I am posting this question for a friend of mine. He has a 1950 Chevy convt. that he wants to put a '54 chevy 6 cyl. engine and tranny in. He dropped in the engine, but now he can't fit the tranny in because of the X member on the convt. frame. I suggested pulling the radiator and dropping in the two as a unit. He said he will gladly due that but would like to know if it will work first. Does anyone have a history doing something like this?
Been a long time since I worked on an original Chevy cars drivetrain like that- so from memory ,I believe thats what he will have to do -[since its a ragtop]...I would always prefer that "together as a unit" approach no matter what car I swap a mill into. I hate crawling on my back and lifting the trans......Good luck!
I just put a '54 driveline in my '51, so I know it works. First of all, if the engine is already in, I believe the tranny goes in through the floor - pull the carpet, theres a big removable hatch. I presume we are talking 3-speed here; it's pretty straightforward and easy to acess that way. They fit in as a unit too, but try the floor first.
Well, that is the problem. He is not using a 3 spd, he wants to run a '54 powerglide. Any suggestion?
You have to put them in as unit, and be mindful that the 'glide is bigger around the TQ, so a little massaging may need to be done to the floor braces. I ran a 59 CI Glide in my 54 4 door and an 8" rear. A little slow in the take off - but you get used to that.
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