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1935 and '37 O'Drive and main bearings.

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  • 1935 and '37 O'Drive and main bearings.

    Hey all, I may want a mid-'30's Studebaker some day and am doing some research. I'm new to this forum.

    First, starting in 1935 overdrive was standard on the President. In '35 and '36 it engaged at about 57 mph. In 1937 Studebaker switched to a different brand of overdrive and this one engaged at something like 40 mph. If I ever get one of these I intend to do a lot of touring with it and overdrive is a big issue. But I would rather it engage well below 60mph because I may very well only take old US highways and have no need or desire to travel at 60mph or more. It would be really nice if overdrive was engaged well below 60. So, does anyone know if a '37 (or later) overdrive can be easily installed in a '35 or '36 President? I prefer the styling of the '35 and '36 (especially the '35) to the '37.

    Second, in 1935 the total square inches of main bearing surface for the 9 main bearing engine in the President was 26.15 inches. I do not yet have the specifications for 1936 but do know that in 1937 it was only 20.95. Does anyone know why Studebaker so significantly reduced the size of its main bearings in this engine? Does anyone know if it resulted in the '37 being less durable? My guess is there isn't much, if any, of a difference in the durability, but I thought I'd check.

    Thanks for any knowledge anyone has.

    Jim
    Ft. Worth, TX

  • #2
    Jim, I'm not knowledgeable with respect to prewar Studes. That said, I DO have a parts book that covers back to '34 models. From looking at the parts breakdown views of the '35 OD setup (which is manually operated by the way, so I don't see why it couldn't be engaged before 60MPH) and the breakdown views of the later (automatic O/D) type, there's no way you'd bolt on a later O/D unit to an earlier tranny. The plates that bolt to the rear of the tranny are vastly different in configuration if the diagrams are any indication.
    Again, I'd post your questions at http://www.theantiquestudebakerclub.com/

    Miscreant at large.

    1957 Transtar 1/2ton
    1960 Larkvertible V8
    1958 Provincial wagon
    1953 Commander coupe
    1957 President 2-dr
    1955 President State
    1951 Champion Biz cpe
    1963 Daytona project FS
    No deceptive flags to prove I'm patriotic - no biblical BS to impress - just ME and Studebakers - as it should be.

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    • #3
      Thanks.

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