I have a 53 Studebaker Starliner with a mild 315 dodge hemi tri-power and 56 Plymouth 3 speed manual with Borg-Warner R-10 overdrive. The problem is that the engine runs away at about 3500 rpm. I'm trying to decide if it is the clutch slipping or if it is something in the overdrive.

I looked at the clutch adjustment and it is good. No rear main or front tranny oil leaks at all and there's plenty of pedal after engagement. The car will easily spin the tires in low and chirp them pretty good when hitting second. The engine runs away regardless of whether the OD lever is in or out and no matter if it is energized or not. It just doesn't seem like the clutch is the problem. I can't make it slip any other way and it holds tight on hard shifts.

I'm a little slow on how the over-running (O-R) clutch in the back of the OD works so I'm fishing for solutions. Is it possible that the OR clutch is not able to hold the power at higher RPM's and allows it to slip uncontrollably? Even if this is the case, does the OR clutch even come into play when the dash lever is puller out (OD disengaged)? Will the design even let it slip under any circumstances? the overdrive seems to work exactly the way it should. I pull 2000 rpm at 75 mph (according to my GPS.)

I have only had the car for a couple of months and really don't know much about the car's history. Any OD experts out there who can tell me whether a slip is even possible from a bad OD unit? The problem is repeatable each and every time I run the R's up from 1-2 and 2-3.

Thanks!

Dave