"NEW" overdrive for the 8.2 LXGT

[STINEY]

Fedex brought a rather neat package to work today. This will take some sheetmetal work to fit in the FOX tunnel, lol!

Very nicely packed I might add.

Thanks SuperBuickGuy!

[Beagle]

DNE sweetness! The console will hide all kinds of "clearancing" ?

[milner351]

That thing looks heavydutilicious!

What are the plans for this? Does that hook directly into the back end of the TH400 behind the cailasorous?

[STINEY]

Yep. '86 Mustang with 500 cadillac, all of that family of cadillac engine got TH400s behind them, some were short tailshaft, some were a cadillac specific tailshaft depending on year. I put a standard shorty in.

The tailhousing unbolts, speedo drive and mount removed, and bolt this in place. Reinstall mount and speedo drive, shorten driveshaft 12.5 inches and go.

According to a driveshaft estimate I recieved (the current one needed lengthened 1.5 inches) I am "saving" $100 by installing this and shortening the shaft myself. I can do shortening lots easier than I can do lengthing.

Hows that for justification? I need this overdrive so I can save money on the new driveshaft....I'm pretty proud of that line of bull.

And tunnel hackery is virtually guarenteed. This is a fair amount larger than the original tailshaft.

I was going to toss the console originally, glad I hung onto it now. I may end up needing it to disguise the mess! Cut to fit, paint to match.

[TheSilverBuick]

Hows that for justification? I need this overdrive so I can save money on the new driveshaft....I'm pretty proud of that line of bull.

[SuperBuickGuy]

AND you got a complimentary flower box.... so Mrs. Stiney will be happy as well

[SpiderGearsMan]

ready for 5.38s now

[fast Ed]

Forgive my ignorance ... I see the "DNE" marking, which I assume is Doug Nash Enterprises. Is that unit similar in construction and function to what Gear Vendors sells these days?


cheers
Ed N.

[SuperBuickGuy]

yes in that they are both overdrives and they both can handle decent hp.
no in how they operate. IIRC the caveat with the DNE is you can't park it in overdrive (electric motor holds it in overdrive, when you disconnect power it freewheels - kind of a bummer if you don't remember that ;))

[STINEY]

Sounds like a parking brake is a good thing to have and get in the habit of using with this setup?

GearVendors and US Gear are the 2 leading overdrive manufacturers today. Both add on overdrive systems.

US Gear is a descendent of the Doug Nash unit shown here. US Gear actually acquired the Doug Nash design, and will even support some of the later serial numbered units. Not this particular one though, according to my research.

The GearVendors is a planetary setup as far as the actual gear changing goes. I have not opened up the Doug Nash unit yet, but it appears (and is supposed) to be a "normal" gear engagement setup. This means that it does not shift on the fly quite like a GearVendors does. More like driving a 2-ton with a 2-speed rear as far as shifting it goes.

Which is fine by me. I'm not after splitting gears, I just want to be able to switch to "track gears" by flipping a switch, not breaking out the catch pan and wrenchs.

This should make my 3:73 ish gears act like 2:90's on the highway. Perfect.

And saves me money on a new driveshaft. I'm sticking to that story like a fly on stink.

[STINEY]

Adding the manuals and other info I've found on the Doug Nash Enterprises overdrive, aka DNE2.

Might be handy for someone searching for info on these. Said info is rather scarce on the internet for some reason....go figure.

[STINEY]