1950 1/2 ton truck 235 CI engine with 216 bellhouse/clutch Rear end 3.55:1 (Patrick`s) 3 on the colum. My truck still has the authentic 3 on the colum and it has the original girbox to. I understand it is possable to swap the 3 speed tranny and instead use a 4 speed transmission with a floor shifter. Some alternatives are the Muncie 4 speed M 20,M21, and M22 .The 4 speed Saginaw transmission and the 4 speed Borg Warner. Be kind to share with us any experiences installing a 4 speed transmission and wich of these mentioned alternatives are recommendable to put in 1950 truck ? Regards Martinius Berg/Norway martinius.berg@bluezone.no
But WHY ? You certainly don't want a ' Rock Crusher ' or any tranny with a compound low 1st. gear so watch out for that . I know some have used the S-10 trannies to good effect , I *think* there was a writeup about this here some years back , be aware there's different ratios available , the rings on the input tell you what's what , take some time to fully research this before pulling the trigger . I'd think Evan knows the ins & outs of tranny upgrades .
4 speed I have Patrick's 4 speed Saginaw and his 3:55 gears in my 50 Chevy w/ a '57 235. I switched from the original 3 speed/column and love the difference it made.
Thank you very much for the answer Chuck. Did you had to do other mecanicall changes after you installed the Saginaw transmission and the floor shifter, or could you bolt it right on without the need to cut the lenght of the axleshaft(torque-tube) ? Did Patrick`s sold it as an complete rebuild unit including the shifter mecanism? Regards Martinius
Patricks Hello Martinius, No cutting is needed to the torque tube when using Patrick's kit. It is as close to a direct bolt-in as possible. His kit includes everything including the Hurst shifter.
Thank you for the good information Chuck and sharing the pictures from the album. I noticed from picture nr.44 that you have mounted a rubber tube in the center of the carburator manifold. Where is it going to and what is the purpose of it ? The manifold in my truck do have a nut and a short hook of some kind that closes the outlet. Martinius
questions Matinius, The rubber line is the vacum line to the windshield wipers. The Saginaw does not whine in first gear like the original 4 speed because it is not geared the same. The Hurst shifter supplied by Patrick's is perfect height and the same as the original 4 speed. Look in my album and you will see a picture of it or go to Patrick's web site for a look.
shifter Matinius, Looks like I forgot to transfer some interior photos when I moved to a new web album...it may take a couple of days to get them posted. Nice looking red truck you have there. My wife didn't believe that an old chevy truck was in Norway!! Regards,
Hello Chuck On the web there are some suppliers whom are selling different models of the Hurst floor shifter and also the remanufactured and dyno-tested Saginaw transmission. On Ebay there are also advertizements. Does your transmission have a no-line imput shaft ? Gears ratio: 1ST 2.84 2ND 2.01 3RD 1.35 4TH 1.00 ? A 10 SPLINE INPUT SHAFT. 27 SPLINE TAIL SHAFT ? It will be great to see some pictures from your cab interior and the shifter solution . My wife did`nt believed it eather when i came home with the truck driving all the way from the port in Oslo harbour. The truck had some steering colom problems and the engine block seem to be cracked when we took a closer look , water whas running out and the engine got overheated to. I have been changing out a lot of parts sinds then and swapped the 216 engine for a `55 235CI engine this year wich whas remanufactured. In Hov its winter now and quite cold so the activity level is not so high nower days , once in a while when i have time i am working on my truck. I would like to get it finished the next spring i `ll hope. The truck is in quite a good condition elsewhere. Attached some pictures and a short history about the intrest for old vintage cars/trucks/motorcycles/old traines. http://www.stovebolt.com/gallery/berg_martinius_1950.html Sinc. Martinius
interior shots Martinius, I have updated my web album with interior photos. My tranny is the 2 groove, 3:11 first gear, not sure of the spline count but I don't think there is a difference, just gearing. It looks like no one else is getting involved so feel free to contact me by email and I would look forward to carry on this conversation. Merry Christmas!
open drivline? Bluflame does your truck still have the enclosed drive shaft? The transmissions your thinking about all have open drive shafts, so you will have to change out your rear end as well. Chris
Don't go ! This is a fascinating and instructive thread , please , DO NOT take it off line . I know many lurkers are here reading and absorbing every word.....
http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/1929_57chevyparts/57cmpc0467.htm http://www.teufert.net/trans/saginaw.htm Hi Yes The truck still has the original drive shaft . Thank you for this information, i am learning everyday. The drive shaft in the truck has been updated with a "modern" bushing and seal to prevent leaking + new U joint + gaskets and seals. The differential has been updated with the "Patricks" 3.55:1 pignon/crownwheel solution. Martinius.
I agree. I am amazed about the fact how much technicall knowledge this communety have. Thank you all !!!
Sealing The Torque Tube O.K. , this is outside my experiance and it sounds good , how did you do it ? pictures , copies of literature , links to parts needed suppliers and so on please Martinus . The ability to seal the open front end of the TorqueTube and Oakie Bushing opens up a world of possabilites . -Nate
