I was able to get ahold of a 3 speed column shift trans with cable operated o.d. from a 1955 chevy. Being that convertibles have limited space for transmissions swaps... will this trans fit in a 1941 Chevy Convertible? I plan to run a 235. Anybody have any thoughts on this?? Thanks in advance.
It will fit in the X member, but the support cross member will likely have to be removed/changed. The '55 thru '57 Chevrolet passenger car trannies did not have a mount on the transmission. They just hung off the back of the engine which was supported at the front of the engine and at the sides of the bell housing. Depending on what you are using for an engine, and mounts, that could prove problematic. Ray
Early or late 235? side mounts on engine or front mounts, under the timing cover? The original engine installation used two small closely spaced mounts under the timing cover. It also had a transmission mount. In order to control engine 'torque roll', there were two small mounts, one either side of the bellhousing. If you have a later 235 ('52 thru '62) at has provisions on the block for side mounts that could be a great help here. Since the '55 trans has no provision for a mount, you will either have to fabricate a bracket for the trans to provide a mount, or use sturdy mounts at the side of the bellhousing to support the engine. Ray
The '41 used a torque tube - the '55 used a driveshaft. What rear are you going to use? Stock rear-no/newer than '55 rear -yes They did use X frames in '55 Convertibles -not sure how similar they were to the '41 frame. If the 235 mounts the same as the 216 (yes?) then you should not need a trans mount. A truckstell overdrive would work with the original torque tube drivetrain. If you are on the east coast and sellling that overdrive....
It does not matter if the 235 "mounts the same as 216".... IT DOES REQUIRE a trans mount UNLESS the bellhousing mounts are beefed up and or replaced with suitable mounts. The stock mounts at the bellhousing DO NOT support engine weight, they only control the rotating motion of the engine torque. I have owned several Chevys from 1940 through the '50s, including a 1941 Convertible many years ago. I put a 302 GMC and Saginaw 3 speed in that vehicle and have some familiarity with the frame, X member and engine/trans mount configuration. Ray
like hnstray said you are going to have to modify the member a bit and the solenoid position may give you a little heart ache but it can be done. as you can tell by my moniker I have a 41 olds ive owned it now for 25 years went from a stock motor to a big jimmy 6 to a now 350 chevy so ive done a lot of modifying to the x member even eliminating it all together and building new around the 700r4 I now have in it.
Could you use a truck tail housing on that tranny? I don't have it in front of me, but I have a truck 3-speed out of a '55-59 truck stashed, and if memory serves me right, it has a mount point on the back end...
I'll have to get some pics of the trans I have posted on here. But I'm glad to hear that the trans will fit. I'll be ready to make some mods to support it and make it work Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I still think you can use the rear mounts only if you support the rear mounts better since the trans was designed to work without a cross trans mount. You would want a '53 (powerglide only) and up 235 that has full oil pressure. You could use a 235 with side mounts but the rear mounts would work fine if "beefed up" as stated above.
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