COST of a COLUMBIA REAR for 36 Ford

[Bruce/CT]

Hi Barners,

A friend is interested in buying a Columbia Rear End for his 36 Coupe. Any thoughts on the going cost for a unit in good shape?
Thanks,
Bruce

[4dFord/SC]

IMHO, 4k+-, with controls.

[jimTN]

Unless one comes from a reputable builder, you can plan on building any used unit you get! Not a bad thing but the kind of insurance you need with a good unit.

[ken ct]

4 grand buys a lot of gas,depends how much he drives it.Might take yrs to recoup his investment back.ken ct omo

[Ol' Ron]

Makes that Michel look better.

[32phil]

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$4K does buy a lot of gas......100 gals..... by todays prices. More or less @25(if your'e lucky) mpg = 2500 miles,..... 2 summers worth of hobby driving(?)..... Buy the Columbia....2 summers later you are still $4K poorer but now you have a Columbia, getting better hiway MPG and your car is worth more...Just sayin'...

[32phil]

OOPS .......$4K buys 1000 gals... Never mind !

[blucar]

If you base the cost of installing an OD in a vehicle on a pay-back basis, you will find that at today's fuel cost, plus the cost to purchase and install the unit, you will find that you will have to drive the vehicle close to 65k miles to be at the break even point.
I based my calculations on a '73 pickup truck which I was going to put an AOD trans in with fuel costing 3.75 per gal. The anticipated fuel savings was going to be in the 3 mpg range.
Aside from looking at the conversion from a bean counters point of view, the plus's of having a Columbia in an early Ford far out weigh the cost.
My '36 Ford has had a Columbia under it for it's entire life.. I have driven the car over 94k in the sixty years that I have owned it...

[Kurt in NJ]

I bought one at Hershey 2 years ago for 185$--it even came with it's own hand truck for transportation, no controls except the vac pot ----4000 is reasonable retail price ---for a complete setup ready to run given all the work and parts ---but if you take your time and look and have some luck it can be done for less.

A real 36 housing looks different than a later 40s made into a 36, the real one has a graceful flow into the smaller 36 tube, one made from a later housing grafted to a 36 axle tube looks grafted on, it will function, just not as pretty

It's not about the gas savings as much as it is about the quiet, and the fact that it is an original accesory not some cobbled up contraption

How much does it cost to put in a later od trans, do all the cutting and chopping, loosing the closed driveshaft-some of the integrety of the frame--the character of the car---or the mitchell and have it humping the floor

[34coupe]

I sold a 36 bullet proofed Columbia 5 years ago for 3K with only part of the controls,if you can find a good columbia you can have the 36 axle housings put on, and make it fit a 35 or 36,but the others are right figure about 4K, or install a 5 speed??

[jake197000]

i bought 2 complete columbias with controls one for my 46 coupe and one for my 39 coupe for 2500. each had them bullit proofed and rebuilt them myself.so i probably have 3ooo. each in them.i love them and i can say they have columbias if any body asks or cares.

[TJ]

If you are not concerned about originality I would look at the Mitchell OD or look at putting 3.54 gears in the rear end.

[sturgis 39]

There for people on the go.


I have two of them but have not installed them. I picked up a vacuum operated speed o meter transmission at a swap meet a couple of weeks ago. I am not sure it is the correct one. I plan to install one in my 39 Ford two door standard. I hope to buy a 36 to 40 Ford coupe some day. I will use the second one for the coupe.

[Dave D]

4 grand buys a lot of gas,depends how much he drives it.Might take yrs to recoup his investment back.ken ct omo

Yeah, but your motor will live a lot longer. The only regret you will have is that you didn't do it sooner!

[4dFord/SC]

Originally Posted by Dave D

The only regret you will have is that you didn't do it sooner!

Amen. Once you've had a Columbia, you'll never want to go back.

[G.M.]

I bought 13 of them for $3,000 a number of years ago and had 18 at one time. I have most of them in all of my drivers. I drive long distance trips (1,200) miles at 65-70 MPH and they just purr quietly down the road. None have been bullet proofed. This is for BIG engines and popping the clutch take offs. My second choice would be 3:54 gears. I put a few of them in and there is no power problem. I make my own controls which work better than the Columbia ones. When I push the clutch they come out of Columbia and push the clutch and hit the button and it's in. Keep the leathers in the canister lubed with MMO and you don't even know they shift. G.M.

[jimTN]

I would argue the "bullet proof" fixing. I have seen many of the spider gear housings with cracks in them and guarantee the cork clutches in all original units need to be replaced. Big engines and popped clutches will break the shifter sleeve in a heartbeat.

[CBoz]

I love my Columbia, drops my RPMs by about 30%. In this video, you can hear the difference at 50 mph when I engage the Columbia at around 25 secs in. Definitely worth it IMHO:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-N4ciP2Evw

[sturgis 39]

Originally Posted by CBoz

I love my Columbia, drops my RPMs by about 30%. In this video, you can hear the difference at 50 mph when I engage the Columbia at around 25 secs in. Definitely worth it IMHO:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-N4ciP2Evw

Thanks for posting the video. Those Lincolns had an expensive looking dash compared to a 37 Ford. That looks like a nice car.