Im probably going to get flogged for this, but here goes. I am trying to acquire parts so that when a spot in the garage is cleared out I'll have a starting point. I plan on building my 53 Chevy in a 1958 Custom build style, no newer parts than 1958. My motor will be a 265 and I want to put a 3 speed transmission in so I can keep the 3 on the tree. the car has no transmission or engine now And Im having trouble finding any info on what would be a good transmission from that time period that could handle a mild 265. Also would love any info on where to look for transmissions. Nothing newer than 1958. any help would be appreciated.
55-58 chevy car or truck used a 3 speed trans. It was not synchronized in low gear, so you have to either stop before you downshift into low, or get good at double clutching. It was also available with overdrive, which has a cable to enable or disenable it, and an electric system to activate it, depending on car speed, etc. You can probably find a complete setup either with or without the overdrive from a guy who's switching to an automatic. 55-57 car and 55-72 truck transmissions generally don't have a rear mount, since they hung off the bellhousing, which was mounted to the frame of the car/truck. So consider how you're going to mount it, if you're using a rear crossmember then you'd want a 58 car trans.
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