Need help: 3 manual speed gearbox on a flathead: which bellhousing can i adapt?

Hi every body,
my engine is a flathead Mercury 1CM 1952.
i have found this 3 manual speed gearbox in a french swapmeet, which is for me a standard Ford 1953. she came from a Ford mainlane with a 6 cylinder I block. (so i must change the bellhousing show on the picture to find a flathead bellhousing).

• Some one can tell me if i have right with the type of gearbox and where find the name and information about it on the net?
• can i adapt a floor shifter on it?
• what flathead car bellhousing can i adapt (pictures are welcome) ?

thanks in advance for your answer
sincerelly
JPhi

 

Wilcap's site shows some block and bellhousings for identifying
scroll down a bit and you'll see some that look about right

here's a link

http://www.wilcap.com/flathead.html#FHID

I don't recognize the transmission
but it looks uncannily similar to the Cad Lasalle

most any universal aftermarket three speed should be adaptable.

 

thanks for your answer;
wildcap don't speak about 3 speed manual gearbox; they look some flathead 8BM or truck bellhousing but whith no details. same thingk with vanpeltsales and the ford technical sources (only a drawing of the gearbox is show: ***le 1949 - 1954).
i will look tothe cad lasalle.
thanks again
have a nice day

 

It is not a Cad LaSalle. It is a stock 49 up to? Ford trans. You need a 49-53 Ford bell housing. The merc used an adapter ring and the old style trans. You need to have Bruce really nail it down.

 

I said it looked similar to the Cad, it is not Cadillac.

 

ok for the 49 53 bellhousing, i see the part.
about the gearbox, can i adapt a floor shifter? i have found on the net that the original mount is a column front shifter, but aftermarket parts dealers speak about floor shifter possibility on this vintage trans . thanks in advance to give me information about.

 

I would guess that with enough work you should be able to put a floor shifter on that transmission. Most all of the trans of the 60s had the sideloader (shifter) setup and many of the cars had floor shifters -- think Mustang.

You have been looking for a trans for a while now, remind us what you are putting it in. Reason why I ask, I have a couple of car trans from flatheads. One is from a '48-'50 ford, the other from a '51+ Merc. The rear mount on the trans on the '51 is an inch or so different from the older one. I think both measure about 24" long from front face of the trans (where the bell bolts on) to the end of the tail stock. I will try to see if I have the mount measures on my computer somewhere -- the transmissions are out by the shed and still buried in snow so I can't remeasure them for a while. I don't know if the mounting location will matter, but it is something to think about.