Probably the one thing that was omitted from the owner’s manual was to always disengage or deactivate the O/D by pulling the O/D lever to the out position when not using the O/D during normal driving.  This keeps the tranny in a normal 3 speed function and stops the freewheeling feature.  That freewheeling when the solenoid is not activated simply wears out the planetary gears much faster and shortens the life of the transmission accordingly.  I’ve both seen and worn out a bunch of those planetary drives over the years simply because the O/D cable was pushed in rather than pulling it out when simply driving around town without actually activating the solenoid.

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)

Ted, are you referring to when running with an added cut-out switch (continuous freewheeling) that is often installed by those with OD who do mostly city driving, or do you just have the OD cable engagement directions confused/inverted? Please explain.

6 VOLTS/POS. GRD. NW INDIANA

Daniel.  My bad.  I meant to say with the cable pushed in, not pulled out.  I’ve gone back and edited that post so it reads correctly.
 
That’s a Yes on the added power switches which compounds the problem.  I see a lot of those added on/off switches simply due to the relays, kick down switches, and/or wiring going bad.

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)

Interesting subject (re: ‘freewheeling’). Not really an option for me, since 99% of my driving is rural (it’s probably been 20 yrs. since my OD cable was pulled out). But, I love the feature. I remember back in the 60s when a famous Indy car racer was asked by an interviewer (re: his driving style), why he didn’t use ‘engine breaking’. His response: “Brakes are cheaper than engines”. But, I guess since Y-Block motor rebuild parts are now way more available than NOS OD trans. components, that logic no longer applies (?).

6 VOLTS/POS. GRD. NW INDIANA

Here's a followup on this subject.  If you have questions or issues with an early Ford Overdrive, a comprehensive well written paperback book is available that covers everything you want to know.  It's available from Randy Rundle at 785 632-3450 or www.fifthaveinternetgarage.com.   It's $15 and a must have if you have one of these transmissions.

A lot of Stupidbaker's used that tranny.   A guy I worked with about 5 yrs ago used to subscribe to the Studebaker club magazine.   Someone in there they was advertising parts and manuals for those trannys.   Might be worth looking into for information.

The manual is available for free on TOCMP (The Old Car Manual Project).That's where I got my copy.