The Ford Barn

rjlester · 10-02-2023, 02:58 PM

Hey guys,

Have a friend that wants to upgrade his 56 (non-ford) car over to an overdrive from his standard 3 on the tree. I'm quite familiar with this setup as I installed one in my 54 Meteor (Ford) two years ago. I love the OD!! He was in my car a year ago and couldn't get enough of the OD I had. He has a 56 Plymouth, and I actually have aquired an OD trans for his car.

We have everything (transmission, pull cable, solenoid, governor, kickdown linkage) but we are missing the relay. Instead of paying the 300+ for a new relay is it possible to use a standard 12 volt relay you can buy over the counter? I've studied the wiring diagrams, and it looks like we should be able to, and will adapt a fuse to it as well.

Has anyone tried a standard 12 volt relay? I've attached a link to an example of the type of relay I'm speaking of.

https://www.amazon.com/PACK-AMP-Wate...1zcF9hdGY&th=1

40cpe · 10-02-2023, 03:20 PM

Although I've not used one, I have read that others have used the relay you refer to successfully. I think the original fuse for the relay on a Ford was 30 amps. I would use a 40 amp aftermarket relay.

miker98038 · 10-02-2023, 08:11 PM

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I’d think that would work fine. The big load is on the pull in coil, once the o/d is engaged you’re on the holding coil of the solenoid, quite a bit less load. Make sure there’s a fuse in there somewhere. It doesn’t have to be on the relay like the oem, but it should be a fused circuit.

10-02-2023, 02:58 PM	#1
rjlester Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2022 Posts: 247	Use standard 12v relay for overdrive? Hey guys, Have a friend that wants to upgrade his 56 (non-ford) car over to an overdrive from his standard 3 on the tree. I'm quite familiar with this setup as I installed one in my 54 Meteor (Ford) two years ago. I love the OD!! He was in my car a year ago and couldn't get enough of the OD I had. He has a 56 Plymouth, and I actually have aquired an OD trans for his car. We have everything (transmission, pull cable, solenoid, governor, kickdown linkage) but we are missing the relay. Instead of paying the 300+ for a new relay is it possible to use a standard 12 volt relay you can buy over the counter? I've studied the wiring diagrams, and it looks like we should be able to, and will adapt a fuse to it as well. Has anyone tried a standard 12 volt relay? I've attached a link to an example of the type of relay I'm speaking of. https://www.amazon.com/PACK-AMP-Wate...1zcF9hdGY&th=1

10-02-2023, 03:20 PM	#2
40cpe Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Star, MS Posts: 4,024	Re: Use standard 12v relay for overdrive? Although I've not used one, I have read that others have used the relay you refer to successfully. I think the original fuse for the relay on a Ford was 30 amps. I would use a 40 amp aftermarket relay.

10-02-2023, 08:11 PM	#3
miker98038 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Kent, WA. Tucson, AZ Posts: 1,398	Re: Use standard 12v relay for overdrive? Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements) I’d think that would work fine. The big load is on the pull in coil, once the o/d is engaged you’re on the holding coil of the solenoid, quite a bit less load. Make sure there’s a fuse in there somewhere. It doesn’t have to be on the relay like the oem, but it should be a fused circuit.