<HR style="COLOR: #d1d1e1" SIZE=1><!-- / icon and title --><!-- message -->Alright hopefully someone can help me out. I'm having trouble trying to find parts to rebuild my dynaflow, also to try and find a decent dynaflow. So Even if I do rebuild this one and if its gets messed up again later, I'm gonna have the same problem. So I still wanna keep the 322. Does anyone know what kind of tranny I can use, with or with out an adapter plate and what rear end outta what car will work. Again I've got a 1955 buick century 2dr hardtop. I would really appreciate some help on this. I know I will need a another rear end because my stock is for the torque tube. I can look for the tranny and rear end and just get the driveshaft made. But I need to know what will work. Please Help!! <!-- / message --><!-- controls -->
I removed the stock torque tube, 264" & 3-speed from my '55 Special and installed a 401 with a Super T-10 4-speed, but I kept the stock rear axle. Shoot me a PM and I'll email the info or do a search under my name and you can read the original post.
The problem with these is the torque tube locates the rearend, without it there's nothing to keep it in position under the car, so it's not as simple as just swapping out the rear. We had a '54 someone had sectioned in part of some late '60s GM frame into, they did a crappy job, the newer frame actually rotted out after it was done, and it had the wrong bolt pattern wheels on it to boot. On the bright side, it's not that hard to find a manual setup for one of these cars, because the bellhousing pattern changes for the more desirable '57-up motors. Then you can use a stock trans or round up an older, tougher '30s Buick trans to use in the car.
Since a Buick is basicly the same car as a olds so could mid 50s olds parts get a non torque tube rear end in a Buick. Jeff
What ???? If the torque tube is removed, the rear axle, whether it's a Ford 9", 8", Chevy 10 or 12 bolt, Olds, or whatever, has to be positioned. It can be positioned by a parallel 4-bar, triangulated 4-bar, ladder bars, etc.
My rear end is out of a 65 Rivi and is held in place with 63 chevy truck trailing arms to the center x member
You will probably be money and time ahead to use an adapter and run a different -700r4- transmission. There is an after market kit to put a 700r4 behind a nailhead, don't know if it works for all nailheads. You still have to fight the battle of the torque tube, however.
Seek and the H.A.M.B. delivers http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=101793 http://www.transmissionadapters.com/53-66_nailhead.htm Not cheap but it allows you to use easy to find Chev transmissions.
Before about 1962 only Olds and Pontiac share much in the way of chassis parts, just as an example in 1959 Buick used one frame, Olds another, Pontiac Chevy and Cadillac all used the X-frame that year but all were different from each other. About all the '55 Buick and Olds have in common is the roof skin and glass and some of the related trim.
some mag (street rodder, if i remember correctly) had an article several years ago where they took the early nailhead bell housing; machined the back of it flat (if you've got one to look at you'll see what i mean); machined the center hole to fit the input shaft housing of the later trannys (B-W, muncie, saginaw); drilled/tapped two new holes in the bell housing for the top tranny mounting holes; wallowed out the bottom two mounting holes in the transmission (about 1/8" each hole; side to side); and was able to bolt later transmissions to the original bell housing. they bolted through the top two trans mounting holes into the two newly drilled/tapped bell housing holes and through the modified lower trans mounting holes and the original bottom bell housing holes. they had to figure out the pilot shaft/bushing, etc., but it worked. it looked like anyone with a bridgeport and a couple of hours could do the same thing. so they were able to bolt up a late trans to an early nailhead. maybe someone on here remembers the article and can correct any mistakes i might have here. i've got the rag somewhere, but it's in some box put away somewhere with a boatload of other similar boxes. i'm pretty sure it was street rodder; and i'm also pretty sure it was a december issue. just don't ask me what year. once you get this much done, it's a snap to buy/mount a rearend and hook it up with a custom made driveshaft. or, for a driveshaft, you can do what i did when i was transplanting the 283 into clarence: i had a chevy automatic transmission; i had an 8" ford rear; i knew what u-joint each took, and if i remember correctly the dimensions were the same on the drive shaft yoke for each of them; i also had the engine/trans & rear installed in the truck - therefore i knew exactly what length the driveshaft needed to be center to center of the two yokes; i went to a good ol' boy salvage yard where bill keeps all his driveshafts in an old van back on the back of the property; i took every driveshaft out of the van and measured all the ones that had the correct u-joint yokes. two driveshafts were within 1/8" of the correct length; i picked the better looking one and used it just as is. the yellow bone yard markings are still on it and when i'm under there i can still read where it says what it came from. i believe that it's a mid/late 50's ford, but it really doesn't matter. anyway, that old truck has been around the world about a half dozen times since then and the driveshaft is still just as smooth as a new one. and i've never had to replace a u-joint yet. hope something in here helps you.
54 55 56 Buick Special and Century share many parts with 54 to 56 Olds, Roof, glass I think the floor pans inner fenders and doors (different chrome) interchange. so the leaf springs and rear end have a chance of fitting the Buick frame with some welding of Olds spring mounts? What ???? If the torque tube is removed, the rear axle, whether it's a Ford 9", 8", Chevy 10 or 12 bolt, Olds, or whatever, has to be positioned. It can be positioned by a parallel 4-bar, triangulated 4-bar, ladder bars, etc.[/QUOTE]
Chances of finding a Buick standard shift bell housing, transmission and clutch linkage would be difficult if not impossible, then you still have to deal with a "one arm bandit" shift linkage and the torque tube.. The easiest way around the Dynaflow is a 350 or 400TH and a rear end swap to open drive.
if this were a 401 or 425 i'd agree, but this is a 322 he's talking about. bell housing etc. shouldn't be very hard to find for that. i wouldn't use the buick transmission, though. i'd go for an open drive tranny (see my post above).
A friend of mine went through this and now has a Chevy truck 12 bolt with parallel 4 link in the rear and ended up swapping the whole motor and trans for a Caddy 501/TH400. I've heard of the Chevy truck trailing arms before and it makes sense to use the Chevy truck halfton post-71 rearend so you can keep the same wheel bolt pattern. But either way it's not going to be an easy swap-out.
Sorry it took soooo long... my pit had a different pile of junk over it.. here ya go.. If you have any questions pm me.
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