Gear Venders Overdrive ?

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cecil4speed

cecil4speed

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Hi guys and gals. New to this but I'm gonna give it a try. Sorry I'm not really a computer guy. I'm going to ask a question as I'm looking for past and present experience with Gear Vender Overdrives. Just wondering if anyone has used them or are using them and what sort of experience you've had. I'm considering using one on my 68 Dart GTS 340,4-speed,3:55 rear,24" tires. This is a driver and with gas prices the way they are, I thought an o/d would be the way to go, as I would like to run much lower grs, maybe even as low as 4:56. Thanks.
 
You might want to post down in the Transmission and Drivetrain Tech section.

Gear Vendors units are known to be reliable and work well. I'd ask around about floor pan clearance.
 
Yup,might have to "adjust" your floor pan/transmission hump with a hammer but they are worth the investment.
 
Hope you don't mind but I have a few questions. Did you ever have any vibration issues because of the driveshaft angle? Do they shift instantly or are they slow. How was the customer support? Thanks.
 
cecil4speed said:
Hope you don't mind but I have a few questions. Did you ever have any vibration issues because of the driveshaft angle? Do they shift instantly or are they slow. How was the customer support? Thanks.
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I have one with less than 1 thousand miles on but really like it so far. Everyone I know that has had one says they are very, very durable. If you want more details PM me and we can talk live.
 
They are a simple planetary gear set. They are on or off, no slipping. They feel like a hard gear shift in a built automatic. You will have to work the floor area. You need to have the ability to set up driveline angles, because the shaft length goes down, but the shaft rpm goes up in OD in relation to the trans output. So pinion angle neeeds to be spot on or there will be vibration issues. They are excelent, however the electronics to control the shifting is IMO sub par. I believe they are best used as a push button OD, rather than trying to get it to shift itself reliably.
 
Hi Wazoo64. Sorry but I am new to forums and don't even know how to PM you let alone what it means. Maybe if you could explain it to me we could talk. Sorry for being so stupid. I'm old fashioned and don't use the computor as much as I should.
 
Thanks Moper. I thought the driveshaft angle may be an issue. I have never had to work with driveshaft angles but I'll try anything once. If I measure the angle before, and make the angle the same after installation do you think I would be save? I guess you use shims to change the angle? Where would I find shims to do this? Does anyone sell them? Thanks
 
PM stands for Private Message. Click on the user's name to the left of the screen and a menu will pop up. Click on Send Private Message, type in the message, then click on the Submit Message button.
 
The unit is great for street/ highway driving. I run 3:73 gears and it runs at about 2800 RPMS 70 MPH. I have 18 inch wheels.
You will need to massage the tunnel or cut a bit.
Do not turn unit off when slowing it down it will clunk. Not a big problem once you get used to it. You must be on the gas when turning off.
I run mine on a reverse manual with the trigger button on the shifter.
I'm not sure what you do about pinion with leaf springs ....I have a 4 link.
You will need to cut the drive shaft.
The customer service and tech support has been very good. One of the best upgrades we did.
 
340sFastback said:
PM stands for Private Message. Click on the user's name to the left of the screen and a menu will pop up. Click on Send Private Message, type in the message, then click on the Submit Message button.
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Thanks. I guess I'm pretty stupid but I have never used a forum before. Always stayed in the background and just read the posts. You guys seem pretty knowledgeable so I thought I had better get involved and get some answers from people who have done these things before. Thanks again for the help.
 
wazoo64 said:
The unit is great for street/ highway driving. I run 3:73 gears and it runs at about 2800 RPMS 70 MPH. I have 18 inch wheels.
You will need to massage the tunnel or cut a bit.
Do not turn unit off when slowing it down it will clunk. Not a big problem once you get used to it. You must be on the gas when turning off.
I run mine on a reverse manual with the trigger button on the shifter.
I'm not sure what you do about pinion with leaf springs ....I have a 4 link.
You will need to cut the drive shaft.
The customer service and tech support has been very good. One of the best upgrades we did.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info. I read somewhere that if you use the O/D unit as an engine brake you can burn it up & it said to shut it off when coasting or going down a hill. But it can't be that sensitive can it? Gear Venders claim the unit can be used up to 1200 HP so it must be quite strong. It is also nice to hear that the customer support was there. I've read a fair amount of negative responce about this.
 
I have not heard anything like that about coasting but I do know you can not deactivate while coasting or breaking. It will hurt the ujoints and possibly the overdrive. I have not heard negative feedback on the reliabilty with this unit. It comes with a 2 or 3 year warranty.
The main advantage of this unit is the add on application. If you are building a ground up car a good AOD my be the way to go.
 
I had orginally wanted to go with a Tremec TKO600, but I've read too many cons about them, hard to shift, not a fast shifting trans, noisey, and again vibration troubles. I like my A833 for shifting. Tough transmission. (Especially the way I miss 2nd gr). I'd like to run better gears maybe 4:10 or 4:30 so I definately will need an O/D. I'd like to drive it regularly. I guess the G/V unit is the way to go. Just have to save more $. Half way there but the dough comes in slow. Gas, electricity, & groceries are too high to be able to put away too much for play.
 
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