Hone-O-Drive anyone?

Nosboss · Dec 26, 2007

I am going to install my Hone-O-Drive this winter in my '66 coupe. Does anyone on here know anything about them? I have the model that replaces the pinion carrier on a 9" axle. I am curious how strong they are? I visit the strip a few times a year with drag radials and run in the high 7's (1/8th mile). My dad bought it in the mid seventies from a good friend (still good friends today) and never installed it on his Boss so it has been sitting for a long time. Does anyone on here have one or had one in the past? Any info would be great guys.

Jason

Rusty67 · Dec 26, 2007

I punched that bad boy into google and from what I've read, these things were very stout units. Appartenly they were the hot setup to get overdrive back in the day. From what I read, the company shut down some time in the early 80s because overdrives became a more standard feature. The unit that bolts to the Ford 9" diff is definately something that would be nice to have and apparently takes abuse very well. The only thing I can't tell is if you can shift it while driving or if you have to do that a head of time while stoped.

Nosboss · Dec 26, 2007

I took it apart today to see what kind of condition it is in. It is fully syncronised so I imagine you can shift it on the fly. Probably let off the gas or step on the clutch for a moment. Should be just like shifting gears in the tranny.

Rusty67 · Dec 26, 2007

Wow, that is really kewl. One idea you might consider with it is what some guys dad on another forum did. He used an air powered electric solinoid to engauge/disenguage it so you can just push button the thing.

Nosboss · Dec 26, 2007

Thats the route I would like to go with. You have a link to the other forum with this info?

Rusty67 · Dec 26, 2007

I closed the page already. It was one of the first 6 or so when I punched it into google. There wasn't any tech info on how it was done.

bnickel · Dec 27, 2007

my only warning is to be careful with that thing on the drag strip, especially with the drag radials. from what i understand there is some type of sun gear in it that won't take the high shock loads of slicks or drag radials and it will spin in the case, once it does that the thing is done because there are no replacement parts available, also i have heard that under high shock loads it can shear the pinion retainer bolts. otherwise it's a very stout unit. i'v always wanted one of them just for the nostalgia of it and because i think that extra shift handle (they used an old style bolt throttle control) would be so cool looking sticking up out of the console. if you ever want to sell that thing let me know, i've really been wanting to find one for my 69 cougar as it is the same or very similar unit to what was used in the 69 cougar eliminator "streep scene" car that used a 2 speed rearend.

mrmustangman357 · Dec 27, 2007

pre-gear ventors huh?

Nosboss · Dec 27, 2007

Yes, this is pre-gear vendors.

I didn't know that the "sun" gear was a weak point. It looks pretty stout. What exactly happens to it? I used to do the autoX thing but now I lean more towards drag racing and do that several times a year. Thae last thing I want to do is kill a good overdrive unit. I was also thinking about swaping out the toploader for a T5 if I thought the Hone wasn't going to hold up. Then I think that would be the week point in the drivetrain.

Bnickel, If you are interested I will let you know if I don't choose the Hone route.

bnickel · Dec 27, 2007

from what i've read the sun gear has a tendancy to spin in the housing under high shock loads. when they were installing these in Baldwin-Motion cars high traction shock loads weren't an issue with the old hard tires they had or really even the slicks available back then either. anyway, this is just some stuff i've read about the hone unit. i haven't read if there is a fix for it or not but i don't think there is. it's your choice whether to believe it or not. like i said i have no actual experience with it so i can't say for certain that it truly is an issue but i don't know if i'd be willing to risk it if it was mine.

yeah, i'd be interested if you want to sell it but it may be a while before i have the cash available to buy it. i have to sell the mustang before i can start working on the cougar and i don't know how long it will take to sell it.

Blue Oval Man · Dec 27, 2007

A friend had one of these units in a F150 back in the late 70's and it worked great, until he lent the truck to a neighbor to use while moving. It seems the neighbor ignored the instructions to let off the throttle while shifting the unit and instead kept his foot in it. The result was a tow bill and the end of the overdrive unit. I don't remember specifically what broke, but I know that parts availability was non existant. I don't know if he still has the unit laying around or not, might have to look him up and find out.

Nosboss · Dec 27, 2007

Thats what i'm worried about. I don't want to be at the track and kill the overdrive unit. I'd rather see the overdrive unit go on a driver rather than my weekend racer. It will be nice when I am cruising or heading to the track.

So, do you guys think it would be better to beat on a T5 instead?

It probably wouldn't be a bad idea to contact your friend and see what failed. It might have some good parts too.

Jason

Rusty67 · Dec 28, 2007

If you are going to go the T5 route look into a G-Force or an Astro T5. Check the cost out and see if it is worth it for you.

Edster · Dec 28, 2007

Why not go w' a gear vendors unit. Prcey but pretty stout from what I've read.

Nosboss · Dec 29, 2007

Edster said:
Why not go w' a gear vendors unit. Prcey but pretty stout from what I've read.

Just for the simple fact that I already have the Hone unit. Right now I really don't have a lot of money to work with either. If I could afford the gear vendors unit, I would probably just use a TKO.

mikethebike · Dec 31, 2007

bnickel said:
from what i've read the sun gear has a tendancy to spin in the housing under high shock loads. when they were installing these in Baldwin-Motion cars high traction shock loads weren't an issue with the old hard tires they had or really even the slicks available back then either.

The really fast street (low 10's in th 1/4) cars ran either M/T or Mohawks with a very soft compound. We ran M&H Racemasters at the strip. The big-block Chevy's and Chryslers that pulled the front wheels off the ground did I believe have some very high shock loads to the drivetrain. Strong enough to break the cases on Muncie transmissions and Chevy 10 bolt rears. Hence the Top-Loaders and 9"r's installed in all those Chevy's. And none of them ran OD's. Top end was not a consideration.

bnickel · Jan 1, 2008

i was mainly referring to the stock bias ply tires on the baldwin-motion cars being a harder compound, and even any of the other old tires and slicks from back in the day (comparitively speaking), to what is available today in a DOT bias ply or drag radial. with modern soft compound tires that old hone-o-drive is not likely long for the world in a 10 second car.

mikethebike · Jan 1, 2008

bnickel said:
i was mainly referring to the stock bias ply tires on the baldwin-motion cars being a harder compound, and even any of the other old tires and slicks from back in the day (comparitively speaking), to what is available today in a DOT bias ply or drag radial. with modern soft compound tires that old hone-o-drive is not likely long for the world in a 10 second car.

It didn't hold-up well back then either. The only car I ever saw with an 'add-on' OD unit that stood-up to the power of a real engine was Bill Newtons '56 Bird with a 490cid tunnel-port and 2-4's and he ran a Borg-Warner unit custom fabricated by Batson Machine on Rivers Ave. in N. Charleston to fit behind a 1 1/8" Top-Loader. Some guy who went by the name 'Sweet William' showed up one year with a Baldwin built Chevelle and lost his money. He trailored a car in the next year (another Baldwin car), lost 2 for 3 in the 1/4 and then offered to go top-end. Bill walked him again when he shifted into OD. He never came back to Charleston to run Bill again.
Fastest non-Cobra street Ford I ever saw back then (1971)

Nosboss · Jan 1, 2008

I sure don't have a 10 second car and it never will be. I would be super surprised if it got out of the 12's. I hope thats slow enough to keep the hone in one piece.

bnickel · Jan 1, 2008

sorry, i just saw 7's in the 1/8 mile, doing the normal the 1/8 mile time x 1.5 i came up with 10's. apologies, i guess.

hopefully it will handle 12's, it should but again if there is a high shock load it might not, depends on what kind of tires you run and how well the car hooks.

Hone-O-Drive anyone?

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