I have a running 331 Hemi with the stock tranny with all the selenoids... I'm thinking of buying a conversion to run a TH350. Funds are tight [last semester in college] so I was thinking about SELLING my triumph chopper... hmmmm... I want a hot rod on the road more than a chopper taking up space in my shop. But then its cool... or would you try and run the orignal tranny? hmmmm.... pondering these things tonight. 700 buxx for a conversion to a TH350. it would be reliable.. maybe its a no brainer but im really haveing problems with this.
you FREAK,,,, keep the damn bike,,, oh did you get that special PACKAGE from me??? your GIRL frisky isn't gonna send me a NASTY email now,,,like RYAN'S wife did,,,, is she???? tell her i LOVE HER TOO,,,, you have to SHARE with your PRINCESS,,,,, did you get my messages??? about the FLAKED gremlin,,,, and the PANTINA TRUCK???? at PORKY'S,,,, MISS hootch
Have you tried the stock tranny? Somehow paying $700 for an adapter kit just goes against .....well, whatever. I know someone put a lot of time into developing the kit, but stil...I think I would try the stock trans first. Acutally, I think Rocky should give you his manual trans setup!!!!!! Thanks for sharing the axle/wishbone buildup info...I'm taking notes. Brian
Buy the adapter kit. Copy it. Sell the one you bought on ebay. Give me the Chopper. I need a chopper for the office.
im in your boat, funds are tight... id go with whichever is the cheapest. dunno how much the adapter plate is, 100 or so bucks give or take a couple beans? how much is it to rebuild the relic? the bike is slick, but if there is no attachment to it, get rid of it and get your hotrod on the road son!!
some how im with you on this... but the stock tranny is a wierd fuckin setup... AUTOMATIC/clutch, its got a torque converter and a clutch with about 5 selenoids... anyone have a wireing diagram to start with? i took the tranny off the hemi and got the hemi on the engine stand tonight.. im gonna pull all the stuff off I want chromed and got to thinking how this tranny is really gonna SUCK. MISS HOOTCH, hey i got yer message thanks for the package it rocked... not sure about the pomps ya seen down at porkeys... Its prob some of stevie D's buddys, they rule that roost the majority of the time. DOnt worry, frisky sends you LOVE... and so do I. Tuck
aiite... ill try the OLD TRANNY its gonna have switchs like the KNIGHT RIDER any early hemi guys know where I can get a diagram for this tranny? you guys explained how it worked... 2low, 2high, clutch to start out, auto after its rolling.... WIERD ill stick with the WIERD tranny. I hope it'll work great~ im having nightmares about setting up the pedals and linkage... thats all... Thanks ~ Tuck
Tuck, Dodge called that trans the gyromatic, it was also called the tiptoe shift and something else, depending on the maker. I have a wiring diagram for '51 and it would be a neat trans if it works right. I've heard that it wasn't the brightest idea to come from the MOPAR engineers however and for some reason I have it stuck in my head that there are leather seals for the shifting mechanism. I considered rebuilding one I had but was told a few parts are unavailable. Chris
One other thing, you'll need to have the original carb since it has a few specific switches on it or you have to fabricate them. Chris
How big is that tranny? When we get done slaming your roadster, space is gonna be tight especially cause your tall. I would consider the swap for space issues. That is a lot of money, but I am serious, you should buy one and then copy it and make you own. It can't be too hard. Then sell the one you bought on ebay to get your money back. I think that's what Max Wedge was planning to do with his over priced adapter. How much for the chopper?
chris i have that carb with the switches, actually Katzenhammer is holding on to it for me~ its so tempting to go the MODERN TRANNY route. Shift Kit, Stall, etc etc... Tuck
hey bleed... ill give ya a call tomorrow, thats really a good Idea, the buy and resell... maybe cas can help me machine a couple of the parts??? har har har... TUck
Ohhh, you got an extended bellhousing hemi... those are the less desireable ones The transmission is a Fluid Drive, Chrysler used them from like 1940 to '53. It's a 4-speed, and as you know it's a torque converter attached to a clutch. It's not EXACTLY automatic, when you want to shift you just take your foot off the gas and it shifts. If you're building a cruiser, stick with the Fluid Drive, but if you want to go fast or add any kind of speed parts to the engine, you should definitely get a different trans. I don't think there are any adapters available for the '51-'53 hemis that aren't for Chevy manuals, although Wilcap is working on an auto adapter.
[ QUOTE ] maybe cas can help me machine a couple of the parts??? har har har... [/ QUOTE ] Tuck... I might be able to help. It will depend on the workload at my shop and how involved the job is. If you come up with something let me know and I'll take a look at it.
Is it not possible to machine the extension off the back of the block to make it the same as a 354/392 ? I'm sure that's been done successfully and it would then allow you to easily adapt a 727 TorqueFlite. I have a friend who would know about this. He's in Knife River, MN.
SJ, yeah thats been done before I guess... they cut the back of the hemi off and weld on a plate. theres a place that makes a conversion for this hemi without having to do that... thats why i would just spend the $ on the conversion. these were less desireable because of the extended bell BUT now it doesnt matter because they make adapters for all of em without having to do anything to the block or tranny. I have a short bell housing 331 for sale in the classifieds, its a rebuilder... the hole point im messing with this motor is its a RUNNER. thanks guys, Tuck
$700 sounds high. I came across an adapter for '39-'46 (approx) trans on ebay awhile back that went for a couple of hundred. Adapter's seem to come up from time to time on ebay. HotHeads has some as does Wilcap. Troy Engine's Manufacturing in Rigby, ID does the bellhousing removal (Ceridono's book) I have an adapter for a manual trans (Speed Gems) and the piece does look fairly simple, a flat plate with a clutch fork pivot and a hole for the input. The critical dimension seems to be the placement of the input shaft horizontally. Many of the adapters use an input shaft extension to address this problem. Best of luck. Later, papa al
It's not as easy as it looks but it can be done. It takes a bit more than just an adapter to the trans, it also takes an adapter to the crank to except the GM converter. You also have to have the GM flexplate welded and redrilled for the offset bolt patern on the Hemi crank. Then to make the starter work you need to find a good starter guy who can put a Gm armature in the Hemi starter case with double bushings on each end so the gears on the bendix will match the flexplate. Also you have to make a spacer to move the starter forward so the gears will mech. I made the adapter plate out of plywood, bolted it all together to make sure everything fit then had a machinist duplicate it in 3/4 aluminum. It takes some doing but I'm real happy with my 350 to Hemi setup. If you ever have tranny problems out in butt fu-k egypt you can always find a 350 turbo but where do ya find a gyromnatic. Hope this helps.
If I spent the $$$ for the adapter..........I would go ahead and step up to the Turbo 400 instead of the Turbo 350. Vastly stronger, no cable to the carb and has a electric kick down switch. The Hemi has a good bit of torque and the 400 is better suited for that. Just my 2 cents........but I do have a 400 Turbo in my 32....
Give up! It'll never get done and I win the next HAMB drags "grudge match of the killer Hemis" [TM] by defualt. Seriously, I'd go for the Hot Heads {I think} adapter for G.M. manual tranny. I'd use a Saginaw 4 speed with a quality Hurst shifter. A muncie would be a better choice but they're getting so expensive and I've found the saginaw to be strong enough for a light weight hot rod. I beat the shit outa my "Vega tranny" in a 3300 lb sedan delivery with a good running 406 chevy s.b. and had no problems except with a reverse idler gear I hadda replace. I'm using an Offy adapter for my caddy/LaSalle 3 speed tranny but a chevy 4 speed would be a much better choice.
OK... Heres what my plan is... SELL THE RELIC trans on ebay... its got 70k on it, its really really clean and someone might give me some real money for it. step #2 buy hotheads $300 manual tranny adapter to a GM... buy a muncie 4 speed (anyone have one for sale) step #3 either sell the bike to some hamber like bleed or keep it because bleed would prob just put it in his office MUAHHAHAHAHA... then sell a bunch of other shit ive been hording to offset the cost. Thats it... the PLAN STAN thanks for all the imput guys... only reason im being super anal about the $$ is b/c I have alot of chromeing and finishing stuff thats in the budget, this really wasnt. Tuck n ROLL
Hey Tuck, I think you are on the right path now, I am buying 2 '53 extended engines to make one. I also scored a 55 block (regular style block) on ebay a while back in hopes that the 53 stuff will interchange. By doing so I will save a couple hundred $$ on the automatic adapter. The guy I bought the block from is in Chicago area and deals in Hemi stuff. He may have the adapter you're lookin for or other parts. I will email you his number. Good luck and long live the HEMI!!! Eric ================================================== 49 Studebaker P/U
The stick tranny will save a lot of space as well. Clutch linkage can be a can of worms, but so can goofy tranny adapters. I think you should keep the chopper, but store it in my office.
'Zactly what I'd do. In fact, my buddy, Tom [owns the upholstry shop] is taking my 53 stude coupe so I can afford to keep going on my 36 chevy pickup project. Man! I hate the thought of selling my stoodie but I just can't afford to store it anymore. Will your chrome guy give a better price on chrome if you offer him a "2 for 1" proposition? I'd love to get my 57 Poncho axle housing plated too.
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