Projects 47 Coupe Build

trying to figure out what the hell transmission to get, has to be manual, 3, 4 or 5 speed.... this ones for sale locam but idk how itll hold up behind a 394... shifter locations important too... lots of mopar 3 speeds local, borg warner t10, m20s i can find just about anything. stupid oldsmobile engine...

 

im thinking mini starter and just after reading your story now im seriously contemplating that 38 3 speed!

 

maybe this one would be beefier being out of a firetruck?

 

You would be much better staying with the Olds you had planned on. That 337 or 27 stud flathead is way cool and there is quite a lot of potential in these motors. The can be bored and stroked ( read that expensive) to a big number for any flathead. Speed equipment is almost unheard of for them, but there is some out there. They also are damned heavy like close to 850 lbs. Cool but maybe not worth the price you end up paying.

 

absolutely sticking with the olds, i was talking about the transmissions...i dont know much about the older trannys but it seems like the appropriate route for my build

 

IMHO I would not put an old flathead tranny up against that torquey Olds. Just asking for issues. Car is much heavier than say the typical 31/32's or early bodies which only adds to the stress of the tranny. Personally, I like the older look of the floor shifter and use a 37 Buick box with a 57 Olds selector gut. Rugged box, nice gear whine as you row those gears. Frank @F&J is running one in his 32 daily driver behind his Olds. Can be hard to locate the pieces but not impossible. Frank had a post on the modifications to do the exchange. Regardless, you will most likely have to have the crank drilled for a pilot bearing and then find a flywheel. The latter I would be hunting for now. Ross Racing @GOATROPER02 may be able to help with some parts like the flywheel and a mini starter etc.

 

I had an early 47 coupe the toe board was aluminum and it had the early fluted hood trim. I'm with the others on the transmission, I would not run a top load three speed with the olds and the weight of the car. The fire truck trans would be super low geared and way to big. Wouldn't a G.M. Four speed be the easiest trans to use?

 

these guys seem to have a ton of olds parts, ever heard of em?
https://rossracingengines.oursafeserver.com

i am definitely open to suggestions, i do not have 4-5k to get my trans figured out though (at least for now) the car has the torque tube and banjo in it which was part of my thinking behind it being easier to stick an original 3 speed in, mounts line up etc plus my 394 is the low compression. eventually i want to go to a 50s or early 60s 9" and driveline and 4 speed. shifter location is a concern of mine, i LOVE period floor shift bench seat rods. love the tips and advice! thanks guys! i HAD planned on a 2 stage build, short term stage 1 being get brakes and electric freshened, get it on the road asap! enjoy it as a project for a year or 2 while working on it and driving it. while im driving it i would be collecting and rebuilding/cleaning up a replacement rear diff, trans, buying paint...then in a couple years stripping it all back down, painting it and putting together my more finished car

 

i would imagine an olds 4 speed and bellhousing would be ideal haha i just dont have me lucky pot o gold to buy one! itd probably be cheaper to buy a 4 speed olds complete car/junker than to buy the trans out of one

 

did a little pressure washing with my shop hand today, any ideas what the missing tag was? also does anyone see any upgrades up front or does everything look pretty stock?

 

Front end looks pretty stock to me.
Missing tag is body number and the like, nothing too significant.

 

If it's an early 47 someone must have put tube shock mounts on it. I believe 46 and early 47 had lever action shocks and 47-8 had tubes. The missing tag just had patent numbers on it

 

does anyone have a picture of the glovebox vin location? idk if ive ever seen where it wouldve been on here

 

There is to the best of my knowledge no numbers on/ in the glovebox. The vehicle SERIAL NUMBER (pre-VIN term) appears on the engine (too late for you) and in 3 places on the left side frame rail.

 

oh okay, i thought i had it read it was in there. i found it on the front frame rail so im all good there. i know 47 pickups had it in the glove box

 

Ross Racing is in eastern OH and is a member on here. Tony and his Dad run the machine shop. Been there a few times and it is eye candy to the max! He is the go to guy for olds stuff. He knows his stuff for sure and builds some killer engines.

 

awesome! maybe thats where i should start my trans decision. they probably know all the ins and outs of it

 

http://oldsjetfire.com/conversion-to-4-speed/

this is super informative

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1949-1962-...699635?hash=item284284ed73:g:M7YAAOSwqYhZ2qL-

step in the right direction??

 

Oliver, I like your two stage plan. It is always good to have a car to drive around while you gather parts and doing some of the leg work. The Olds guru's are the guys to talk about as to your tranny and other engine related questions. That front end looks pretty stock, I wouldn't be afraid of it for one minute. Freshen it up rebuild what you need to and it will serve you well for a long time. I like this build and the way it is going a lot. keep up the good work, your shop hand looks like a good guy, bet he works for easy wages as well...

 

milk and lollipops, hes a trooper haha, thanks for the encouragement! im diggin through the internet pretty hard trying to get the best gameplan possible, as much as i hate doing things twice i do need to find a balance between what i can do now vs what ill just have to do later. if i pick uo that ebay bellhousing it may make the trans problem a lot more simplified!

 

I agree completely Oliver. That bell housing may solve at least one of your problems. I am not an Olds guy and know very little about them other than there are cooler than hell and I want one. The bell housings may be a dime a dozen and one behind every tree for all I know, but I would bet that is probably not the case.

 

i think i just had a breakthrough on the history of the car. i managed to get in touch with someone who knows the last registered owner who had the car when the tags expired in 1979, fingers crossed its the right guy and i get to find out the rest of the story!

 

That bell housing is for a selector tranny from GM. Floor shifters for them are near extinct and when found don't work all that well. If you buy it you are locking yourself in to one tranny, not what I would want to do. There are bells out there that match up to the current GM tranny bolt pattern allowing many more choices. It also appears to be missing the Throw out bearing and clutch arm assmb. which I would not buy it without.

 

wow, thank you! haha i wouldve been pissed once i figured all of that out the hard way

 

A bell for Olds to Ford would also open up some other possibilities. A T10 Borg Warner or Tremec with the jeep three speed shift tower would look great and give you a fully synchro tranny. here is a pic of one attached to a flathead bell

 

this a good read for ya
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/ford-toploader-shifter-conversion.1035578/#post-11741295

near the end one member is converting to the Ford closed driveline fwiw

 

thank you!!

 

so a 3 speed jeep shift tower on a 4 speed trans? that works? it looks cool and shifter location looks to be in the sweet spot

 

a quick look on craigslist and ebay....for about 400 bucks i can buy a 3 speed toploader out of a maverick and a jeep 3 speed shifter with plate and forks. would a maverick 3 speed hold up okay behind the 394?
EDIT: except all the adapters i can find are only for gm trans and flathead ford trans.....smh