Which 3-speed manual in a 61 galaxie?

[NoahVail]

Was there a 3-speed manual transmission that Ford (most likely) would have stuck in a 1961 Galaxie? I think the lead contenders are the Borg-Warner T85 and T86.
Thanks.

more info:
Sunliner, column shift
Asking bc I can't scope out the trans tag till next week.

[alt63bird]

Behind a 223 I-6, 292-V8, 352-V8 or 390-V8?

[NoahVail]

Originally Posted by alt63bird

Behind a 223 I-6, 292-V8, 352-V8 or 390-V8?

292 Y-Block

[ahshoe]

If you are looking for a factory 3 speed, I have one from my 61 Galaxie available

[slumlord44]

It would not be the heavy duty T85. Would be the light way T86 if I remember correctly. We used to call them butter boxes. A hard 1-2 shift would take out second gear and the cluster gear.

[NoahVail]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Originally Posted by ahshoe

If you are looking for a factory 3 speed

No. Thanks tho. Just got this car and trying to get a handle on it.

[NoahVail]

Originally Posted by slumlord44

It would not be the heavy duty T85. Would be the light way T86 if I remember correctly.

Okay. That's helpful.
(This is my earliest Ford & I'm still getting familiar w/ some of the hardware.)

Originally Posted by slumlord44

We used to call them butter boxes. A hard 1-2 shift would take out second gear and the cluster gear.

Dang. I'm not sure if that's welcome info but it certainly sounds like something I should know.

[rotorwrench]

You can go with a T85 or a T85-R11 overdrive. I'm more partial to the overdrive but then again I'm also partial to the FE engines as well. If it has the old narrow Borg Warner pattern bell housing, the early T10 will work OK with a 292. It was used with the early small block V8s a lot. I guess it depends on whether you want a column shift or a floor shift, 3-speed or 4-speed.

[miker98038]

The T-86’s went millions of miles behind 292’s. Same with the R-10 o/d’s. They drive fine, they just don’t take well to hammering. Throw in better tires, traction masters, and better yet a posi unit, they weren't so good. I expect slumlord and I had the same experience in our exuberant youth.

[56markII]

Fords are intended to be driven in a civilized manor and enjoyed�� Drive it like a human being and they will survive very nicely�� Just don't slam them into 1st or reverse like many did. I have had to rebuild a number of these due to the grear smashers and usually the synchros get taken out from all the filings swirling around in there. I have the 3 speed Borg with overdrive in my 1950 Mercury and I'm glad to have it. Yes the gears were destroyed (cluster, first/reverse sliding gear) in it as well from slamming into gear. For those who do this to a transmission with non synchronized first or reverse.......can't fix stupid!

[Mac VP]

The inline six and the 292 V8 would have come with the Ford designed straight 3 speed transmission (259 series in Warner Gear parlance). This was considered a light duty 3 speed, although they had beefed up the gears a little by then.

If the Six or the 292 V8 was optioned with the overdrive option, the vehicle would have been equipped with the Borg Warner T-86 overdrive transmission (with the R-10 OD unit) which was as good as the regular Ford 3 speed, if not slightly stouter.

If the car came with the big V8 engine (352-390-406-427 FE variations) it would have been built with the Borg Warner T-85 heavy duty 3 speed transmission, which was available as a straight 3 speed or with the overdrive option.

None of the above transmission options described above were synchronized into first or reverse gears. Also FWIW the Falcons used a smaller Ford designed 3 speed transmission and I think there was no overdrive option for them in 1961.

[56sedandelivery]

Originally Posted by slumlord44

It would not be the heavy duty T85. Would be the light way T86 if I remember correctly. We used to call them butter boxes. A hard 1-2 shift would take out second gear and the cluster gear.

Sounds like the one I had in my 57 back in the day. Ran fine till I put a Hays clutch in. Was blowing them all the time. Luckily they were easy to rebuild. Great learning experience.

[Ole Don]

For those of you younger dudes and dudesses who enjoy driving a stick, when the engine is warm, drive in first at engine idle. That speed is where you can pull it in to first by letting the clutch out in neutral as you pull it in to first at a stop. Its called double clutching.
If you need to spend money to buy a transmission, consider a five speed. They are really nice to drive.

[NoahVail]

Originally Posted by Mac VP

If the Six or the 292 V8 was optioned with the overdrive option, the vehicle would have been equipped with the Borg Warner T-86 overdrive transmission (with the R-10 OD unit) which was as good as the regular Ford 3 speed, if not slightly stouter.

What I've read hints that the T-86s w/ & w/o OD are identical, except for the T-10 housing. However, classifying T-86s as BW 259 series looks like some pretty esoteric transmission knowledge so I'll yield to your experience.

As a sidebar, if we wanted to go off the rails there's this thread at Jalopyjournal that not only talks about heavier duty T-86s but also about side loader T-86s (not T-85s).

[NoahVail]

Originally Posted by 56markII

Drive it like a human being and they will survive very nicely. Just don't slam them into 1st or reverse like many did.

That's my take here.

I plan to have my sons learn to drive stick in this car and if they happen to shred the tranny then I guess they'll get some rebuilding experience too.

[rotorwrench]

The 259 series is an older class that was patterned from the early side loaders. It is nothing like a T86 series but has a similarity to the heavier T85 in that it is a side loader but not much if anything interchanges that I'm aware of. The T86 is not all that similar to later top loaders but it is a top loader. That's where they started using them anyway. The T85 was used on Lincoln cars in the 337 years and likely on into the y-block years if the customer wanted a manual transmission with OD instead of a hydramatic or turbo drive. This is why they had the R11 type overdrive as an improvement over the R10. The extra planet gear made the planetary a lot stronger.
Overdrive housings on all the Ford/Borg Warner based transmissions are a lot different than standard housings due to the lock out feature and the overdrive housing bolt up.

[Mac VP]

[QUOTE=NoahVail;1760106]What I've read hints that the T-86s w/ & w/o OD are identical, except for the T-10 housing. However, classifying T-86s as BW 259 series looks like some pretty esoteric transmission knowledge so I'll yield to your experience.

My reply to this post was in reference to the use of the various manual transmissions in Fords from the 50’s into 1962. I didn’t say anything about T-86’s being Warner’s 259 series......the Ford designed light duty 3 speed from 1951 through 1962 would be the Warner 259 series .....for the purpose of identifying the parts involved. The 259 series was Ford’s own design and manufacture. It was available as a straight 3 speed or equipped with the Borg Warner overdrive section installed by Ford.

The Warner T-86 transmission, when purchased by Ford for use in the Ford passenger car line (1955 up into the mid 1960’s) was only bought as a complete transmission with overdrive. For parts identification purposes, this trans was considered a T-86 series in Warner’s parts catalog.

Just wanted to clarify my comments.....often when I reread something I have written, I’ll see how it might have been misconstrued.