[rotorwrench]

The Medium case Ford-O-Matics came out for heavier duty use beginning in the 1955 model year. Initially, they were used behind the 341 powered Lincoln cars but were geared up for use behind the Ford & Mercury 312 as well as the Lincoln 368 applications in 1956. Lincoln changed over to the new large case transmissions in 1958 when dual range Cruise-O-Matic transmissions came on line.

Ford Motor Co. used different transmission names for different Brand named cars like Ford, Mercury, and Lincoln. I guess Lincoln-O-Matic had no ring to it so they called them the Turbo Drive Transmission when installed in the Lincoln cars. They are very similar to the Mercury and Ford medium case transmissions in those years before the Cruise-O-Matic name took hold for Ford and Mercury cars and Dual range transmissions became the normal use unit. Lincoln kept the Turbo Drive name for a long time but there was also a Multi Drive unit used in 1958 through 1960. A lot depended on what engine application was chosen.

Fatsco and Northwest would be the two to check first for parts. Find the factory manual for the Turbo Drive in Lincoln applications so you can have all the information needed. The bad thing about Lincolns and some of the other FoMoCo automatic equipped cars of this era is that the engine has to be removed to get the transmissions out in many cases.

Any mechanic can overhaul these old transmissions but they are not common so the mechanic would need all the information they could get to be able to do a good job of it. These units are not like the modern types in a lot of ways. Soft parts like gaskets and seals should be available but hard parts are a different story. They are out there but it may take time to locate them if any are needed.