Projects 56 Cadillac manual transmission swap

Just buy a Bensteds adaptor kit, you can use manual or automatic. Bought one for one of my 390 Caddys!! Everything is a simple bolt up to the 365 or 390. Uses all chevy Bellhousings and flywheels, they furnish a mini starter with it.

 

Back in the 1950s there was a guy in northern NJ who put a LaSalle floor shift trans in a Cad - '54 I think. And, of course, he "built" the motor. At some point he learned that there were no other rear end gear ratios available for a Cadillac. So he put in an Olds rear and was very competitive at the drags. D-GAS , maybe. I assumed he was probably making money street racing.

 

. . . and take the vertical chrome strips off the doors.

 

I would rebuild the stock transmission. They are real nice boxes. I've had a bunch of them.. The last on was a 64 Bonneville that had the Super hydro. It had a very healthy 462 and that 3.97 first gear was a screamer out of the hole. I swapped to a Turbo 400 and the car went slower and the transmission case cracked after 10k.. That Pontiac 455 with the 4 speed Super Hydro is on hell of a combo.. The car had 2.73 rear end gears..