During the time my son and I were accumulating and breaking Studebaker OD transmissions I often thought of turning the ODs into stand alone units. It seems that it would take much less machining to seal the front with a custom front plate and hook it inline to what ever tranny you want than to try and actually "adapt" it to a unwilling host. I was told by several Stude guys that the best/strongest ODs are the T85s. Ours were T86s. Leadfoot Jr blew one in low seeking traction by applying more pressure to the throttle. He blew two under boost in second just before shifting into high. I don't know the difference between the R10 and R11 units but have heard that they are very similar and some parts interchange. We have never broken an OD unit. There is a group called the Old Berb Club ( GM Suburbans ) that posted some Overdrive info a few years ago. It took me a long time to locate the one Saginaw 3 speed OD I have.That unit is going on the back of a Saginaw 4 speed some day. They don't seem to be plentiful. I'm always on the lookout for them. If I run across one I'll let you know. The Hot August Nights swap meet is coming soon. I really like the feel of driving with these old OD trannys. They can be made to do a lot.
