I picked up an Offy bellhousing to bolt a 3 speed or an early Ford 4 speed behind my 1955 Cadillac block. I'm guessing that a T-10 toploader from a Galaxie or early Mustang would work? Anyone tell me which trans to look for- I know there were a few different models.
If you find me a sweet rebuilt T 10 to bolt behind my Caddy motor- You got it!! BTW- It still shifts/ operates perfectly- I just want 3 pedals.
Since your Cad is probably a bench seat, you're going to need one from a Galaxie, as the shifter is mounted farther forward on the tailhousing. Some Fairlanes have them in the forward position also.The Mustangs have the shifter mounted all the way to the back of the tailhousing. Ford used the Borg Warner t10 till around the middle of 65, then after that came the toploader 4 speed. This guy has all kinds of info on the different trans lengths and shifter positions. http://www.davidkeetoploaders.com/tailhousingid.htm http://www.davidkeetoploaders.com/idchart1.htm The (toploader) big block cars used a trans with a larger input shaft then the small block cars. I'm not sure which one will work better for your swap, but strength wise the smaller input trans will work just fine. Besides the big block trans is expensive$$$, because the musclecar guys all want em. I haven't been able to find much info on the Ford t10 online, they're not as strong as a toploader but still a pretty good ******. I have one in my 57 Fairlane that I believe came out of an early Fairlane/Falcon, it's about 24" long from front of case to end of tailhousing, and the shifter is toward the front of the tailhousing which fits with my bench seat perfectly. Measured the same way as above the Galaxie t10 is about 27" long and the shifter is in the same position. Hope this helps.
Fairlane- Thanks for the info- The motor is a 331 Cad, but the car is a 29 Roadster, so the front mount shifter is helpful. Yorg- I'm down w/ 4 speeds, and the Offy adapter is a sweet piece. jay
The Jalopy Journal
