I'm toying with the idea of changing out the 3sp on the column transmission to a 5sp out of a '94 Full size chevy truck with a V6. My '66 has a 250 ci straight six. Any chance this would bolt up without too many issues? The 5sp comes with a bell housing and shifter. If it would work, would there be an issue with the speedo cable? Just wondering as my 3 sp has an issue with reverse, as in staying in gear while going backwards. Thanks for any help/suggestions. Azbagger
Reverse Woes All I can tell you is : most GM Saginaw three speed trannies are designed to have the first / reverse slider gear flipped over 180° during periodic overhaul for just this reason . These trannies are dead simple to overhaul and parts are cheap too .
Nate, you are a wealth of info on these "mature trucks"! I've used your suggestions before such as the painting the inside of the tail lights high gloss white and widening the spark plug gap to .040 and timing to 0 degrees at TDC for extra power in the 250 ci six cylinder motors. So, maybe I should just pull it and go through it instead of trying to make something else fit. I've tried to keep the integrity of the truck as it was when shipped to the U.S. Army in May of 1966. I'm the fourth owner if you count the Army as a single owner. Maybe when the weather gets a bit cooler here in So. Az, I'll pull the trans and go through it. Thanks for the tip(s)! Azbagger
You're Welcome It's really no big thing , I thought all old Mechanics knew this stuff , maybe not , who knows ? . when I worked in the Dealer , I read EVERYTHING and paid close attention whenever the old guys wandered over to watch me work on old rigs . In any case , Generous Motors Corporation knew that light trucks were just tools and so designed them very carefully indeed ~ they'll take a horrible beating and still get you home and always (Chevy) in high style and comfort . Basically just take the old tranny apart over some BIG light colored beach towels from the Thrift Store and count & bag up the various roller bearings , the counts are REALLY important . Look closely at the shafts , if you see any wear no matter how slight , scrap 'em . I used to buy broken & smashed trannies from junkyarsds just to get the good quality parts therin , now you'll have to find an old Bower BCA Bearing Catalog and order up the new rollers and then find N.O.S. or good used gears & shafts on Flea-Bay or maybe from Chevs of The 40's in Wa. State but persevere and you'll be well rewarded with a nice shifting truck that YOU fixed our own self . Replacing the pilot bushing in the end of the crankshaft and using guide pins (cut off bolts) to re install the tranny are two important details to ensure fully releasing clutch , this makes the shifting easier . I hope this helps , often Hot Rodders have good take out manual trannies for sale cheaply . BTW : the opening of spark plug gaps really works out well ~ my current daily driver '69 C/10's 250 CID L6's valve guides are wobbly beyond belief and it was fouling the plugs in 150 miles or so , I opened them up to .050" and added an old HEI dizzy from the junkyard (1977 Nova) and it runs so sweetly it's amazing ~ you can't see the oil smoke but you sure can smell it..... It hasn't fouled a spark plug since I opened up those gaps , never any miss either .
I Forgot Might you have any pictures of your truck ? . My very first truck was an ex U.S.A.F. runway crash truck a 1959 F-100 , rusty floors but (of course) a 240 CID l6 and Three On The Tree tranny, I think we paid $50 for it from Ayers Air Force Base in 1967 . in spite of it's below par pedigree (Brand 'F') , it was a nice old truck .
Yes I do have pics of my '66 C10, but have not yet figured out how to "size" the pics so that the site will accept them. Again, thanks for the tips. My Dad was a FoMoCo mechanic as was my uncle. I even worked there in the summers. I learned quite a bit from them, but there is a lot that I don't know for sure. Azbagger
I Know NOTHING ! And pretty much every day I learn again just how little I know . Don't waste much time worrying about it , just go have fun and remember to always learn .
