I never did find out the user name of the gentleman from Pitt Meadows, but I received a phone call not long after posting this want ad. The caller had a Muncie 318 with the BW R-11 overdrive and all the associated parts that came out of an American 59 El Camino. It currently resides in my garage, and will hopefully end up in my car sometime later this year.
So, unlikely as it seemed when I posted this ad, 3 speed with OD found!
They are very rare, I'd bet a lot got thrown out. Same length as a 4 speed.
__________________
63 Parisienne sport coupe (The Big GTO), black, maroon interior, 409 4 speed; former owner of a 59 El Camino, 63 Corvette SWC, 62 Chev Bel Air SC. 1963- Pontiac top selling car in Canada
Mahone Bay, NS Still not old enough to need an automatic
I think they're rare...in Canada. They were used by 11 major manufacturers from the late 40's to the middle 70's. It seems here in Canada nobody willingly checked an option box for overdrive. Cost? Not enough highways for it to be worth it? I dunno, but not hard to find in US cars of the same era. This particular one was salvaged from a car in WA state.
I would have considered an A-833 OD 4 speed as well but really wanted to keep the column shift.
They had them into the late 60's at least and after mid 60's they were synchronized from what I hear.
__________________
63 Parisienne sport coupe (The Big GTO), black, maroon interior, 409 4 speed; former owner of a 59 El Camino, 63 Corvette SWC, 62 Chev Bel Air SC. 1963- Pontiac top selling car in Canada
Mahone Bay, NS Still not old enough to need an automatic
I mentioned to my younger brother a few years ago that someone in Sask was trying to sell a 56 with OD. He went and checked it out and it was amazingly complete to the four barrel 265 and a good wiring harness in a four door Laurention so he's planning to use it in his 56 Poncho 4 door hardtop project.
That was the only we have ever run across so, as you say, rare.
Of all the manufacturers I think Ford was the one that had most of the overdrives. A buddy has a Fraser with the OD 3 speed, but that car came with 4.55:1 gears so it needs it.
