Who's running a Mitchell Transmission?

[JunkOSC]

I see Mitchell makes a synchronized transmission that has gears cut with a 15% higher ratio for better top end performance. What does that mean in real life? Would you say that adds 5 mph to performance?

Thanks in advance!
Tim

[Renorust]

I have been running a Mitchell synchro transmission this summer and can report the following:
* There are three ratio options - original, 2nd @ 15% higher and reverse 2nd and 1st @ 15% higher. Top end speed will remain the same for all options. Acceleration from lights and in traffic is improved with the higher ratio 1st and 2nd and by synchro assissted shifting.
* The main feature is synchro for 2nd and 3rd. Shifting is a breeze both up and down as you would expect. External box is stock so no unusual views when you look under the car or in the cabin.
* Installation was as explained in the literature that comes with the unit. No problems or special fabrication required.
* On road performance live up to the claims. Quick, smooth shifts, no jumping out of gear on acceleration or decelleration, no oil leaks. Two year warranty.
* Dealing with Mitchell was straightforward. On time delivery. Good crating of the unit. No surprises, none of the "oh by the way..." stuff.
* Give them a call if you have further interest and get the story first hand.

[Dick So. Cal.]

I, too, purchased a Mitchell tranny for my Cabriolet. The reason was is that my wife could not get the non-syncro shifting thing down pat.
I bought the 15% low and second and the ratios are great. High is the same, 1:1.
I have driven non-syncro for 50 years and I kinda miss the mind-game, if you will, of driving the original set-up smoothly. It was a challange to do it correctly and I liked the challange.
The new set-up is a breeze. No challenge. Get in and drive. I do have to admit that on a recent Palos Verdes CA road rallye, the syncros made it easy in the hills and the gear ratios helped a lot.
It was a no brainer to install. Straight removal and installation. Easy.
All in all, I say go for it!
Dick Wyckoff

[Glenn C.]

We have two Model A's with Mitchell transmissions with no problems. Do like that synchro between 2nd and 3rd.

[Cajun]

I am running a Mitchell synchro in line with a Mitchell OD in a speedster. Works great! This combination allows for a shift from second as high as 50 MPH.

[Glenn of northport]

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I have 2 Mitchel they are easy to drive down shifting is great ,I plan on giving my model A cars to my grandkids this will make them easy to drive.

[dr.j]

So am I correct to assume from 1st to 3rd gear no double clutch required and no double clutch from 3rd to 2nd?

Can I assume you must double clutch to 1st from 2nd gear if moving or be stopped to go into 1st gear?

[JunkOSC]

Thanks guys for the info. I have been doing more research, I think I'm going to go this my stock tranny and install the Michell OD. They seem to be very reliable and work well under stock conditions.

My goal here is on the weekends to be able to take the car on the freeway so I can get across town to see friends/family and attend events. The foot print of the metro Phoenix area is HUGE and keeps getting larger.

br,
Tim

[30Tudor]

If you install the Overdrive, you can use it to more easily downshift your stock transmission as well. Its a bit of work with the hands as you put the OD in neutral when you shift between third and second gears.

[Tom Wesenberg]

Originally Posted by dr.j

So am I correct to assume from 1st to 3rd gear no double clutch required and no double clutch from 3rd to 2nd?

Can I assume you must double clutch to 1st from 2nd gear if moving or be stopped to go into 1st gear?

Correct!

[jerry shook]

I have one in my 30 coupe best thing i have done . GREAT.

[Cabrioletdave]

Is your Mitchell transmission still running great?

[Ford1931]

I put the 15% first and second gear Mitchell in my slant window four door. I like the easy upshift and downshift and use the motor more and the brakes less. I will be putting the Mitchell 26% overdrive in over the winter with the 3.54 gears in the rear end. I have a touring motor with the Burlington crank, Stipe cam and Snyders 5.5 head. I am hoping the combination will give me more flexibility on various roads, keep the rpms down and have the ability to drive on the interstate should I want.

[bettlesr]

You should not have to double clutch from 1st to 2nd as both 2nd and 3rd have synchros

[JohnLaVoy]

On the Summer Tour last year one of the participants broke their original transmission the first day. We called Mitchell and they brought a syncro trans to the convention and Steve Mitchell (pictured) even helped with the install. Nice transmission and great people to deal with.

[pgerhardt]

I am planning on putting a mitchell transmission in my 29 tudor. While I know I can buy one through the big 3 parts dealers, I would rather deal directly with the Mitchells rather than have them have to share the profit with a reseller. Does anyone have an email address or phone number for them.
Thanks in advance.

[arnhemmer]

Mitchell manufacturing 1157 Parker St. Colusa Ca 95932 1-800-859-2088

[CarlG]

...

[modelAtony]

Originally Posted by JohnLaVoy

On the Summer Tour last year one of the participants broke their original transmission the first day. We called Mitchell and they brought a syncro trans to the convention and Steve Mitchell (pictured) even helped with the install. Nice transmission and great people to deal with.

Mr John, that looks like one of them TEAM ROPIN RODEO COWBOYS there. Great bunch of people, Late mr. Glenn, wife miss sue, son Stephen, wife cindy and their son Spencer PRCA TEAM ROPER like Grand pa, and dad. have fun modelAtony tony white Lafayette, LA

[ttoldcarbuff7]

Everyone seems happy with the Mitchell, but is there anyone who wishes they didn't swap out to a Mitchell? I am just trying to get a feel before dropping big dollars.

[Tom Wesenberg]

Originally Posted by ttoldcarbuff7

Everyone seems happy with the Mitchell, but is there anyone who wishes they didn't swap out to a Mitchell? I am just trying to get a feel before dropping big dollars.

What's your goal? Do you not want to double clutch, or are you looking to lower the engine speed like an overdrive or 3.27 ring and pinion gears will give you?

[waxhead]

I am more than happy with my synchro transmission, no regrets. I have now ordered a Mitchell over-drive, hopefully I get it next month.

[Gyrodoc]

Tom is correct. What is your goal? I have a Mitchel Trans, Overdrive Model B engine. It's set up perfectly for me as a touring car. I can easily do 55 MPH on the freeway if I want to. I love the car this way. Besides no one can tell, I looks completely stock.
Richard

[mrtexas]

Originally Posted by ttoldcarbuff7

Everyone seems happy with the Mitchell, but is there anyone who wishes they didn't swap out to a Mitchell? I am just trying to get a feel before dropping big dollars.

Have you considered a v8 transmission? It will be cheaper than a Mitchell and do the same thing.

[inex01]

Originally Posted by Ford1931

I put the 15% first and second gear Mitchell in my slant window four door. I like the easy upshift and downshift and use the motor more and the brakes less. I will be putting the Mitchell 26% overdrive in over the winter with the 3.54 gears in the rear end. I have a touring motor with the Burlington crank, Stipe cam and Snyders 5.5 head. I am hoping the combination will give me more flexibility on various roads, keep the rpms down and have the ability to drive on the interstate should I want.

I also have a Slant Sedan, have the stock trans and installed the 26% overdrive this past spring with a 3.54 rear and it works so well, my engine is a touring but not a over the top touring engine and is very capable with this setup. This past summer I took four 200 mile trips mostly highway running between 55 - 60 MPH and did need to drop out of over drive on long up-hill slopes but mostly stayed in overdrive.

[curtisldean]

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I just finished a running gear upgrade on my 30 coupe, new set of 3.54 rear gears, Mitchell overdrive, and a 15% 1st & 2nd Mitchell synchronized transmission.
The installation was pretty straight forward with no surprises.
My fresh stock engine runs very easily at 50 mph on flat ground and I don't see a huge difference on the hills.
Steve Mitchell was available for Q&A the 2 times I had a question, I am very pleased with the product and service I received.

[inex01]

Originally Posted by curtisldean

I just finished a running gear upgrade on my 30 coupe, new set of 3.54 rear gears, Mitchell overdrive, and a 15% 1st & 2nd Mitchell synchronized transmission.
The installation was pretty straight forward with no surprises.
My fresh stock engine runs very easily at 50 mph on flat ground and I don't see a huge difference on the hills.
Steve Mitchell was available for Q&A the 2 times I had a question, I am very pleased with the product and service I received.

Congratulations! You will enjoy this up-grade the more you drive the car

[curtisldean]

Thank you Chuck.

[Bobalong]

How noisy is second gear in the Mitchell vs the standard trans. I have heard that the Mitchell is quite noisy but have not been able to verify that statement. Would like to hear from current users.
Thanks
Bob

[Glenn C.]

Both our syncro transmissions run quiet. 50 mile/hr all day if needed.

[Stew]

Ive got a mitchell syncro trans in my 31 Tudor and 31 CC Pickup. The trans is superb in both. Highly recommend the Mitchell trans

Regards,

Stew

[sphanna]

DrJ is correct. There is no synchro from 1st to 2nd but is from 2-3 and return. I just purchased a new synchro trans from Steve Mitchel. This is what he told me.

[Y-Blockhead]

This has probably been asked a thousand times but if you could only afford one, Mitchell Syncro Trans or Mitchell O/D, which would be better and for what reasons?

I'm looking at the O/D because the non-syncro trans doesn't bother me (except trying to down shift to first) and I like the idea of gear splitting, giving me "6 gears".

[Rich in Tucson]

O/D. I cannot think of a single reason to ever down-shift to first gear in a Model A nor in any other vehicle where a synchro would be a benefit except perhaps for a track (racing) car or vertical-climbing rock crawler. Then, a Model T might be a better choice!

[daveymc29]

I run a Mitchell OD with 3:54 gears and 600 X 16 tires. 55 is no problem, hills may require a down-shift if they are long and steep, but other wise just like stock. I bought the shifter cable which makes it more like a truck to shift, without the handle of a "Browny" box. Thus I can slide across from the curb side, which I found quite difficult with the floor shift lever on the OD. Don't leave home without it. Good people to work with. May buy a synchro box next, but the neutral in the OD makes shifting so simple that I may not.

[TerryH]

Y-Blockhead, I have just the Mitchell OD in my Town Sedan and will likely never need the synchro tranny. To me, double clutching has always been part of the fun of driving a Model A. Having a higher first and second gear would be nice, but not really necessary. But the OD is a whole different story. To me, it is the missing next gear that a Model A really needs, especially living here in Southern California, where surface streets are commonly 45-50 mph, and some freeway driving is necessary to go to many places. On the freeway, I like to be able to easily cruise at 55-60 without pushing the car, and the Mitchell excels at that. And splitting gears in the mountains is very useful. We do an annual trip to Mt. Baldy every year, and 2nd OD is perfect.

[Tom Wesenberg]

Originally Posted by Rich in Tucson

O/D. I cannot think of a single reason to ever down-shift to first gear in a Model A nor in any other vehicle where a synchro would be a benefit except perhaps for a track (racing) car or vertical-climbing rock crawler. Then, a Model T might be a better choice!

X 2
Totally agree with Rich

[larryf]

I have an 5 speed from an S10 pickup and really like it----Another option

[Y-Blockhead]

Originally Posted by TerryH

Y-Blockhead, I have just the Mitchell OD in my Town Sedan and will likely never need the synchro tranny. To me, double clutching has always been part of the fun of driving a Model A. Having a higher first and second gear would be nice, but not really necessary. But the OD is a whole different story. To me, it is the missing next gear that a Model A really needs, especially living here in Southern California, where surface streets are commonly 45-50 mph, and some freeway driving is necessary to go to many places. On the freeway, I like to be able to easily cruise at 55-60 without pushing the car, and the Mitchell excels at that. And splitting gears in the mountains is very useful. We do an annual trip to Mt. Baldy every year, and 2nd OD is perfect.

Thanks Terry. That's exactly what I wanted to hear. Being in SoCal we have a lot of different topography (and speeds ) Sometimes I find it would be nice to have a gear between 1-2 and 2-3.

Originally Posted by Rich in Tucson

O/D. I cannot think of a single reason to ever down-shift to first gear in a Model A...

Believe me, I avoid it at all costs. Sometimes tho I find it necessary. For one example, in traffic on a hill. If the car in front of me slows down enough, for whatever reason, I have to lug the engine to "get 'er going again" or come to a complete stop so I can get in first. Flat ground I don't have any problems.

But we digress. With the O/D I should be able to shift to first O/D in those (rare) situations, correct?

[Marshall57]

Originally Posted by JunkOSC

I see Mitchell makes a synchronized transmission that has gears cut with a 15% higher ratio for better top end performance. What does that mean in real life? Would you say that adds 5 mph to performance?

Thanks in advance!
Tim

The transmission does not have a higher third gear. They can raise the first and/or the second gear ratio, but high gear is a 1 to 1 ratio and cannot be increased due to the size of the transmission case. The benefit of this transmission is that you will not have to shift out of first so quickly when leaving a stop light, also the synchronized feature makes everything better. If you need to rebuild your transmission, and map out the costs, adding a little more and ending up with a Mitchell transmission makes a lot of sense. One more addition to this is that if you add an overdrive to the equation you can choose where your second gear ratio will be and that could make a real difference in traffic or the mountains.

[Marshall57]

Does anyone use the 36% overdrive? Where I live there are a lot of open roads and the posted speed is 75 or 80 mph. Driving 55 mph seems more to have more dangers
associated with it than the ones presented by driving at 65 or 70. I have a new strong engine and a light roadster. Any ideas?

[CarlG]

My F150 overdrive is 27% with the 3.78 rear. And my pickup is relatively light weight. 65 is generally no problem when needed, although I try to stay in the 55 range. On a tour with other folks, it's usually slower than that if I intend on staying with the group.

Right now, with my new engine, the engine builder has restricted me to 50 with no overdrive. 700 more miles till I can open her up!

[wgmatt]

Since I installed the Mitchell OD and transmission my wife wants to drive. Might need to get another Car!

[Chuck Sea/Tac]

Originally Posted by pgerhardt

I am planning on putting a mitchell transmission in my 29 tudor. While I know I can buy one through the big 3 parts dealers, I would rather deal directly with the Mitchells rather than have them have to share the profit with a reseller. Does anyone have an email address or phone number for them.
Thanks in advance.

Why do you want to cut out the "retailer" that's working hard to keep you supplied with parts, so you can enjoy your car???? I'll bet you'll pay the same price, regardless of where you purchase.

[1929]

Originally Posted by CarlG

My F150 overdrive is 27% with the 3.78 rear. And my pickup is relatively light weight. 65 is generally no problem when needed, although I try to stay in the 55 range. On a tour with other folks, it's usually slower than that if I intend on staying with the group.

Right now, with my new engine, the engine builder has restricted me to 50 with no overdrive. 700 more miles till I can open her up!

My builder restricted me to 35 for a thousand.

[Tom Wesenberg]

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Originally Posted by 1929

My builder restricted me to 35 for a thousand.

Studebakers had a restrictor plate from the factory, and when the customer came in for his 1000 miles (or whatever the miles were) checkup the mechanic loosened the carb bolts and slid the plate out. Story goes that one customer said the mechanic sure knew how to tune up the car.

[Rick6]

We have 1931 Model A roadster. I installed a Mitchell transmission about 3 weeks ago. The install was straight forward, instructions were excellent and the driveability and driving pleasure is outstanding. We have the higher gear ratios which greatly improves driveability.

No reason not to go with a Mitchell syncromesh transmission, especially if you are one that wants to drive the car.

Just do it

Enjoy