Featured Technical Well I went and did it !

So looking into what I need done and what I have to do to stuff my 383 into the 56 I stumbled across a 261 and a “ home brewed tri-carb intake with Fenton manifokds and full exhaust system so a price I could not say no to !

the 383 while an easy-ish swap will require some cash to get done.

the 261 will bolt right in and between my 235 and what I have stashed away should not cost to much more then the price of admission

I have always had a fondness for inline 6 engines !!



how big a deal is it to stick my T5 behind this ?

I will have a car bellhousing and truck bell housing also the aluminum bell from the t5 I can mess with.

don’t want to sink a whole bunch into this as eventually I’m going to a V8 but a inline 6 with split exhaust and a tri carb will bring me smiles for miles !!!

 

Pics for clicks , my 235 is simply tired , needs lifters and a valve job for sure !

3sp trans shift ok .

 

Dig'n it... $

 

The simple fact is that a manual transmission is a manual transmission. All they need is a clutch disc the matches the splines on the input shaft, a drive shaft yoke that matches the transmission output shaft, a shifter that has the correct linkage for the chosen transmission, clutch linkage that works, and a way to bolt it to the motor.

One problem area could be a bell housing that matches both the motor and the trans, that correctly spaces them so they function.
Another problem could be there may not be a clutch disc that matches the input shaft and fits correctly with the other clutch parts. There could be an issue with making the clutch linkage function correctly.
Another problem could be the location of the shifter, compared to the same area of the vehicle's floor pan, and there could be a possible clearance issue with a difference of the actual size of the transmission and the floor pan.
Possible drive shaft issues are not usually hard to overcome.
See, no big deal! I got your back man.

Oh yea! I did notice that the black car you posted a picture of isn't a F*N Dodge! Just wanted to point that out.

On the other side of the coin, getting a ride on the street as quickly as possible is always a good thing in my book.

 

That 261 with a couple extra carbs will sure look good in there. I think I would strap it down and fire it up or at least do a compression check before installing it. I’ve had some issues with used engines over the years. That looks like one clean ‘56.

 

Cool ride. the inline 6 is a good choice, not a lot of power but I love the sound of a split manifold too! HRP

 

I like the 6
But I could care less about going fast ….yawn

There’s tons of t5 to 6 info here.
Friend cut the t5 input, used an Astro van disc

 

I have always liked the GMC over the Chevy 6 And 270s are easer to find than 261s In 1964 we swapped a 302 in a 53 car spit the exhaust and adapted to a 4 barrel . out ran 1957 283s

 

While not exactly what you need, this provides most of the info and quite a few visuals: https://lugnutz65chevystepside.weeb...---installation-from-engine-to-rear-axle.html

 

@VANDENPLAS good choice! Slow,steady and dependable is the way to go!!

 

My advice, keep the I-6 , give the big block the old heave ho, build the aforementioned I-6 and go have fun.

 

A S10 T5 with a Jeep T5 input shaft and a Camaro T5 front bearing retainer will bolt up to the car bell housing and fit the clutch disc you have now.

 

Cool six! Will you clean it up and run it ''as found'' or give it the rattle can rebuild? A Gunk job would probably make it look good.

 

So The Vandenplas came with a 6 or a twelve.
Makes good sense to me

 

Take a look at the ultimate T-5 thread right here on the HAMB;
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/tech-ultimate-t-5-article.171291/

A straight 6 with a T-5 is a really cool setup. I’m in the process of doing the same thing with my avatar car

 

I’d trade a 3:36 for a 3:70

 

Car already has a floor shifter on the og 3sp

never thought of swapping the rear end

I know the car was originally a v8 car unsure if it was manual or power glide originally.

the coloumn or under the hood the original 3 on the tree stuff is all gone.

mid go back to that if I. Could find it , I find it fun


Only reason I’m thinking about the 5sp is hwy driving .

but a lower gear would accomplish that easily

 

I'd think ahead since you mentioned eventually going to a V8. You will enjoy driving with the 6 more if you have a well spaced set of gears and a few more of them. Look at how many of todays small 4 cyl engines perform, as the OEMs have added more gears to utilize the power available. Granted some of it is overkill, but a couple of extra gears makes a big difference. Its always the same old story.......do you want to gear it low for performance and have no real cruise speed ....OR....gear it high for cruise speed and have no low speed performance.....OR.....use a 5 or 6 speed OD and not worry about the either/or situation?

As far as clutch linkage goes......the simplest thing is probably to make a little bellhousing bracket and adapt a cable from your existing pedal to operate it. Here is a pic I downloaded from somewhere a while back showing the utter simplicity (with a little experimentation).

 

I have a T-5 behind a 261 with a 3:70 gear and 30" tall rear tires. Sweet combination, except 1st gear Isa little low. Good to get you going in traffic though.

 

Does the vin support the V8? Core support does not. Yes it has a V on the hood. The V fit’s in the exact same holes as the large 6 cly. crest emblem. Also above the V would be a baby size crest emblem (what’s the deck lid look like?). Yes all that can be swapped out. Just sharing clues is all.

As for auto or manual. Look at the ball stud bracket on the frame. Spot welded on just weld into place.

 

A 327 and a MUNCIE FOUR SPEED would be even cooler!

 

I got a 383 with roughly 550 hp that’s almost a drop in, need to swap out the front of the motor short pump and related pullies and brakets . Exhaust
Brakes will need to be upgraded
Suspension also .

got a kid in university and another one going in a little over a year . And life is expensive without ALL THAT !!!

this set up gets me on the road in a week end more or less and it’s also easy on the pocketbook !

I’ll look into the t5 setup


I got a buddy who built a nova and he has 2 complete 3 speed transmissions out of it he said I could have …… and pros or cons with that ?

 

I built a 261 , triple carb on a offey intake , offey valve and side cover , zenith carbs , Fenton exhaust with heat risers , tach drive distributor , had a cam , pistons and some port work .
Cost me a small fortune to do all THAT , but I liners are a ton of fun !!!

had this in my 50 fleetline

 

She has an S-10 T5 to 373s in the rear.

 

The pros.......it has a three speed.
The cons.......it doesn't have a FOUR SPEED!

 

Chevrolets got fully synchronized three speed transmissions starting in 1966.