Hello all, Picked my 54 up from the paint shop after it's final touch-ups. Started down the road and boom... Anyone have a good line on a replacement 3 speed for a 54? Or is this time to go open drive line and put in a T5?
I was at U pull it today and there were 3 S10 5 speeds..........Might be time to upgrade. I have a customer who found a trans in a truck wrecked 30 years ago.... the thing looks brand new inside! I will be swapping it out next week. He isn't quite ready to go t5 route, financially anyway.
It is a hard call for me. I really just got it finished after working on it for almost 4 years. The 3 speed column shift was completely dialed in and shifted very smooth. I was starting to lean towards the Patrick's R&P setup and just keep it stock. What is a T5 going for?
At Pull a part....$100. You need an adapter, less than $200. http://www.hotrodworks.com/catalog/index.php/t5-transmission-adapters.html or http://vintagemetalworks.blogspot.com/p/s10-t-5-to-gm-235261-adapter-plate.html If your pressure plate and throwout are good, they are reused. A clutch disc from an Astro van is the popular swap. A rear from PAP is $100. A pair of spring saddles is about $20 from Speedway. Get new Ubolts. Probably want to do new brakes on the rear. Grab the driveshaft from the s10 and the one from whatever rear you get, take it to a driveshaft shop and tell them I need this end and this end, this long. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=169265
I thought that a T5 would bolt directly to the 235 bellhousing. I think I've read that I may have to shorten the input shaft. Is that what these adapters are another option for? It appears that a mid 80's T5 out of an S10 or Astro will have the best shift tower location and a manual speedo gear. Any suggestions on the best rear axle to start looking for.
The adapters solve the problem of having to shorten the shaft. I figure for the $, it would take a lot more time to shorten and adjust and get it just right. Why reinvent the wheel, I gladly pay when someone else has it all figured out. I installed a 95 ImpalaSS in a 51 and it fit perfectly, included disc brakes. Standard GM 10 bolt, we swapped in 3.08 gears, it drives nice. If you want 6 lug, the Colorado rear is a good choice. S10 4x4 is a little wider than an S10 2x4 and is supposed to fit better. I started with a 90 Town car rear, a little wide but filled up the fenderwells with a factory 15x7 ford steelie. Now I have a 95 Tbird IRS.....LOVE IT. (but a lot more work.)
Russ is right, the adapter just takes up the slack the additional length of the shaft adds in. But $200 is cash money....up here in the hills they just grind off that 1/4-1/2 inch extra length and grind out the spline grooves a bit longer. Works fine for them. There are different OD ratio's, one is hardly worth doing at like a 10% reduction...get the one closer to 20% OD ratio. My $.02 worth.
Are you just grinding it off with a grinder? I as thinking a guy could cut it with a Porta Band and clean it up with a grinder and a flap wheel.
If you want to keep it original & save yourself the time & $$$ needed to update the entire drive line........ We Got a pile of original 3 speed transmissions.... & we can fix you up with a non-exploded U joint. While you are at it..... you might as well install the 3:55 Ring & pinion... https://talk.classicparts.com/showthread.php?t=17725
You will probably have to buy the entire rear end from someone and remove it yourself. That's what I did. I'm waiting for the ring and pinion from Joe at DeadZone Truckin and the install kit from Patrick's. Check craigslist in your area there was a couple on the Dallas site a week ago. Good luck, there out there.
I already fixed Bruce up with an original 3 speed for $150 but, he may also want to buy yours {minus the U joint & collar} as a spare.
Keep in mind that I'm not laughing at you but with you... I did the same thing in my 54 about 34 years ago when I was 16 and boy was my dad pissed! when he asked me what I was doing I told him nothing and that it just blew up. That was the same answer I gave him when the next 10 transmissions blew up. I finally solved the problem with a Borg Warner Super T 10 out of a 70 Fire Chicken.... Those were some good times.....Big Tim
Thanks all! Big Tim - Thanks for the laugh Here is the plan: Step 1 - get the truck running again. To accomplish this Joe has a transmission, yoke/slip joint and UJoint coming. Also - I found a 47-53 rear-end and have pulled the carrier out and have it prepared for a new 3.55 ring gear. A second benefit to the rear end purchase is that I have a practice run on tearing into a torque tube which is a new experience for me. Concurrently, I am beginning the process of accumulating the pieces and parts to do a T5 transmission swap. I was starting to look for a Colorado 6 lug rear end until I read Zig's comments about bearings - still need to do more research on this one. This is the reason I decided to just get the truck back on the road until I can make a very educated decision on the T5.
exploded u joint and trans tail I would just fix the u joint and trans with stock parts - they all bolt on and no modifications. Good luck I am sure you can find the parts
Nice truck, Bruce. Do you make the Pate Swap Meet in the spring? I've been going for the last 5 years. Finding parts for my truck, and last year bought a '71 Honda 350 motorcycle.
