Overdrive options for 3OTT?

[Oregoon]

Hey all, been a while but I'm still lurking around and still loving my '74 GMC 1500--driving it daily, getting around 18 mpg mixed city/highway out of my desmogged 250, and haven't even hit the truck's first 100K yet!

Anyway, I'm going to put a clutch in it before long and that's got me thinking about overdrive options. As I said, my truck is a relatively low-miled survivor, and in the name of low-rpms and longetivity, I'm wondering what I can do for an overdrive.

I'm a slow-poke and I like backroads, but even there, an OD would be a help.

I'm also an avowed fan of the 3OTT and so I'm wondering if anyone has any idea what I can do to enjoy both my column-shift and an overdrive unit?

Thanks as ever!

[dragonball98312]

They used to make 3 speed saginaws with overdrive units in the 60s. Id try looking into one of those. Pretty rare these days tho

[Oregoon]

Originally Posted by dragonball98312

They used to make 3 speed saginaws with overdrive units in the 60s. Id try looking into one of those. Pretty rare these days tho

I've seen those in cars of the late 'fifties and early 'sixties. Might be an option.

I guess the other choice would be a 700 R4 or some other similar auto that would fit beneath my low-hump floor.

I really enjoy my 3OTT, but I've been a trucker for 20 years and I'm not hurting for gears to shift.

Still, that 3OTT takes me back everytime I drive it!

[dragonball98312]

Id think one would be awesome with a 3ott truck. Pretty sure chevy trucks in the 60s had the option as well. Ive seen a few on cl in my area before. Id start searching there. I settled on the a833 3 speed with overdrive for my truck. Cant wait to swap it in

[lilpoindexter]

My '78 had 3ott. It was cool, because i'd never driven one of those before....but i quickly got sick of the big jumps between ratios. i used a hybrid T-5. i used an '83 camaro T-5 with the tail shaft from an 83 S10...the tail section didn't have the angle like the camaro tail, and it moves the shifter forward to clear the bench. i should have kept the original bellhousing but i used one from a late square body with a hydraulic clutch. It runs smoooooth. A veryworth while change. The stick on the shaft was cool, but i woudlnt go back.

[Oregoon]

Originally Posted by lilpoindexter

The stick on the shaft was cool, but i woudlnt go back.

I may just need to bite the bullet and let the 3OTT go. A bummer, since it's in excellent condition and original.

That said, I use the truck for work and commuting and it's going to see it's share of labor. The ratio jumps are a bit hard on the motor and likely what keeps me from some slightly better fuel economy.

On a mellow morning trip from Portland to Eugene, OR, I got 21 mpg on backroads, though I rarely attained 45 mph and my route is all but dead-level.

While I dig the inliner, it's purely for aesthetic and audiologic reasons (I dig simplcity and gear-drive noise), and mileage is less important than longetivity. Given the speed of traffic these days, I think lowering my highway RPM is a good idea. I simply want to enjoy this truck as long as I can and keep it as original as possible--basically as close to the spirit of real pickup trucks as I can get, you dig?

In fact, outside of an OD, the only other thing I want is to swap my fleetside for a long-narrow bed. If anyone within 500 miles of Portland has a clean one and wants to swap for a similar fleetside, hit me up!

But, one thing at a time.

I'm starting by searching out a Saginaw OD unit. I've alse heard that a Warn/Saturn model is a possibility?

[Oregoon]

Wow, so I just spent an hour searching out long-step squarebodies, and I'm reprioritizing my ideas...

I have to find a long-step bed for my truck, ideally with an appropriate GMC tailgate. Man, I love how those look!

OD can wait. A 3OTT with an inliner and a long-stepper?

Oh man, that's a hot ticket in my world!