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T-86 shifter question

This one ought to be a little different!

I understand that many early Jeeps had T-86 transmissions with floor shifts. My Studebaker Champ pickup also has a T-86 but it's a column shift. I'd love to convert this truck to a floor shift (and would really like to set up something like the old Twin Stick system AMC used).

Anyone have one of these shifters or a junk transmission that I could scavenge for the parts, or know where one of these things might be located? I see someone has exactly what I'm looking for on ebay, except it's for a T-90.

Thanks!

Jeff DeWitt

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Jeff DeWitt
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Reply to
L.W.( ßill ) Hughes III

For those that don't remember what a Studdy looks like:

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God Bless America, ßill O|||||||Omailto: snipped-for-privacy@aol.com
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Reply to
L.W.( ßill ) Hughes III

I know I'd have to remove the original shift forks, but this wasn't an unuseual conversion back in the 50's and early 60's.

My truck left South Bend in 1960 with a little flathead 6 and some previous owner put in an early Stude 289 V8 and this transmission, so it's hardly stock. I've also had FAR more experience working on this transmission than I ever wanted to have. The OD went bad and I'm in the process of replacing it, which entails taking the transmission apart and putting it back together... what a PAIN!. Besides this truck is a keeper, I'm not working on it to make it more valuable, I'm working on it because I love driving the thing (and hope to drive it to Alaska!).

You are reasonably thinking of the twin stick system that Jeep used (after all this IS a Jeep newsgroup!), however AMC also had a twin stick system they used in cars. One stick was for the shifter, the other was an overdrive lockout lever and it had a button on the top that you could use for a quick down shift. Studebakers version of the lockout was a handle under the dash, which worked but wasn't nearly as cool as the AMC Twin Stick.

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Thanks!

Jeff DeWitt

L.W.(ßill) Hughes III wrote:

Reply to
Jeff DeWitt

Wow Bill, interesting choice! That is the prototype Studebaker XUV built by the Avanti Motor Company in Atlanta. They were planing on producing those but it didn't work out.

A real Studebaker (made in South Bend, Indiana by the Studebaker Corporation) looks like these...

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This is an old picture of mine, I've since painted it... you know it's pretty bad when you have to do a Google search to find a picture of your own truck, I really need to get a website going again!

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Jeff DeWitt

L.W.(ßill) Hughes III wrote:

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> God Bless America, ßill O|||||||O> mailto: snipped-for-privacy@aol.com
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Reply to
Jeff DeWitt

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> God Bless America, ßill O|||||||O> > mailto: snipped-for-privacy@aol.com
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Reply to
L.W.( ßill ) Hughes III

Reply to
L.W.( ßill ) Hughes III

Uhh Bill, with all due respect...

The Studebaker 289 V8 in my Champ was made in South Bend, in Studebakers own foundry and it is a Studebaker design, first introduced in 1951. It has no timing chain, it's got gears, and the distributor is mounted in the rear of the block, behind the intake manifold. (Which is separate from the valley cover.

All Studebaker V8's also have forged crankshafts, forged connecting rods, and solid lifters, they also used a high silicon alloy in the block that makes them a lot harder than most engines. (That is why us Studefolk say that SBC really means Soft Block Chevy) .

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Scroll down to "Engine"
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To try to be a bit on topic here recently someone had one of those wonderful little early 50's Willys pickups on ebay, and they had replaced the original engine with a Stude V8, talk about the best of both worlds! (Of course I doubt I'd fit...)

Jeff DeWitt

L.W.(ßill) Hughes III wrote:

Reply to
Jeff DeWitt

Exactly, and what I want to do is put in a lever to take the place of the cable. The one of in the picture is a VERY different device. I'm sure the Rambler/AMC unit was really the same as Stude (and others) used, and in doing some research have found that they even offered it on a T-86! I bet if I could find one of those it would go in my Champ just fine... although I expect hens teeth are a little more common!

Jeff DeWitt (Amen on God Bless America!)

L.W.(ßill) Hughes III wrote:

Reply to
Jeff DeWitt

Reply to
L.W.( ßill ) Hughes III

Could it have been a 65 or 66? The last two years Studebaker moved all their production to Hamilton Ontario and used GM industrial engines, (McKinnon's), actually heavy duty Chebby motors.

Jeff

L.W.(ßill) Hughes III wrote:

Reply to
Jeff DeWitt

Reply to
L.W.( ßill ) Hughes III

Reply to
L.W.( ßill ) Hughes III

That is EXACTLY the overdrive unit I'm working with, the shape of the casting, the shift pall, everything. The transmission itself appears to be different, mine has a six bolt cover plate while that one looks like it has four, and you do say it's a T-85 while mine is a T-86 (I know this because T-86 is cast into the side of the housing).

Actually that overdrive is a Borg-Warner unit that was used on quite a few different cars and trucks in the 50's and 60's, bet it was even used on a few Jeeps!

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Studebaker used the T-86 in six cylinder and some V8 applications, but they also used T-90's and T-96's.

Jeff

L.W.(ßill) Hughes III wrote:

Reply to
Jeff DeWitt

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