Borg Warner T-96+OD, questions...

i have a T-96 with R10 overdrive in my rambler roadster. and i stripped the synchro dogs, again, in 3rd gear. it's tiny and notoriously weak, i've built this thing before, twice. it is very hard to find parts, but i can find 'em, $$$$, and will rebuild AGAIN, but i'd like to find a substitute...

the engine is a Rambler 195.6 OHV, essentially a nash six with overhead valves. not a ton of power to worry about.

anyone here have/know about the Ford SROD transmissions from the smaller cars? they may be very close on the bellhousing end. i found a chart that shows the input shaft is 7.125" (1/8" longer), i can find a disc for my pressure plate i'm sure.

i'm most concerned therefore with the bearing retainer diameter and the bolt pattern. i might be able to bolt on the T-96 retainer, or turn the SROD retainer down, maintain concentricity and then drill/tap bolt holes into my bell. just maybe.

the Rambler T-96 bearing retainer is 4.25", the input shaft is 10 spline 15/16", 7.0 inches long. four bolt pattern, a rectangle 6.25" center to center side to side. 5.375" top bolt to bottom bolt center to center. (i transferred the bell trans pattern to paper past time i had it out plus i have a spare case with input shaft and bearing i can mock up with.)

anyone got an SROD laying around to measure? or know of a source of data on the intertubes?

Would it be possible to adapt a T5? They're much more readily available and have aftermarket support.

when you said t96 i started thinking automatic then found it was a stick. trash it and get something stronger after all that trans was designed in 1945.

yeah, it's money and/or time... and it's driving season. at this point it is likely that i'm just gonna pull the thing and "freshen" it (synchros and anything that looks worn). i built it myself in 2008, it's got maybe 30K miles on it and other than synchros, seems fine.

this is a peculiar car. there's reasons no one mods it! it's basically the little Nash Rambler restyled twice during the Nash::AMC merger. nothing's like you're probably used to. its PRIMITIVE. it's a four-point engine mount, the trans dangles off the end of the bell, and even with R10 OD it's short. the driveshaft is weird. at the back end there's a spline and sliding collar with a clamp system AMC folk call the "big nut" rear -- it takes a pair of 2-3/8" wrenches (that's the NUT size!) to get about 300 ft/lbs on it, typically while up on a lift, but since i gotta roadster i cut a large access hole in the pan and put a stiff cover over it.

to stick a T-5 in it -- which would be pretty good though 1st gear looks useless -- i'd have to convince Modern Driveline to make up a batch of adapters, fab a second crossmember, new driveshaft, clutch stuff, shifter and all that trivia. all of which i can do, but spring and summer is driving and rally season and i wanna get on the road! unless i find it all ground up inside, it'll last one more year...

(the REAL CORRECT thing to do is to drop in a Toyota 22R or 20R and transmission -- no real HP increase but i'd lose close to 400 lbs off the front of the car! free power! and get the front/rear weight balance better. i think i better prioritize that for this fall...)