way !

Either way...POST AWAY ! If you post something totally wrong and/or completely "off-the-wall" about Packards...it will BENEFIT all of us by giving us an opportunity to learn more ! POST AWAY !

From post #3above (keep in mind packard did not offer OD before 39)

" 0. I have an R11
in my 38 120 and I can cruise at 66mph at
2500 rpm"

So is tomB's 34 120 so much different from Phil38cpe's 38 that the R11 OD would not fit TomB's 34 coupe????