My 55 Tbird has it's original transmission.  It came with a BW T86 with an R10 Overdrive.

THANX! for that ...

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Those were the good old days, I can still picture the trans pile and digging through it for the three speeds. Finally found a T85 from a big block and never did blow that one. I'm using a T85 from a big block today in my 57. They have 23 spline input shafts.

Truck trans and bell housing are completely different from passenger car..

My 55 Tbird has it's original transmission.  It came with a BW T86 with an R10 Overdrive. The T86 is a small top load three speed. I have had numerous T85 transmissions.  They are larger and very tough.  The input splines are different on the big blocks.  I'm not sure a T85 would fit in a 55 Tbird tunnel without modification as the 55 tunnels are smaller.  There has never been a transmission that someone can not blow up.

Back in the day, we destroyed the smaller Ford three speeds like they were made of butter. They cost about $20 or less at a junk yard.  We called the T85 a Mercury transmission and they cost $75.  That was more than a week's pay back then.  Great memories.

Have 56 Truck Trans with Stock over drive clutch & bell housing  & 3  on the tree trans  Needs a seal but shifted great  I'll sell Grants Pass or  Shoot me a offer just came out of my truck

Melly,
If your not staying period correct I might have a later model 3 speed that is fully synchro'd.

  Vic Correnti

I doubt the 55 had a T-85, it probably has the lighter duty trans with R10 OD

If wanting to stay period correct -

A 55 most likely came through with the T86/RIO.

The T85/R11 only came through on a HP FORD and/or MERC in 1955.

ILL shows top loader T86 and below it the T85. This is a 57 ILL as the 55 BIRD used the T86.




I stand corrected -

From 'THE OTHER FORUM' -

zoegrant Posted 09-30-2012]

The 55 t-bird tranny case is stamped AF7006-B  the overdrive was R 10F-1B. This was a BW 259 tranny...side cover has 9 bolts and is rectangular in shape.three side cover corners are rounded,the lower front corner is square.

The overdrive housing is 18" long,the input shaft has 10 spines and a diameter of 1"....the output shaft has 16 spines and a diameter of 1.175". Some passenger cars 1952-1956 have similar tranny`s....

This info is from the restoration manual by Gil Baumgartner of CTCI

The T85 and BW 259 (both side loaders) can be ID'd by the side cover detail.



T85 C-1A - R11-1E (56 MERC) - BW 259 - R10F-1A (55 BIRD)

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I have yet to find a Ford transmission that I can't break with my Yblock except so far the one out of the Ford 7 Liter with the 31 spline output shaft.

  Vic Correnti

I doubt the 55 had a T-85, it probably has the lighter duty trans with R10 OD. A T-85 with R11 OD is a heavy duty version. I use a T-85 from a 1961 390/401 hp and ran many back in the day, you can't blow them with a Y block.. I believe many of the early Birds also used the T-85.

You probably used a Warner Gear T-85 back in the day.  The Ford versions bolted to the Y bellhousing, and driveshaft upgrade may have to be made, depending on which T-85 was used.  They are still around today in used condition.  Today it is possible to adapt more modern T-5 and T-6 4 and 5 and 6 speed transmissions with OD.  I think Mummert sells adaptors to bolt the later trans to the Y.

John - "The Hoosier Hurricane"