I did do a search and didn't find anything that really matched up with my question. So here's the situation / question . I have a 1950 chevy deluxe , 3 speed . The good old 216 finally gave up and spun a bearing . I have a 283 waiting on the shelf to swap in . I have a fly wheel for the the 283 ,pressure plate and bell housing . The question is can the 3 speed boot up and work properly with the proper clutch disc / throw out bearing ? What clutch disc should I use ? Is a spacer required ? Other than the obvious motor mounts and firewall supports needing to be modified are there any other things to be aware of when doing this swap ? Thanks very much as usual for the help Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Just curious is a 53 open or enclosed drive shaft? Sent from my SM-G900V using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
The trans bolt pattern is different but there is a pickup 3 speed that will bolt to the 283 and the 50 rear end.
Sent you a P.M. with a solution to you problem. There is really only a couple of ways to do it. One is to use the same era (enclosed driveline) truck 3 speed trans, the other is MY way with MY adapter setup. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
Your old 3 speed had bushings on the cluster where the truck had bearings...a weak spot. One other thing, the u-joint was bolted on with 1/4-28 shoulder cap screws and were not made for double the horsepower just being conservative.
Best Bet would be to get get a Later Model Bellhousing and find a T10 or old Saganaw 3 speed and pickup a cheap 10 Bolt rear from a Nova or Camaro and swap it all out. Not much for options on the Chevy stock Torque Tube Drive lines like there are Fords.
A 55 235 has 130 hp and has the 3 speed , the 283 has 180 hp . Did they put a different 3 speed in a 55 ? Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Yeah I've got a 56 chevy rear end ( 3.55 ) and a t5 that needs to be rebuilt . I was trying to get back on the road for the rest of the summer until I had the $400 ish bucks to buy the WC t5 rebuild kit . Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
There are 2 different trans cases used from 1942 to 1954. One is drilled to bolt up to a 55 up bellhousing, the other isn't. The 'right' case is more often found in pickup trucks. There is no difference other than the case, all the internal parts interchange. You may already have one in your car. It's a bit of a crap shoot. With the right transmission you can bolt up a 283 to your car's drive train. You will have to flatten the firewall supports for clearance make or buy mounts and do something about exhaust manifold/ steering clearance. But not too hard as such things go. If you do a search the swap has been discussed a few million times. The drawback to the stock drive train is, it is not really strong enough for a V8. A 283 is a pretty mild motor. If you drive it sensibly, that is baby it off the line and let the clutch fully home and let it develop some momentum before you give it full throttle you should have no problem. Side step the clutch for drag racing starts and something will break, more likely sooner than later.
Maybe .I found a 235 out of a 60 belair ,it's actually sitting in my garage . I also have a 283 , well two actually . I thought my 216 would last a bit longer to help string out the stupid crazy of rebuilding a 235 . It boils down to cost and what gets me on the road . The 283 is basically ready to go . Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
Head on over to ChevyTalk.Org, in the 49-54 forum you'll find a section for "builds". Look at the 49 Coupe agleason is rebuilding. It was his Dad's car, and he is completely rebuilding it. His Dad built it like you're asking about; 283 V-8 with the stock 3 speed and enclosed driveline. He redrilled a stock 55-57 V-8 bellhousing to bolt to the original 3 speed. He also built his own mounts, exhaust, etc. It's not "pretty", but it worked for him. There is also another member, Dean50, who has dropped a 350 V-8 into his 50 2 dr. Sedan, and kept the stock 3 speed and enclosed driveline. He DRIVES his car, but does not BEAT on it. He also welded and redrilled an aluminum bellhousing from a later year car (post 63-70's). He has done a very nice job. Both are well documented on CT.Org. If you do modify a bellhousing to work, you will have to do some massaging of the firewall, and trimming of the firewall supports for clearance. You'll also need exhaust manifolds with a rear dump (easiest), or the older 55-56 V-8 log exhaust manifolds. There are clearance issues with the steering box on the 49-54 cars, and you're limited on what manifolds work. Sanderson makes headers for the swap. I read an article from an OLD magazine, don't remember the name, but it was from the mid 50's. A woman wanted a V-8 in her 53 Hardtop! They cut and spliced together TWO of the stock slip yokes to make a single long slip yoke, and redrilled a stock V-8 bellhousing to bolt to the stock 3 speed. It allowed them to move the engine far enough forward to avoid beating up the firewall. I don't know how strong their slip yoke was, but it was good enough for a magazine to do a story on it. I gave the article to a HAMBER years ago that wanted to do a V-8 swap and do it cheaply. Guess I should have made some copies. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
I have owned and driven more junky cars than I want to think about. I wrenched on them, wrecked and destroyed my share. I know one true thing about the whole racket. There is never an easy way out. If you cheat, you have to pay. Older engineering is based on the best they could do and sell a product that the average American motoring public could afford. YES. You can stitch a Frankenstein car together and dream it is going to be a Ferrari. Only it is is a sucker's wet dream. Junk is still junk. Add a lot of miles to the parts you use, and little or no maintinance over the lifetime of the parts, and the best outcome to burning the midnight oil, and busting your knuckles, and feeling like a greasy rag, is the worst kind of bitter disappointment in the world. MY SUGGESTION is to think it out, first. A closed driveline on Early Ford and Chevrolet was designed for a limited amount of horsepower. No magic manipulation of adapters is going to change it. Ever. And, there is not one red blooded American Yout going to be able to remember that the V8 in front is connected to fragility quantified. Ask me how I know. DON'T THINK you are the exception. Just do what you have to and get the right parts to get the job done right the first time. When it breaks, build it faster, stronger and safer. Everything else falls into place after that.
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