1957 Chevy Trans. search...

hey guy's... i'm on the hunt for a 57' chevy 3 speed trans. however i'm looking specifically for a close ratio...i think they came in the "high performance" cars and possible the corvettes.. Id also be interested in any info on how to identify these models from the standard ratio trans.

thanks!

 

Good luck with that search.......those old saginaws are tougher to find than a good lookin 40 year old virgin..

 

all I have is a rebuilt 3 speed OD that I'm saving till Gas prices go up lol

 

You need a close ratio gear set. They will fit into a standard 3 speed case. Try Gary Pronesti at Pronesti Cl***ics in Florida.

 

hey mike, i actually have a standard 3 speed complete... i'll look into getting the gears! thanks guys.

 

Hmmm, I just picked up a '57 3 speed at Brad's swap last Sat- will have to see if it's a close ratio or not

 

There were actually three ratio spreads for the '55-'65 Muncie non-syncro three speeds. The 6 cylinder trans had a low gear ratio of 2.94:1, V8s were 2.47:1, and the close ratio 'vette transmission was 2.21:1.

 

no shortage of them 40 year old virgin types in prison these days.

chris.

 

while we are on the subject of 57. for some reason in the back of my melon i remember a factory hotrod if you will code named "widow maker" my memory says it was a factory 4 speed, black/white... fuel injected and bad to the bone.. did i make this car up out of the blue or did GM build this car that the engineer nick named "widow maker". if they did i bet she is worth a pretty penny ***uming she is still stomping asphalt.
chris.

 

That's "black widow", and they still used three speed transmissions.

 

oh yes...that is the baddest of the bad....at least in my book. 6 lug wheels..killer!

 

is there anyway to tell the ratio with out opening the side cover? grooves on the input shaft or casting number?
thanks again!

 

No, but if the trans still turns, you can always put it in low gear, mark the input and output shafts with a tire crayon, and count the revolutions.

 

thank you.. thats one sweet ride. pure poison.
chris.