The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline 3 speed to 4 speed

My `58 1/2 ton has a 3 speed on the column and I'm thinking of putting an OE 4 speed floor shifter in it. Will it change my final drive ratio? Or is high gear in both the same?

High gear is the same, 1:1.

In that case I'll stick with the 3 on the tree. That way MaMa can sit alittle closer.

If you're wanting to get a bit more speed (or more accuratly, lower rpm at higher speeds), you might look into a 3 speed with the Borg-Warner overdrive. That will keep the column shoft, but get you a .70:1 overdrive ratio. The overdrive unit itself is more of secondary 2 speed transmission, so you would have not only the overdrive gear, but also a split gear between 2nd and 3rd (great hillclimbing gear, BTW). That version of the 3 speed is a direct bolt in, only really needing a lockout cable, a solenoid, a kickdown switch, and the wiring harness to install. The '55-'57 Passenger version is identical to the Truck version '55-'59.