There was some recent discussions over on the HAMB about those. It is the electric Laycock de Normanville, just like the so many British cars used. Volvo used them too. Pretty slick little unit, Gear Vendors bought them (or the rights). I think they were licensed to Doug Nash for that 4+1 they used in the early 80’s vetted. Pretty well spoken of by the guys using them. Syncro first IIRC.should be great in your A .

What I never saw was the torque rating on the overdrive parts. I know in my Volvo it would only engage in 4th, and was told that was due to the torque limits. But I don’t know if that’s true. A good y has a lot more torque than that 1.8 4 banger had, don’t know about how AMC set them up.


miker
55 bird, 32 cabrio F code
Kent, WA
Tucson, AZ

Very interesting trans, never seen  one thanks for posting. Looks like it's electrically operated and it indeed looks like the Ford 3.03 3 speed transmission which is a very sturdy reliable fully synchronized trans. Nice find............

64F100 57FAIRLANE500

You may have to turn down the front bearing retainer a little to fit in the Y bell hole.


54 Victoria 312;  48 Ford Conv 302, 56 Bird 312
Forever Ford
Midland Park, NJ

I hope it all goes well. Let us know how it's progressing. 

Here is a shot of the transmission that I will hopefully be picking up soon.  I currently am running a 3-speed toploader that I guess is referred to as a "3.03" in Ford circles.  Someone on the HAMB tipped me to the fact that for 1975-1976, AMC used a T150 with a Laycock de Normanville overdrive unit, and that he'd had over a decade of trouble free driving with one behind his Hemi.  As luck would have it, there was one I found on Car-Part.com in a junkyard in Pelham, NH- not too far from where my sister lived, so I called one day on my way back from her house and they still had it and the price was right...another "as luck would have it" came about when I found out that the "GO-TO, guru" for these things has a shop just under an hour from my house, so I dropped off with him back in February.  He emailed a week ago to tell me it was ready.  
Sounds like the only thing I'll need to change is to massage a fraction of an inch off of the tip of the input shaft and it "SHOULD" mate right up.  I'll just have to figure out mounting the back half of it, since it's WAY different...

Whether it's a 292/312 makes no difference as far as transmissions are concerned. If you're thinking about installing a transmission that was not used with Y-blocks, the required adapter will fit either. Let us know which transmission you're considering, and one of us will tell you which adapter you'll need and where to get it. 

Thanks, Ted.
Well, I'm planning a transmission swap for the winter so I'll look at and maybe get some photos of the flywheel flange on the crank.  Is this something that the flywheel would need to be removed to see?  
My money's on a 292- that's how it was sold to me and the previous owner.  If it was a 312, I would think that whoever put it in would have advertised that well knowing that it was more desirable.  

You will first have to determine if your engine is a 292 or a 312.  As Jeff mentions, the outside of the block or casting numbers will not help you there.  If you spot the aspirin size dot on the outside edge of the flywheel flange of the crankshaft, then the engine at least has a 312 crankshaft.  Internally, if the block has EBU main caps, it’s a 292; ECZ main caps and you have a 312.

If a 312, then odds are very good your B9AE block is a Mercury block.  If a 292, then it’s a Ford car, pickup, or truck block.

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)

As far as the block is concerned, there's no external difference, whether 292/312. 

Thanks for the info.  I just checked out John's page.  Doesn't sound like there are any other EXTERNAL clues on this block to tell what it came from.  My Big M/Mercury Man valve covers feel a little more at home, knowing that at least the number matches up as being (possibly) a Mercury.