One of the best additions you can put on your Willys is an overdrive unit,
especially if you drive it a lot. The overdrive unit will reduce your
engine RPMs by about 25 percent and will allow your Willys to reach about 55 MPH
without the engine screaming at high RPMs. Overdrives are also good for
engine conversions and high rear axle gear ratios for those who do a lot of off-roading.
Used overdrives go for about $500-$600 and a new Saturn like mine will set you
back about $900. Some good tech tips can be found on the
CJ-3B Page,
and Herm the Overdrive Guy is
a good source for overdrive parts. I purchased my overdrive from
Mile Hi Jeep Rebuilders in
Denver, CO. The installation is relatively simple and should take you
about 4 hours max.
Here is
everything you need for the installation. The shifter was an
additional $75, but saved me the time of trying to fabricate one. |
Remove the
rear access cover. Then remove the cotter pin, nut, and input gear. |
The bowl gear
slides right on. See the star in the center of the gear? Use a
1/2" extension and thread the special nut on. |
Tighten to
100 to 130 ft lbs. |
This is the
hardest part: Installing the lock washer and snap ring.
Instructions come in the kit, so make sure you follow them to the letter.
Install the lock washer and make sure it is seated correctly. Then
slip the snap ring in. |
Using needle
nose pliers or snap ring pliers, ensure the snap ring is seated in the
groove. If this is not done correctly, you can ruin your investment! |
Next, the
casing is installed, and using a little loc-tite, the bolts are tightened to
30 ft lbs. |
The shift
rail slides right in and is attached to the overdrive unit. |
The shift kit
comes with spacers and mounts pretty easily.
|
The shift kit
is very well made but.... |
....You have
to cut your transmission cover to clear the shifter bracket. |
Here's the
final shifter install |
The kit comes with a new shifter ring and boot so the
install looks fairly clean. |
|