Transmission / Overdrive: 62 lark 4 speed transmission conversions from original 3 on the tree?

[62james]

Any good transmissions to throw in my 62 lark to maybe get more gears? I Head that a hawk trans should work to make it a 4 speed but I am not to sure.

[mw2013]

i heard the overdrive option was a good match 6 speeds

[Bill62Hawk]

I actually recently converted my 62 Hawk from a 3 on the tree to a 4 speed. For originality sake, its cool and really easy. The only 4 speed (that I know of) that would work is a T10. It also has to have be a Studebaker T10, which means it has the correct input shaft and bolt pattern to bolt up to your existing bellhousing.

Studebaker used both the Chevy and Ford bellhousing to transmission bolt pattern, so you would have to look at what your existing 3 speed transmission has to make work. (This means that there is 2 different Studebaker T10 transmissions, the only differences are the bolt patterns.)

You may also need to get a new driveshaft made to make up the difference between the 3 speed and 4 speed transmissions. Plus a new slip yoke, because the 3 speed and 4 speeds use different slip yokes as well.

[Corbinstein0]

it really depends on your mission.....
trying to get away from the column shift? 4spd.
want better economy? overdrive.
want both? 5spd (modernize)

the first 2 options arent that bad, since they were options. the last, I've never done. I'm thinking pricey.

[64studeavanti]

I agree with most of the comments so far. I believe the only GM style bell housing was for early Stude 4 spds. I would bet that yours is the Ford style. That being said, I am not sure what you expect to accomplish by changing. The T86 3spd has a first gear of 2.57. The wide ratio 4spd has a 2.54 first. The close ratio 4spd has a 2.20 first. All have a 1.00 final gear. If you want to reduce engine rpm, you would need an overdrive transmission. The easiest would be a T86 with overdrive. Changing to a 5 speed transmission with an overdrive top gear has been done, however, can be quite expensive.

[Jessie J.]

Any good transmissions to throw in my 62 lark to maybe get more gears? I Head that a hawk trans should work to make it a 4 speed but I am not to sure.

First important question not as yet addressed, the '62 Lark was available with either a 6 or a V-8 cylinder engine.
It has been assumed that yours has a V-8.
If your '62 Lark is a V-8, and has the factory '3 on the tree', it will have the FORD transmission pattern.
The quite rare Chevy pattern bellhousings were only installed in the early 4 speed equipped Larks and Hawks.

If you had one of these Chevy pattern Studebaker bellhousings, you could bolt up most 60's through 80's GM manual 3, 4, and 5 speeds, but would need a extended pilot bushing to make up for the shorter GM input shaft, and possibly a custom made driveshaft.

Another, not common choice, would be the New Process A833 4 speed, available in both 1:1 and 3+od versions with choice of Mopar and GM (MY 6) bolt patterns. It has a Stude sized input shaft length and pilot diameter. A deep 3.08 first gear ratio for getting off the line and a .73 overdrive ratio for low RPM highway cruising.
Some have reported having bolted these 833 transmissions right up to certain Studebaker TRUCK V-8 bellhousings. It is common to hear complaints about wide gear spacing from people accustomed to the conventional 4 speeds, but the reality is the 3+ o/d 833's gearing is right in line with other 3 speed o/d's albeit with a bit deeper first gear, and the advantage of synchronization on all 4 gears.
These transmissions are available in aluminum or cast iron case versions, with the iron case being much stronger. But the aluminum has been shown able to stand up to the punishment of 440 big blocks.
They are always readily available rebuilts for $$$$ on epay, but a little scrounging can turn up used take outs for half as much. I have two of 'em I bought for around $500 total.

BUT first thing if you are thinking of driving in a aggressive manner, it is best to address the REAR AXLE first.
If your Lark has a 259 (or a 6cyl) the factory supplied Dana 27 will be the weak link in the driveline.

.

[Felix]

Don't forget the Ford Toploader and the overdrive version, which I have in a 59 Lark.

Bolt pattern is the same as used by Studebaker, the input shaft length is shorter but using an alternator bearing pressed into the flywheel fixes that. Using a clutch throw out bearing from a Ford and the other small parts from a Studebaker six cylinder throw out bearing will fix that also.

The main hurdle to get over is how to actuate the clutch. I used a combination of studebaker clutch rods, linkages, shafts etc... until I found a combination that worked. The most important part is the pivot point that used to reside bolted to the transmission mount that Studebaker didn't use. I modified the bracket to bolt to the lower bellhousing/transmission bolt. See attached photo.

The only work I couldn't do myself was to turn down the input shaft bearing retainer. Ford uses one that has a tad to large diameter to fit in the Studebaker bellhousing so it needs turning down. It doesn't take much, especially if one has a lathe.

For anyone wanting to keep their 6 cylinder 3 speed non-overdrive stock looking but with a full synchromesh transmission then the same can be done with a Ford 3 speed Toploader. You just need the truck 6 cylinder stuff, already discussed in other threads. Yes, you could use the same 3 speed behind a V8 and keep the column shift.

[Jessie J.]

Using the Ford Toploader 3 speed has the advantage of full synchronization. We bought a new Ford pickup the year this trans was introduced, and I remember how we were wowed to be able down-shift into first gear without the usual double clutching and/or gear grinding. These would have been terrific with the electric o/d set-up but I don’t recall ever seeing one. Anyone know if o/d was offered as an option on these?

[PackardV8]

Using the Ford Toploader 3 speed has the advantage of full synchronization. We bought a new Ford pickup the year this trans was introduced, and I remember how we were wowed to be able down-shift into first gear without the usual double clutching and/or gear grinding. These would have been terrific with the electric o/d set-up but I don’t recall ever seeing one. Anyone know if o/d was offered as an option on these?

The Ford top-loader 3-speed was never offered with overdrive. But yes, it was an excellent transmission. I put many miles on a '66 Falcon 289" with 2.80 rear gears. It worked fine for a light car with a light load.

jack vines

[Jessie J.]

Thanks Jack. I just had never realized that Ford continued to use the antiquated T-86 crunch box for their o/d vehicles long after the introduction of the much advertised improved all synchro 3 speed. Little wonder that so few were sold.
Be kind of like buying a new Oldsmobile 88 knowing it wasn’t equipped with the famous Oldsmobile Rocket V-8.
I worked there till ‘99, and after my ‘77 403 equipped Vista Cruiser, I bought all my vehicles elsewhere.

[Felix]

Hate to burst your bubble Jack but:

"150-T (Tremec) is a Ford Toploader design. Laycock-De Normanville over-drive was available '74-'76 but only for the Hornets & Gremlins with 150-T."

The Ford 3 speed (150T) was used in some AMC cars with the overdrive unit mentioned above. It is the same style manufactured by Gear Vendors but smaller. This can be made to work in the same way as other the regular Toploaders in a Studebaker but because of the scarcity I have not tried this conversion, so as to the space required there could be some interference. Although not as large as an automatic trans it is still an unknown quantity.

[Dwight FitzSimons]

Just to back up a bit in this discussion..... The Hawk was available in 1961-1964 with a T-10 4-speed trans. The Lark didn't offer a 4-spd until 1962 or 1963 (not sure which). 1961 & early 1962 Studebaker cars used the Chevy bolt pattern and late 1962 to 1964 used the Ford bolt pattern. So, any search for a 4-spd trans. setup has to start with this info.

See: https://studebaker-info.org/text3/4-speed.txt

There is some debate in the above document about whether Studebaker switched from the Chevy bolt pattern to the Ford pattern in mid-1962 or at the beginning of the 1963 model year.
-Dwight

[Studenewbe]

Dwight FitzSimons I thought I would tag you in this post because your info sheet on the Studebaker 4 speeds was helpful. Thank you. I parted out a '62 Daytona 2 Dr HDT (4-10-62- production date from the National Museum build sheet) with a 4 speed. I successfully put that transmission and bell-housing onto a 259 '60 Lark with a 3 speed (no OD) and have driven it a few thousand miles. The only thing I didn't like was that I got a lot of clutch chatter. The chatter is most noticeable when starting in first or reverse. I enjoy a floor mounted shift and I did for that reason. Diagnosing the cause of the chatter has proven elusive and now has gotten expensive. I decided to get the flywheel skimmed and it turned out to need only 0.006, so I'm not thinking that was the cause of my chatter. Since the Daytona had been sitting for decades when I parted it out and I had no owner ship history on the car, I thought I'd get the T-10 rebuilt at the same time as I had the flywheel skimmed. Just in case there was wear or damage internally. Turns out there were no broken teeth or appreciable wear on the teeth or input shaft. They replaced the bearings, synco's and seals and put it all back together. The only thing of note the shop changed was the input shaft cover. They told me the input shaft cover was for a Muncie trans not a BW T-10. They showed me a lip on the BW cover that holds the bearing in place which the Muncie does not have. The replacement cover was 0.18in wider than the cover they took off. This story ends with me not measuring the OD of the cover and the bell-housing ID before trying to mount the trans. Got the trans to within a 3/8in in gap with the housing and then proceeded to crack the cast iron T-10 trans case. I'm wondering if you know where I could find a case and what other car models used T-10's with a similar case. The markings on the Daytona cracked case are T10-1B, W.G. DIV, Q2, C-13-62, the ID of the Daytona bell-housing is 4.67 inches. I'm happy to try provide any additional information that may be helpful. 62james, Bill62Hawk

[64studeavanti]

I have a spare chev pattern t10 case. Let me know of that is what you need.

[StudeRich]

River, please read post #4, it is the ONLY one that matters here.

All we know is that you want "More Gears". Without knowing if you are trying to Reduce Engine RPM's at higher speeds with an Overdrive Ratio, or just have fun going through 4 Gears with NO Gain or what, we cannot actually help.

Also, for any of the suggestions to work the Engine MUST be a Stude. V8.