Thread: Need Chevy Guys Help On Tranny Id

Tweet

Ok, that helps alot. So this is pretty much standard Chevy garden variety fare, which should bolt to most bellhousings and clutch assemblies, right?

I just needed this to be a basic 3 speed, and the non syncro low isn't a problem.

All the info you guys have given is really appreciated.


Don

> So this is pretty much standard Chevy garden variety fare, which should >bolt to most bellhousings and clutch assemblies, right?

Yup, and thanks to good 'ol Chevy interchangeability, any of the "traditional" GM trans will interchange. Saginaw, BW, Muncie, 3 and 4 speeds have the same mount locations, bellhousing pattern, and I think tailshaft length. Input shaft splines should be the same to at 1 1/8" X10, except some of the four speeds have 26 splines.

Bob

Great. The trans looks really good, and the price was right. I'll pull the side cover when I get to that point in the build and make sure the gears look ok, but a quick spin through the gears last night seemed like it was usable.

I will count the teeth on the marine flywheel that is on there now, that should give me some idea of how many I will need on a regular stick flywheel.

Only thing I am still a little confused on is the external/ internal balance thing.

Thanks again, Don

>Only thing I am still a little confused on is the external/ internal balance thing.

The balance thing was touched on, but I'll try to help. Before the one piece rear seal on small blocks, the 350 used a zero balance flywheel as the engine was internally balanced. Look at the crank flywheel flange on a pre-'86 350 and you'll see it's not round, but has an eccentric shape that was part of the rotating mass used in balancing. When they went to a one piece seal, the crank flange had to be round so the seal could slip over it. As a result, the eccentric mass that was on the flange of the old crank was transfered to the flywheel, thus the engine became externally balanced. So, you need a flywheel for the one piece seal crank. The earlier flywheel won't fit anyway.

Bob

Now I got it. I'm just a little thick sometimes. Boy, this Chevy stuff is hard. Think I'll start building something easy, like maybe Hemis.


Anyway guys, thanks for all of the good info you posted for me. I think I have the situation down now. I had some concerns about the trans, because it looks so small and all that I thought it might be some oddball from like a 4 cylinder or something.

Hope I can return the favor sometime.


Don

The number is 3743368, and it's a 58-63 Saganaw three speed. That particular number is the case part number. They came in a six cylinder, and wide and close ratio for V-8s. It looks like the six cylinder input shaft has a different spline than the V-8.

http://www.1955-75chevyautoparts.com...ansmission.pdf

Classic Muscle could probably help when you start to buy the clutch and flywheel.

http://www.oldmusclecars.com/

Another very good piece of the Chevy puzzle. I am going to have to pull the front off and see if the shaft is a 6 cyl or not.

Thanks,

Don