Help! Muncie 3 speed?

I have a muncie 318 3 speed in my truck. It sounds like a bearing going out so I pulled it and poped the side cover off and there is a fair amount of wear on the 1st-Reverse slider gear. I am wondering if there is anybody that sells gears? I know this is a lighter duty tranny but I am hoping to keep it the same. I am also wondering if it is really worth it to keep this one or even another 318 in the truck.

Is there another 3 speed tranny that may be a little better suited for daily driving and the ocational one wheel peel?

Thanks

 

I would swap in a newer Saginaw 3-speed. I swear by the truck boxes myself. I swapped one out in a '65 Belair and it bolted right up.

Bob

 

If you look around a while you might find a nice cherry used Muncie 3 speed. Most guys give them away.

Or put in an SM420, and have some real fun!

 

I sold one not long ago for 50 bucks...
It came out of a '69 Camaro with a 250 inline..

 

Opon looking at the SM420 I am wondering how I would install my drive shaft? Sorry for the dumb questions. Is there a tail shaft kit? or something along them lines.

Thanks again!

 

YOu need a driveshaft with a slip yoke in it, you can't use your existing one.

I was kinda joking about the 420, they are usually worn out even worse than the 3 speeds. Although sometimes you find a nice one.

 

Always be sure to get the correct slip yoke that goes with the trans,...

4TTRUK

 

Does the truck have an enclosed/torque tube style driveline? IF it does, you're really limited to the stock trans (though Langdons makes an adapter). An open driveline makes swapping to another trans easy. I know the early Chevy trucks used a different trans to bellhousing bolt pattern than passenger cars, but what years it affects, I don't know. You may have to change the bellhousing to use a different trans. Langdons makes an adapter to bolt a Saginaw 4-speed to an enclosed driveline; but you also need to send them your mainshaft from your trans for machine work. With the "correct" bellhousing, and open driveline, you could use just about any GM manual trans (early Muncie, later Muncie, Borg Warner, Saginaw, and even the O.D. style manual trans). The early Muncie 318, and 319 overdrive, are pretty weak compared to later transmisions. You'll probably need to swap to floor shift unless you can fab up column linkage to work with a later trans. Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

Thanks! yes its an open drive line.

 

The 1st/reverse gear is only engaged in 1st or reverse, so it probably isn't the cause of the noise. In those transmissions, it's often the input shaft bearing that causes the noise. If it is anything else, it will likely cost more to repair than replace. I imagine the gear is available but it would likely cost as much as a transmission.

 

Found another 318. Anybody know where I can find a manual or some assembly instructions?

Thanks

 

drop in a T5 and make a really nice daily driver.

 

TTT

Thanks

 

Once more, Looking for assembly instructions or a manual.

Thanks

 

get a SM465.

look for a shop manual for a late 60s chevy truck. should be the same trans.

 

Those things are so simple a blind man could figgure out how to take one apart and put back together.
This is another case of you should own a "Motors" manual that covers your truck ,although one for a car would have 90% of your truck systems covered.

 

I'm in the same boat I'm on the fourth "decent used 3 speed" the frist 3 kept popping outa 3rd & the.last one had the nice bearing growl and then a bang & tire screech a block away form World of Wheels. My problem is I can't find a complete rebuild kit,non of them have synchros.

 

As far as the "popping outa 3rd" problem goes, on the pre-'66 Chevy three speeds, it was usually due to an excessively worn 2-3 shift fork. I replaced several over the years.