Hello all, I am restoring a 48 Ford Super deluxe. and am considering 5 or 6 speed manual transmission behind a 350 chevy. I am looking for guidance / suggestions on what to use. Any help is much appreciated
SBC to a Tremec isn't quite what I'd call restoration. Your biggest worry is going to be getting the big gearbox in there. I don't think your frame is going to like it, nor will your floor. It won't be a simple drop-in swap. T5's are the favored swaps I've seen on here for guys who want the OD gears and 3 pedals. That might be a lot easier to noodle into your X member. The SBC OTOH should just be a matter of an adapter plate for your flathead transmission and mounts for the engine. The HAMB is more of a Flathead/Y Block/early SBC crowd and forum, so you may not get much in the way of guidance here with the modern transmission or any IFS/Street Rod type stuff. However I'm sure someone will want your flathead and any other parts you are replacing with modern gear for sure.
The 5 speed out of a late Camaro ('80s/'90s) and an S-10 tail shaft is what most of the V-8 guys are using in their old heaps. I haven't put one in a '48 Ford but it should go with a little finagling. I personally think that OD is a joke, I just gear my cars to do what I want them to do and let it go at that, but if you must that is probably the route you will want to take.
We went with a T5 in our flathead roadster. Works like a dream. Should be a nice fit in your car too.
My current O/T project is a 400 SBC and T56 in an AMC Spirit and the trans is big and heavy. I don't see any easy fit into an old Ford frame without a lot of cross member work and the clutch linkage would be hard to get right. Stick with the T5, there are many of them out there and the bugs have been fixed.
If you really want to keep it simple and have Overdrive look into the G.M. 833. It actually uses a standard Hurst shifter and is same size as M-22. The Wizzard
porknbeaner, T-5 OD a joke? Whats that all about. Please explain as I don't understand where you are coming from. The overdrive is the reason they are so popular. Lots of joking and laughing from me at 75 MPH and in 5th gear my RPM's drop to 1900. First gear still low enough to light up the tires. World Class T-5's shift like butter. TKO 500 or 600 will take some abuse and higher HP. Gary
A T56 6-speed will put the shifter rather far back, under the stock bench seat unless you're particularly long-legged. There is a conversion to move the shifter forward but it's a bit expensive. And you will have to do some serious mods to the frame to get it in there. You'll also want to run at least a 3.5 rear axle ratio if you want sixth gear to be useful at speeds under 60 mph. A Tremec TKO 5-speed may be a better choice as those can be bought with different shifter locations and it's considerably less bulky. A T5 will be easiest (and cheapest) to use but are a bit light-duty if you plan any 'spirited' driving or are planning a big-power motor.
I have an extra T56 front-shift kit that I am willing to part with. Yes, your rear ratio needs to be quite deep, depending on which T56, and the tire size. I have a T56 in my Falcon, of the 0.50:1 variety, running 24.2" tires. I run a 5.13:1 rear gear.
5.13 Rear Gear set. Wow,,, Now I couldn't help but wonder on the road at 70 M.P.H. what the ring and pinion bearing speed is and how many road miles you might get before a Roll Back is necessary. Is that a common gear set for any of today's production cars? The Wizzard
One of my old Porsches had a 4.714:1 ratio, and two overdrives, the top being 0.6:1 Running the 5.13:1 ratio, with a 0.50:1 overdrive is no functionally different in end-result than running a 2.56:1 ratio, with a 1:1 top gear. My non-contact pyrometer shows no unusual heat anywhere on the differential housing, even after a 425-mile, 85-MPH SF-LA run, with just two stops. It has already been through two oil changes in the differential, with no sigh of discoloration, and no changes to the tolerances. I also have 5.13's in the rock rig, and that has 90,000 miles with those gears, with about 70% being freeway miles. On of the guys I ride with has 6.17's rig.
By far the easiest fitting OD would be to find a Borg-Warner 3spd + OD trans, and still be HAMB friendly (although I think that shipped sailed with the SBC and 5 speed thought). They were more common in Fords, but a fair amount of Chebbies had them too. A 3 spd + OD would require very little changes to the X-member and floor to fit one in.
This is probably the easiest and cheapest route. All oem parts, no adapters or swapping tailshafts. Yes, 1st gear is low since they came in ½t trucks but the .7 o/d is nice to have. They are often passed over by the folks who pay far more for a t-5. Another 5-speed to consider is the AX-15. Used in a variety of lt. trucks cars and not as popular as the t-5 but certainly stronger. GM also used the MA5 which is similar. The deciding factor may be the shifter location on each trans.. .
Must be all those San Francisco hills requiring those LOW gears!!!!! But seriously, no one has mentioned the Saginaw 4-speed with the R-11 conversion from a Saginaw 3-speed with OD. Switched/engaged correctly, you'd have EIGHT gears to play with. Finding the Saginaw 3-speed with the R-11 OD is the "hard" part (and I sold the TWO I had!). Or, keep it a 3-speed Saginaw with OD, and switch/engage it it for the 6 speeds you asked for. You'd still be somewhat old school with that setup, and a 350 can be made to look like a 265/283/327 very easily. Done and done. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
Nope. I had a T5, with a 3.76:1 first, and a 3.55:1 rear. Now I have a T56, with a 2.66:1 first, and a 5.13:1 rear. 3.76 x 3.55 = 13.3480 2.66 x 5.13 = 13.6458 Top gear on the T5 was 0.72:1. Top gear on the T56 is 0.50:1. 0.72 x 3.55 = 2.556 0.50 x 5.13 = 2.565 All other things being equal, they are effectively equal. The T56 gives more gears in-between, and higher strength.
...The GM trans is the MA5 (Pontiac Solstice\Saturn Sky\Chevy Colorado\ GMC Canyon). The MA5 has similar tq ratings as the t5. The MA5 shares the same trans to bell bolt pattern found on the 'other' AX15 units.. The Aisin transmissions have either a 'small' or 'large' pattern and the large pattern includes the MA5 as well as the Jeep/Dodge AX15 5-speed, the Toyota R150F, R151F & R155F, the 87-92 Toyota Supra Turbo R154, and the Isuzu AR5. Yes, there are some other differences but detailing them all here would be cumbersome to say the least and a browser search turns up more than most folks want to know. So, for the OP's project, Novak makes an adapter/spacer that allows the AX15 to bolt up to any 'normal' GM bellhousing if you already have all of the oem stuff in place or find it at a swap meet. For all of the transmissions with the odd-ball bolt pattern the gear spreads look like this: AX15 - 3.83 2.33 1.44 1.00 0.79 AR5 - 3.753 2.26 1.37 1.00 0.729 MA5 - 3.753 2.26 1.37 1.00 0.729 R150 - 3.83 2.062 1.436 1.00 0.838 R151 - 4.31 3.32 1.52 1.00 0.83 R154 - 3.25 1.95 1.30 1.00 0.75 NV1500- 3.85 2.25 1.48 1.00 0.80 NV3550 - 4.01 2.32 1.40 1.00 0.78 Sorry for any confusion.
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