T96 compatability on 196ci ramblers

Hey guys,

I'm working on my 63 rambler american that has a 3 speed with overdrive. A few weeks ago the transmission suffered a failure in where it got stuck between gears. I was able to determine that the fault was inside the transmission and not the column shifter or linkage.

The transmission itself is worn out and there are alot of chipped gear teeth on 1st and on 3rd (worn syncro?) Given the limited availability of parts I'm thinking of swapping another T-96 in that I'm looking at on ebay here:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/AMC-Rambler-NOS-T96-overdrive-transmission-Ford-Studeba-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem2eaf93572fQQitemZ200514164527QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

It appears that the output of the transmission is for the torque tube? Or is that just something placed on the transmission during shipping to protect the output shaft?

Is a T-96 a T-96, or are there different variations for different bellhousings (like a 199, 232, etc?)

I'm really anxious to get the car back on the road, and appreciate what advice I can get from the experts. If this will work, I'll pull the trigger.

Thanks in advance!

Jordan

There are two versions of the T-96 -- early and late. Pre 63 big cars and pre 64 Americans use the early version. The distance between the top and bottom holes is less than the late version (63+ big cars, 64+ Americans). So make sure it's the right one! The top two holes are the same, just the bottom two are different. With the square flange for the torque tube this has to be a late model trans, pre 63 used a different torque tube mount.

The bottom holes moved lower to provide more support of the engine/trans unit when the engine mounts shifted from a four point to a three point mounting system. In the four point system the trans just hung off the bell with no support under it, in the three point the trans becomes a stressed supporting member.

That's a good price on the trans if you can get it for near the starting bid. It cost me around $800 to have one rebuilt in 2001 with new input shaft, cluster gear, and OD planetary gear set.


Edited by farna - Sep/03/2010 at 11:06am

farna wrote: There are two versions of the T-96 -- early and late. Pre 63 big cars and pre 64 Americans use the early version. The distance between the top and bottom holes is less than the late version (63+ big cars, 64+ Americans). So make sure it's the right one! The top two holes are the same, just the bottom two are different. With the square flange for the torque tube this has to be a late model trans, pre 63 used a different torque tube mount. The bottom holes moved lower to provide more support of the engine/trans unit when the engine mounts shifted from a four point to a three point mounting system. In the four point system the trans just hung off the bell with no support under it, in the three point the trans becomes a stressed supporting member. That's a good price on the trans if you can get it for near the starting bid. It cost me around $800 to have one rebuilt in 2001 with new input shaft, cluster gear, and OD planetary gear set.

The top and bottom holes as in mounting holes to the bell housing?  Is there a way to tell types by letter type on the side of the trans?

Yes, mounting holes for the transmission to the bell housing, not the bell to engine. As I said, I'm pretty sure that's the late model because of the torque tube connection. Can't tell by the numbers on the side. It wouldn't be hard to crawl under your car and measure center to center of the bolts on one side then ask for that measurement from the seller, but I'm reasonably certain that's the late model trans.

You can't just swap the OD unit without taking the trans apart. The adapter and OD unit will bolt to the non-OD case, but the output shaft is specific to the OD unit. So you'd have to take both trannys apart and swap the output shaft too.

All the OD units are the same no matter what transmission they are on, so you don't have to swap anything. If yours wasn't an OD trans it's trivial to wire the OD unit up anyway. Just make sure you have the kick-down switch wired correctly. You can get by without it, but have to use the clutch when disengaging OD without the switch. The switch momentarily shorts the coil, effectively turning the engine off for 5-10 revolutions, just enough to take torque off the OD unit so it can have a stress-free disengagement. With the down-shift you never know the engine has been turned off -- it's faster than if you quickly turned the key switch off and back on.

Got the tranny and it will be on a truck to me soon. Can't wait to rebuild the tranny get this car back on the road!