If' Ive gotten way off track, I'll go drink a beer and maybe think straighter.
Kenneth its too late for me to judge... I've already had one beer tonight and its past my bedtime.
I was trying to explain why I prefer a transmission like the T-5 or the Tremecs to something like the old 3-speed with OD or any other add-on overdrive.
I may not have been answering or responding anyone's question except the ones the thread inspired in my own head.
I once owned a Saginaw 4-speed that had the OD from a 3-speed adapted to it. I loved the idea when I had it built. I hated it in daily use. I had it built in the gas crisis days of the 70's and sold it six or seven years ago for far more than I ever thought it could be worth.
Today I have a Corvette with the DNE 4+3 which is basically a Super T-10 4-speed with an automatic overdrive for a tailshaft. That automatic overdrive is the feature I like least about the car, though it is why I can get 26 mpg on the highway in a car that can most likely out run your old 292 or 351 along with those 283 and 327 powered competitors.
I understand your reason for liking overdrive and agree it makes sense. I prefer my overdrive as an integral part of the transmission instead of as an add-on that is managed separately. I find it more pleasant to drive that way.