Who out there has done this? The stock 3 on the tree in my delivery is busted. I wasn't crazy about it anyway. I got the car up to 70 but you go that fast with the stock setup for about 10 minutes and things start breaking. I want to be able to drive this car on the highway occasionally, not just putt around town at up to 55 mph. My 235 is actually out of a '55 chevy, and I know a lot of guys put muncie 4 speeds on their early '50s coupes. What do I need to know to make this happen? Should I expect a lot better performance? Basically here's what I need to know: 1) what bellhousing and clutch do I need to make this fit? 2) do I need to change the rear end to expect much improvement? 3) will this setup enable me to cruise the highway at 65? Thanks!! New to the forum, any help would be much appreciated.
Both the transmission you have now and the Muncie 4 speed have a 1:1 top gear. There would be no change in top speed. For that, you'd need a transmission with an overdrive, like a T5. Putting a T5 in your car is well worn territory. There are numerous threads and sites. It is pretty simple.
The Muncie should be a direct swap. Unless you have something different than a regular '55-'62 235 car type bellhousing is should literally bolt right in. Your driveshaft might be a different length, but that should be it. The t-5 5 speed (S-10) will also bolt to the same bellhousing. You will need to change the clutch disk and cut about 1/2" off the input shaft. Now you have overdrive.... Sounds easy huh? Kevin Ooltewah Speed Shop
OK , so you want a trans to use on the highway for long distance and to be able to run at 65 plus , but a 4 speed isn't the way to go . Get an overdrive trans , either standard or automatic . That is the best way to go for what you want . RetroJim
You know, I have a Muncie with overdrive, .86 in 4th. It is 1 to 1 in 3rd. You can get one from Auto Gear for about $1800. It's all new and much stouter than an original Muncie. Usually, the benefit of a 4 spd over a 3 spd is keeping the rpms in a sweet spot to improve accelleration. It might not be so much with the OD, but a 5 spd would get that back.
Man I posted this at the end of the day yesterday and just checked to see if I'd have any responses. Thanks for the help everybody! So it would seem the vote is pretty unanimous for the T5. I'll start checking it out!
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