Gear Vendors sells a unit, or you can opt for the route I followed: find a Laycock J-type from a donor Volvo. No modifications needed for the parking brake, transmission or engine. c- was the option that I was most interested in. and what about the parking brake? The second option, b- presents the problem of gearing that is too tall for the torque output of the engine, especially if the flathead is wimpy, such as a 201. The problem with a- is that the engine may need to be pulled, an adapter plate might be required, a new hole in the floor must be cut and then there is the clutch. Along with brake upgrades, wringing more horses out of our flatheads, adding seatbelts and tightening up our suspension components, many of us have asked-how can I cruise at 65 while keeping the RPMs in a decent range? The three 'big' solutions that stand out are a- swap transmissions for something with an overdrive, like a T-5 or an A833, b- swap rear ends, or c- add an overdrive, such as a Laycock. A lot of us want to keep our trucks as original as possible and, at the same time, improve the safety and performance to drive comfortably on today's roads.
