Just started working on my friends truck taking out the three speed to put in the 4 speed. Does anyone have any advise or tips that they could let me know to make this easy as possible? thanks Mark
Don't stop with the 4 speed. Go ahead and put the 5 or 6 speed in with OD. Then you can do some real cruising! Just my 2 cents worth...
If you wanted to go to a automatic transmission with gas mileage in mind 700R the why to go .4 speed transmission are good transmissions good for hauling loads.350 turbo are good transmissions thats what I have ran in my truck for over 15 years..
The only trouble you might run into is the shift linkage. ( floor shifter) Depending on which one you use, it may need to be heated and bent to clear the bench seat. The drive shaft will need to be looked at too, and it's length adjusted for proper fit. Val
i put a muncie 4 speed in my truck.i used a pro comp plus shifter by hurst.i had to cut the shifter in a angle and reweld it in the right position to clear the seat.got a trans crossmember from a 70 chevy and bolted it in.and also had to shorten the drive shaft. BUT NOW IM GOING TO A 700R4 AUTO. 3500 RPM AT 65 SUCKS.
I should put a pic of the 4spd I took out. It is a cast iron BW T-10 and I used a Mr Gasket street pro shifter body. I then bought a length of 3/4 round tubing from the local home-center. Borrowed my friends plumbers pipe bender, figured where I wanted the shift knob in 4th gear.....so I could rest my hand on it while cruising. Bent rod, welded tab on it....drilled it and bolted it to shift body. It is in the shape of a big 'C' and fit perfect. Shifter comes thru floor UNDER seat and wraps up around right into hand. I can put pic in my gallery when I get home.
thanks for the info. The truck has bucket seats in it so i don't think the shifter will be that big of a deal. I still need to find a crossmember for it. By looking at it I might be able to bolt a plate with a spacer on top of it to the crossmember that's alreday there. Also what is the average cost of getting the drive shaft cut down? Thanks Mark
" Also what is the average cost of getting the drive shaft cut down?" Depends on where you are. I paid $130 to have the drive shaft shortened, balanced, new U joints front and rear. They even painted it ! I've seen folks in other parts of the country pay in the $200 neighborhood though. If that crossmember you are talking about has e-brake stuff on it , THAT Won't work !! Also, I don't think you NEED a crossmember for the 4 speed trans, just bolt it to the bell housing and that's all that's needed. Automatics require a rear support, or 5 and 6 speed manuals, but not 3 and 4 speeds. Val
I see that it has bucket seats. But I put the pics in my gallery anyway for reference as to having a 4 spd handle that clears the bench seat. It looks real tall in the photo but is actually only 17in tall from shifter to ball.
65 c/10 I have a 65 C/10 short bed fleetside. I changed it over to a saginaw 3 speed and hurst indy shifter, now i want to replace the 3 speed with a close ratio saginaw 4 speed. I called Hurst and got the part numbers they said i needed to install the 4 speed . The drive shaft won`t need to be changed since both saginaw 3 &4 speed are same lenth and i run a one piece drive shaft out of chevelle i believe. I would go overdrive automatic with my 3.73 posi but my chevelles are Automatics and i want a Manual shift in one of my classics just for fun and something different. I`m still saving for the Comp plus and install kit/shifter handle. LOL $500 truck 20 years ago and it looks like by the time i get it all in i`ll have another $500 in tranny and Shifter LOL. That`s how it goes, Powered by money and More Money !
Welcome to the forum Powdercoatguy. Did you realize you were posting on a 7 year old thread? My '65 C10 had 3.73 rear gears, a Muncie car 4-speed with 2.2 1st gear ratio and 33" dia. rear tires. With that combo I had to slip the clutch a bit to get the truck moving. Highway driving yielded 2250 engine RPM's at 60 rpm. Based on my experiences with my ole '65, using a manual transmission with overdrive and a steeper 1st gear would be the best approach.
