Ford Toploader 4-speed

[imp]

We all know how good this manual was; my 1965 "K" car came with one, the close-ratio version at that. But today I learned something I had never heard of before. Ford sold tons of Toploaders to GM!

"Overall the Toploader was used in 133 different models and was used extensively in racing as well.
The 3 speed 3.03 Toploader was also the heavy duty transmission in 60's Olds, Buick and Pontiac cars, with FOMOCO cast into the right side.
Chevy pickups used this same transmission in the 76 -82 Chevy & GMC pickups, vans and Suburbans."

See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Toploader_transmission

 

[MustangIIMatt]

We all know how good this manual was; my 1965 "K" car came with one, the close-ratio version at that. But today I learned something I had never heard of before. Ford sold tons of Toploaders to GM!

"Overall the Toploader was used in 133 different models and was used extensively in racing as well.
The 3 speed 3.03 Toploader was also the heavy duty transmission in 60's Olds, Buick and Pontiac cars, with FOMOCO cast into the right side.
Chevy pickups used this same transmission in the 76 -82 Chevy & GMC pickups, vans and Suburbans."

See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Toploader_transmission

A lot of that went on back then. Certain Shelby Mustangs (and a few other Ford 429 applications) used GM Quadrajet carburetors. A LOT of Fords used GM's Saginaw steering boxes and power steering pumps (so did everyone else for that matter, the Saginaw Steering Division put out the best power steering systems for nearly forty years).

Even today you see Tata Motors (which owns Jaguar/Land Rover) and Mazda buying a lot of stuff from Ford in spite of the fact that Ford sold off their shares in Jaguar/Land Rover and Mazda years ago.

 

[Realmongo]

Yes, it was commonly used as the base transmission in cars such as the GTO and 442.

 

[imp]

Yes, it was commonly used as the base transmission in cars such as the GTO and 442.

Now there is something I've never heard before. Back in the days of 421 Pontiacs, and 413 Plymouths, the 427 Ford/Toploader combination had not yet materialized among the drag guys in my part f the country.

Thanks for sharing! imp