A Toploader transmission is a manually shifted gearbox design built in three-speed and four-speed configurations, introduced in 1963 by the

Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational corporation, multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. T ...

to replace the

BorgWarner BorgWarner Inc. is an American automotive and Electric vehicle, e-mobility supplier headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. As of 2023, the company maintains production facilities and sites at 92 locations in 24 countries, and generates revenu ...

T-10. It was used in most Fords and Mercurys from 1964 until 1973, as well as in some foreign models, and is officially designated the 3.03 three speed or Ford design four speed. The designation 3.03 is the centerline distance between counter shaft and mainshaft. The Toploader got its name from the fact that the access plate to the inner workings was located on the top of the main case, as opposed to side access on most gearboxes it would be compared with, such as the Ford Dagenham or GM's Saginaw or Muncie. Distinguishing the three speed from the four is as simple as counting the fasteners on the top plate: the four speed has ten fasteners; the three, nine. Both the three and four speed top loader gearboxes were designed to function in constant mesh, due to synchronizer sleeves being used instead of sliding gears, and be fully synchronized, with the exception of reverse. Forward gears are helical-type, while reverse gear and the exterior of the first and second synchronizers sleeve are spur-type gears. This transmission is also known as the

Tremec TREMEC (Transmisiones y Equipos Mecánicos SA de CV, formerly Transmission Technology Corporation, TTC) is a manufacturer of automobile transmission (mechanics), transmissions and drivetrain components based in Querétaro, Mexico. Company Torque ...

T-170, HEH, or RUG depending on the year(s) of production. At some point in the early 1970s production of this transmission was moved to Mexico, and the name was changed to Tremec.

Applications

Renowned for high-performance strength and durability, the Toploader (particularly the four-speed) equipped such sought after "A-list" cars as the

Mustang The mustang is a free-roaming horse of the Western United States, descended from horses brought to the Americas by the Spanish conquistadors. Mustangs are often referred to as wild horses, but because they are descended from once-domesticate ...

AC Cobra The AC Cobra, sold in the United States as the Shelby Cobra and AC Shelby Cobra, is a sports car manufactured by British company AC Cars, with a List of Ford engines#8 Cylinder, Ford V8 engine. It was produced intermittently in both the Uni ...

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and

Sunbeam Tiger The Sunbeam Tiger is a high-performance V8 engine, V8 version of the British Rootes Group's Sunbeam Alpine Roadster (automobile), roadster, designed in part by American car designer and racing driver Carroll Shelby and produced from 1964 unti ...

as well as the Ford Fairlane,

Falcon Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Some small species of falcons with long, narrow wings are called hobbies, and some that hover while hunting are called kestrels. Falcons are widely distrib ...

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, Ranchero,

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and the

Mercury Comet The Mercury Comet is an automobile that was produced by Mercury from 1962–1969 and 1971–1977 — variously as either a compact or an intermediate car. For 1960 and 1961, Comet was its own brand sold by Lincoln-Mercury "Comet". The compact C ...

, Caliente,

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, (Mercury Cougar 1967 1973) and

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. Overall, the Toploader was used in 133 different models, and was used extensively in racing as well. The 3 speed 3.03 was also the heavy duty transmission in 1960s Oldsmobile, Buick and Pontiac cars, with FOMOCO cast into the right side of the case; sourcing parts from competitors was common practice in those days, as Lincoln used GM's Hydra-Matic transmission for years in the early 1950s. The Jeep T150 transmission is a Toploader with the addition of a cast top cover and a floor ("cane") shifter.

Specifications

The Toploader comprises two components: the main case, which encloses the gears, input and counter shaft, and the tailhousing, which encloses the speedometer gear and output shaft. The main case measures 10" in length, while the tailhousing measures 14", 15 " or 17", depending on the application. Shifter bosses are cast into the tailhousing along various points depending on the location of the shifter, as required for each model. Generally Falcons and Comets have shifters mounted forward along the housing, Mustangs rearward, and Fairlanes and full size Fords somewhere in between. Toploaders were also designed for two specific applications: small blocks like the

Ford Windsor engine The Ford small-block is a series of 90° overhead valve small-block V8 automobile engines manufactured by the Ford Motor Company from July 1961 to December 2000. Designed as a successor to the Ford Y-block engine, it was first installed in the ...

, and big blocks like the

Ford FE engine The Ford FE engine is a medium block V8 engine produced in multiple displacements over two generations by the Ford Motor Company and used in vehicles sold in the North American market between 1958 and 1976. The FE, derived from 'Ford-Edsel', was i ...

and

Ford 385 engine The Ford 385 engine family is a series of “V8_engine#Size,_layout,_and_classification, big block" overhead valve (OHV) V8 engine, V8 engines designed and manufactured by Ford Motor Company. The family derives its 385 name from the stroke (engin ...

series. Some big blocks required a larger "input shaft" to withstand the torque. Toploader 4 speed Note: 1964 and early 1965 Toploaders came with 25-spline output shafts which subsequently proved to be defective and were quickly replaced.

Gear Ratios

Toploader 3 speed - Close Toploader 3 speed - Wide Toploader 4 speed - Close Toploader 4 speed - Wide Note: Gear ratio is determined by tooth count on second gear. Close ratio has 28 teeth, wide has 31.

References

{{reflist

External links

Website on the Toploader 4-speeds

* http://www.tbtrans.com/ford_toploader_4_speed_trans.htm Ford transmissions