I'm trying to find out about a transmission that was in my brothers 1966 Chevy II Nova. His 66 Chevy II had a 283 and a standard 3 speed it was a aluminum 3 speed. I'm trying to find out what it was called and ID #. I believe it was a Muncie 3 speed with 10 1/2" clutch but not sure of anything else so if any one could help I'd appreciate all the help I can get. Thank you in advance. From 1Nimrod
Are you sure it its not a Saginaw three speed, and are you sure your brothers' transmission was original to his Chevy II? Does it have threaded holes in the tailhousing to accept a floor shifter? I ask because the Chevy II was never offered with a floor shift three speed, the Corvette and Chevelle did offer a floor shift three speed. My 67 Nova (original 6 cyl) came with a cast iron three speed/column shift. How about posting some photos.
Would have been a 318 Muncie & the famous 10.4 diaphragm clutch when delivered. Made a lot of money replacing shift tubes & clutches in '66 -'67 3 speed Chevy 2s in the '70s ...
Someone painted the trans silver so it looks like aluminum? Never heard of or seen a GM aluminum 3 speed trans. 4 bolt side cover makes it a Muncie 318, 7 bolt side cover, with 3 bolts along the top margin of the side cover, makes it a Saginaw, 7 bolts, with 2 bolts along the top margin of the side cover, makes it a HD Muncie (used in Chev/GMC trucks, high HP SBC's and BBC's). In the mid 60's, Buick used a Borg Warner 3 speed that has a curved bottom side cover. Even Ford jumped on the GM band wagon with their Dearborn 3 speed used in Pontiac GTO's. And like someone already said, if you can post photos, it'll be easy to ID. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
I had a aluminum Muncie 3 speed complete with an original " Muncie" in the handle. Stupid, stupid , stupid for selling it. I should of just hoarded it.
To all who replied. It was aluminum not painted and it had a Hurst shifter bolted to side of tail shaft just like the M20-21-22 4 speeds did. The floor board of my brothers Chevy II was a factory looking hole with the boot and crome ring screwed into the factory floor mount hole every thing was stock on my brothers Chevy II, my brother was second owner of the Chevy II back in 1974. He ended up running into a horse on a stormy rainy night coming home from work and wreaked his car so we pulled motor and transmission and all the parts we could save,"no pictures of trans". I sold the trans and all my extra Chevy II parts (I owned 6 Chevy II's when in high school in 1979) to a local motor head from Kalamazoo in 1988 when I took the aluminum 3 speed out of my barn with all my pans oil pickups 283's and many other body parts he offered much more than I was hoping to get at the time. He had told me that the trans was unusual to see in a Chevy II but knew they could order just about anything in the GM car's back then and had seen the aluminum 3 speed's in other Chevy's but not the Chevy II before. So reason why I'm trying to ID the 3 speed aluminum trans we use to own is because I'd like to put one in my 63 C10 pick-up with my 327. I now have a M318 original trans in my truck behind the I6 230 and liked to get a better trans when I switch out engines and remembered that I use to own an aluminum 3 speed trans years ago and thought I'd try to locate one for my 63 C10 pick-up. Thank you all for your help and replies if anyone knows what the trans ID #'s are please let me know I'd like to get one for my 63 C10. 1Nimrod
Like I said ^^^^^^, I've never SEEN, or HEARD of, an aluminum, GM, 3 speed transmission. Now I can say I've HEARD of one (right here on the HAMB), but I've still not SEEN one. Considering the years involved, it would have to be based on a Muncie 318 or Saginaw 3 speed I would think. Seems to me, there were some aftermarket Muncie 318 cases/extension housings, made by Bert Racing Transmissions, and meant for the roundy-roundy race cars (most likely dirt track). Photos please if anyone has them of these aluminum, GM, 3 speed transmissions. Until then, I'm skeptical, but hopeful, I'll actually learn something new! I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
Thank you Butch/56sedandelivery, I didn't think it be such a big deal trying to find one but I guess I was wrong!! Must be like trying to find hens teeth I guess?? I will keep looking. A gentleman on the HAMB has a 3 and 4 speed for sale both iron Saginaws I'll get ahold of him. Thanks for everyone's help. 1Nimrod
Is it feasible that one could use a Saginaw aluminum 4 speed case (if there is such a thing) and stuffed it with 3 speed Saginaw guts? I'm thinking reverse was in the tail housing but even if that was the scenario, where did the aluminum 3 speed tail housing come from?
Hmm I’ve never seen one, I checked with my old Chevy restoration guys plus the guys who rebuild 3spd and 4spd stuff and none have heard of one. I wonder if maybe it was a Canadian or Europe GM option??? Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Thanks for the replies. I didn't mean to cause a problem I just thought I could find one again buy it and put it in my old truck with my 327, I guess those days are gone. Thanks again everyone. 1Nimrod
DDDeny; I've never seen another Chevy II like my brother's. I had one 66 duce with 327 and a power glide buckets and a console floor shift it was blue on blue duce it was all factory and nice. Had a 66&67 283's in both pg auto on tree. Two 66's with the I6 both pg auto on tree. Had several parts cars One parts car was a true SS Chevy II no engine or trans still had a 12 bolt posi but the Michigan weather made lots of hole's in all the old cars back then. One 68 SS Chevy II Nova sold to my cousin he cut her up and made a stock car out of her wish id never sold it to him. I'm having my wife dig out the old photo album to see if I can find my 66 Chevy II I drove in Highschool I think I have two pictures of it one with my sweetheart and me next to my blue 66 Chevy II when I find them I'll try to figure out how to post them again. Thanks again. 1Nimrod
NO Saginaw's with an aluminum case OR extension housing. Saginaw 4 speeds and 3 speeds did use the same case, and in the 4 speed, ALL the shift levers are on the side cover, reverse is not in the extension housing (like Muncie 4 speeds and BW 4 speeds have). I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
You must have had one REALLY RARE Buzzard! I thought all 3 speeds had cast iron cases. I've certainly been wrong before though, just ask my wife! Sent from my SM-G892A using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
No pictures yet found a couple of my old momentous from way back in the 80's couple horn buttons and V8 finder badges from my Chevy II day's, I'm still looking.
Not saying your mistaken but the 66/67 Nova/ChevyII had a black trim ring and it was under the carpet screwed to a factory hump. Like this. This is the oem shift boot and trim ring (four speed). I'm guessing the chrome shift boot trim ring came from the same Chevelle that the three speed transmission came from, like the photos in article below. A lot of swapping of parts happened early on when they started hitting the wrecking yards, four speeds even back then were out of reach for many people and three speeds were more reasonably priced. https://www.chevellestuff.net/qd/manual.htm
The HD Borg Warner 3 spd, easily identified by the curved lower edge of the side cover, is a T-85. They all were iron trannies. That transmission became the basis for the BW T-10 4 speeds debuted in Corvettes in 1957 as I recall.....cast in iron for several years. Eventually they were made with aluminum cases...mid-60s I think.
DDDeny I never had my carpet out so I can't say for sure that part looked like your picture. That photo looks like it came from a console mount by the looks of the other small mounting brackets. But I do remember the ring was crome and was screwed down to a rolled factory looking hole not a hack job like alot of old boys use to do back then.
Yes, those brackets are what a four speed console screws to but the bench seat cars used the same hump, and you would be surprised how knarly the factory torch cut hole looked before the hump was spot welded and sealed to the floor.
Like someone else already said, there were no factory built, 3 speed, floor-shift, Chevy II/Nova's made. And, due to the fairly small trans tunnel, the 4 speed cars needed the hump or blister for the shifter to "occupy" (see DDD's photos). For a 3 speed conversion to floor-shift, the shifter was mounted further up on the trans, towards the bell-housing/engine, not that someone could't have made things work if they did't have, say a Hurst Chevy II/Nova shifter, and instead used say a 55-57 Chevrolet Hurst shifter; we've all seen how creative some guys can get. Keep digging and looking for your aluminum 3 speed trans; we're all scratching our heads on this one. I've sold another one of my Muncie 319 (Muncie 318 with overdrive), and I've had to crate it up for shipping; I don't remember them weighing so danged much! I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
DDDenny; Thank you again for all your help and everyone else for trying to solve "my mistry" as I mentioned I found a HAMB brother (Robert Beenenga) who has some Saginaws a 4 & 3 speed for sale and I'm trying to find out if the 3 speed will fit in my C10 I have the M318 and would like to find out if I'd have to change length of my driveshaft, and if I use the Saginaw 3 speed will the tall shaft spline be the same as my driveshaft spline? Again any help would be appreciated. Thanks again everyone for putting up with this old man... 1Nimrod
Thank you Butch/56sedandelivery for all your help I will keep looking. I'm sure many have gotten much amusement out of this old man but that's what makes the world go around and I'm glad to bring a smile or laughter to others it is good for the Soul...Thanks again everyone ... 1Nimrod
@1Nimrod.....you don't indicate where you are located. I have a Saginaw full syncro 3 speed from a GM pickup and a small parts kit that could be used to 'freshen' it. Don't know that it needs that, but buying that kind of thing to have on hand is "how I roll". Freight might be prohibitive, but if you don't find something closer (I am in West Central Illinois) , PM me and may be we can work something out. I don't have much $ in it, so don't need much for it. Ray
Found one of my pictures with a small part of my Blue Chevy II on my graduation day sorry picture is pretty beat up and old. I live in lower southwest Michigan PM me with pictures and amount. Thanks again everyone 1Nimrod
^^^Interesting^^^, I've sold another one of my Muncie 319 overdrive 3 speeds to a guy in Michigan, and he wants it for his blue, 66 Chevrolet, shortbed, stepside, truck! Everyone on the HAMB has been recommending using Fastenal for shipping. I've had one issue after the other with them; online forms to fill out, the Fastenal stores don't even have the paperwork/forms, but the biggest thing is the $230.00 shipping price, and that's really not much better than UPS. I have a wooden crate for shipping, but they also want it attached to a pallet, something UPS does't require. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
I'll have to look into Fed-Ex; that's a huge difference in shipping costs. If you have a Muncie 318 3 speed in your truck, you will need to swap the slip yoke out to use a Saginaw; The Muncie is course spline, while the Saginaw's are a fine spline; B-W T-10 has a course spline (the early ones, not the later B-W Super T-10; the Muncie 4 speeds are a fine spline, while the M-22 Muncie has the large spline, slip yoke (same as a TH-400 automatic trans). You could also go with a later model Blazer's/S-10 five speed; look for one without the electronic speedometer, or find an aftermarket kit to go with a cable drive speedometer. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
Butch/56sedandelivery; Thank you again for all the information. I've got a slip yoke from my old Chevy II, I had changed it out to use a M22 in my Chevy II year's ago. Now back to today, Will the U-joints be the same size on the fine slip yoke as my course slip yoke? My differential is the older 63 type that has the 9 spline(might be 19 can't remember) axles not the 64 up 30 spline axles type so was wondering if that would make the U-joints different sizes? And should my driveshaft be okay hopefully no cutting to change length or U-joint carrier? Thanks again. One more thing would I have to change my bellhousing going from the truck M318 to a car Saginaw 3 speed? Thanks again... 1Nimrod
Trucks use the same bolt spacing on the trans bolt ears. However, on trucks the bottom bolts were installed from inside the bell housing and trans ears were threaded. Common practice is to drill out the threads to a hole size the same as the top ear’s size.
The Jalopy Journal
