Overdrives

[nrv1]

I am thinking of fitting an overdrive .Any views on the best place to source it? I see that Simmonite sell them-are they any good?
As ever views appreciated

[sebking]

LT95 OD's not that rare and often up on ebay. For £450 it had better be perfect. And whilst yes it does fit the OD linkage is unique to the Stage One so you'll either need to wait until one comes up (not often) or fabricate something.

I deffo think it is worth having, planning to fit one myself over the summer.

I also have the full linkage.... wondering if it is worth getting it CAD copied and then a price for making more up?

Seb

[nrv1]

Thanks for the reply.I had not appreicated the Overdrive would not come with all you need to get it going.
How long will it take to get the linkage fabricated and what cost are we talking about?
Nicholas

[sebking]

No idea on lead times - I only got one a week or so ago.

Will show a fabricator week after next and see what is what!

Seb

[5988]

DONT would be my opinion

Take a look in my Rebuild thread to see why
http://www.stage1v8.org.uk/phpBB2/viewt ... c&start=60

I've got 3 all with the same problem - either happened or evidently developing (one with a known 67k miles only) - Ive got a 4th to take to bits to check sometime

For much less cost I would fit the transfer gears from a RRC LT95
there are allot of options of rations so you will be able to find one to suit your use

If you do get one the stage 1 linkage (and 110V8) is not the same as the RRC - but not hard to make something up

[firemanshort]

I had a Fairy Overdrive for my LT95. I ran it for a few years. It was geared well and helped me scoot on along the highways.

It was always very noisy, though. And, it developed a series of leaks from the "O"-rings along the rear of the overdrive assembly that casued a lot of oil stains in the drive and constant topping up with oil. In the end, the noise ended up being the precurser for the whole thing spinning apart due to bad bearings. It was trashed and then I had a boat anchor.

Time passed and I sorely missed the higher gear option.

I then installed a set of hi-ratio gears into my transfer case. My gears were the tallest available. They feel a bit taller than the overdrive. THEY ARE A BRAZILLION TIMES QUIETER.

My conclusion is that most Fairy overdrives are going to be shagged out by this time in thier lives. Oil leaks and worn out bearings are normal for any piece of mechanical equipment with a lot of age on it. This is not saying anything bad about the overdrive - everything wears out. If you get a good one - then you are lucky. You have won the lottery.

On the other hand, the transfer case gear swap is only a little bit harder to install, does not require the cutting of the interior pieces to fit a shift handle, is lower maintance, and I wager the gear bits are just as easy and maybe cheaper to come by in the UK.

I stongly recommend this option be considered.

[nrv1]

Very helpful-thanks. I am having second thoutsst about an overdrive and will check out the earlier posts on annaging the gears.I assume these are sourced from a RR classic gearbox.
I am going to fit a new galvanised chassis in a couple of months along with a full respray so that will be the obvious time to do anything like this
Nicholas

[noexitroad]

i vote for the transfer gear swap as well, not hard to do, just do your homework on the ratios as there are a few versions apparently

[nrv1]

My earlier post seems to have gone a bit wonky."thoutsst" should be "thoughts " and "annaging" should be "re-arranging"