im trying to make up my mind on what trans. to put behind the 235 in my 41 coupe .i will be using the 3.08 10 bolt that was behind the saginaw in a 70 nova . ithe t5 is behind a 4cy. in a 89 s10 .im not sure if all the gears are really needed with the 3.08 and i would like to save the column shift . also , id like to keep it simple and clean . any input from personal experiences . is the saginaw a better/stronger trans. than the t5 . will the 235 pull overdrive with 3.08s . mtr is pretty much stock one barrel . tires are stoch height . 235/ 15 i think . it wouldnt brake my heart to switch to some lower profile tires if i had higher gears ! View attachment 5383758 View attachment 5383758
Go with the Saginaw. it will be just fine with the 235. The T5 gear ratios combined with the 3:08 rear will make 5th gear completely useless. you'd never go into over drive. Plus you'd have to cut a hole in the floor for the shifter. The Saginaw could be hooked up to the original column shifter with a little work to the shift rods and the gear ratios in that will work just fine with the 3:08 rear.
Most likely the T5 will have a lower first gear than the Saginaw which will help you takeoff. The six is going to need all the help it can get. Then with more ratios to select from, the 5 speed should have less of a gap between gears at each shift. Then you end it all with an extra gear that lets you actually drive at todays elevated highway speeds. I'd look for a rear end that has a higher numerical ratio and then you have the best of both worlds. Recently another thread asked a similar question. Fellow wanted to go from a 3.00 (?) to a 3.80 rear end. As the calculations worked out, basically with a 5 speed OD trans, his engine was going to be turning about the same rpm in high gear (OD) with a 3.80 rear as it turned with the 3.00 and no OD. Put a 3.25/3.50 gear in the rear and overdrive and you will have a car thats much more enjoyable to actually drive............
I have a 1947 Chevrolet Fleetline Aerosedan. I'll be running a 261cui with a 60s 3 speed Saginaw, 3.08 rear gears off a 68 Chevelle convertible. My friend has the same set up and it's perfect for highway driving.
im totally in luv with that fleetline . ! post your location and ill try to steal it . anyway , im hearing what i was thinking . . 3.08 and a syncro. should be n\as close to perfect as you can get . i cant even think of any trade off at all . ive got the 50 -+p/u bell . im not sure wether or not i even need a rear cross member ? maybe ?
I’ve got both a 5speed and a Saginaw. Picked up a non-full sinc OD. Thinking about keeping the column shift. Probably use the OD set up with my 3:55 gears. Might go 3:73s with the OD
3.55 with o.d would probably be the best of everything , i dont guess the o.d. would fit on the synco trans. ? that would be perfect !
if they exist there sure arent many around . i cant recall ever seeing one . it dosent seem like many wher used in the 60s .maybe they where a bit to much trouble . ive actually never had one that worked .that i can remember !
If you’re in Yreka you’re already at 2500ft or so, and almost everywhere you go is uphill to start with. Heavy car, altitude, smaller (but adequate) engine, and lots of hills some people haven’t ever seen. I think the 3 speed is ok (I don’t like wide ratio T-5’s, and that’s probably what you’ve got). But recently in an o/d thread there were the instructions to put an o/d behind the Saginaw. If this is a long term car for you, I’d go look at that. Do the 3 speed now, be on the lookout for an R-10 BW o/d and a 3.7 to 3.9 rear end. When time and money make it add up, finish the conversion. That would bit the tits deal in your location. 2nd over would be a Highway gear on the freeway hills.
The T5 is a much better choice IMHO. Your engine package is not a power house, so the steeper first gear in the T5 will be a notable improvement over the Saginaw. You may lug the engine in OD with the 3.08 rear but worst case scenario, you just leave it in 4th which is the same 1:1 as the Saginaw. Or, if you like open highways and driving at left lane speed, the OD give you more flexibility later if you want to put a rear ratio in that is more suited towards the transmission's gearing. Your tires are really tall, which is making that 3.08 seem even taller. Ideally a 3.73 rear with the T5 and those 235s is a perfect combo.
2,800 at my house ! a trip n, to medford . uphill both ways . really .redding , same difference . trip to town and back 12 mi. .. the saginaw is the only thing that makes sense . if i had o.d. my brakes steerng and susp. would get dangerous as well !! but i am so done with 4.11 or what ever . i might take a trip with the 3.08s
I cruised my 235 around 60-65 ok with 355 gears. Tires were 235/75/15. Saginaw 3speed. Always seemed it needed OD on the hwy. I have a s10 T5 but I would like to keep the column shift. So the r10 od is the current plan.
I think I have a 3.0 rear in my 48 with the 250 and Saginaw full syncro 3 speed and while the trans works great those gears are a bit of a clutch burner taking on anything except flat ground. Low gear was a bit too high. It cruised great down the highway though. Depending on the od ratio of the T-5 a 3.78 rear ends up being right at 3.0 in 5th gear. A 3.08 gear and a T-5 with a .80 od like the one I have for my flathead has you end up with a final drive ration of right at 2.46. This is my favorite plug in three factors and get the fourth calculator but you do have to calculate the amount of overdrive percentage in with the gear ratio number. http://www.advanced-ev.com/Calculators/TireSize/
The R10 overdrive is much easier to find than the R11. Several on ebay right now. Don't know what would be involved to mate an OD to the Saginaw though. I've only delt with the trans/OD as one unit.
i put the biggest truck clutch i could on my orig. assy. .seems like it was 10 inch . but either way i think i could do a lot of slipping without issue. it sure seems like ive got plenty of power now . but thats a big step to 3.08 . might be a reality check on available torque !! ive got 2.56 s in my dodge. its got the fluid drive though . but once fully engaged it does grt. and a real 20 mpg. .i think the 235 might have a bit bigger balls than the 230 flth d.!?
After I put a 3.54 rear in my ‘59 Chevy PU, I still wanted an OD, was kinda afraid to run any higher ratio. Taking off in 2nd (compound low first) was about as much as the truck wanted. I did have tall tires in the rear though, 30 or 30.5 inch. Not sure how 2nd gear in the truck box equates to 1st with a 3speed though.
The easiest would be to leave the 3.08 rear and go with the 3-speed. If you do't like it, change it; it's not a performance car. If your expectations are realistic, I think you'l be satisfied.
The Jalopy Journal
