Need for Speed

[Royal]

When I bought my 31 AA this summer I had 3 goals in mind. First, restore it to new-look, DRIVER. Second, drive it on club tours and third, drive (not trailer) to Vancouver BC for the National in 2010. No one in our club has ever toured with a AA. Club members tell me my truck can't keep up on tours. Many for sale ads say "great for parades". The fate of many AA's seems to be show & shines and parades! I WANT TO DRIVE MY TRUCK!!
A friend in Calif. (also restoring a AA) called to tell me that he had recently spoke with Steve Mitchell and they are about to produce some AA overdrives. Cost will be $2800. One option! There is a reference to AA 4.11:1 rear axle gears in the 2008 newsletter. Any update? I could tour as a platform and leave the stakes and spare home (reduce weight). I have looked at engine options (high compression head & Aris muffler) to gain hp.
Are any of you driving your AA's? I would appreciate your thoughts!
Thanks,
Roy

[Neil Wilson]

Roy,
You need to have the 5.14:1 rear axle gears for sure! As far as I know, there has been no progress on the remanfacturing of gears. There are Warford three speed transmissions which would give you an overdrive (and underdrive). The overdrive is most likely going to be close to giving the ratio which Steve Mitchell's overdrive will yield (but I don't know).

62.5 mph is what you would get from a stock engine at 2350 rpm with a Warford. The Mitchell overdrive would be much better from a noise point of view!

[Roy Williams]

Hi Roy,

I'm in exactly the same boat. I bought my 29 AA Express pick up, low speed worm drive rear end with warford transmission this summer. I'm not impressed with the warford transmission. It gives me a little speed but like Neil eluded to, it's noisy. Everyone I've spoke to says the same thing about them being noisy so I don't think it just mine. I will save my pennies and get the mitchell when it becomes available and hopefully be able to enjoy the additional speed it produces. If anyone has a good set of high speed gears for the worm they would be willing to part with please let me know. No, I don't drive my truck much for this reason.

Neil, thanks for sharing your knowledge with us!

Regards,

Roy

[bud valerius]

My son and I both have 1930 AA's with Warfords and 5:14 differentials .They do make a humming noise when in overdrive ,its music to my ears .We have driven them on interstate highways ,in the mountians around Breckenridge Colorado and on two lane roads .We prefer to stay with equipment that was made when the AA's were produced .I have a 1931 195 A express that is almost done with a Warford and 5:14 gears and a 1928 express that I will put a Muncie over & under drive in when I have the time . Bud Valerius

[John McCausland]

Lloyd Young builds an over drive unit for your application. He uses1950 era Borg-Warner overdrive units from the backs of three speed transmissons and mounts them in the center of the drive shaft torque tube. Along with the overdrive you also gain free wheeling which you may or may not like. I have one on my truck and it works well. The cost is around $1400.00 dollars.His address is 4915 Lithopolis-Winchester Road, Canal Winchester, Ohio 43110 or Phone 614-837-7832.

[John - NNY]

Would it be possible to just replace the ring and pinion in the rear end with a different ratio? It seems that it would be cheaper to replace those parts rather than a whole transmission.

John
NNY