I've got a 54 Plymouth Cranbrook with a 218 flathead 6, 3 speed column shift manual with overdrive. My question is what other manual gear boxes are interchangeable, with or without addaptors. Much prefer a floor shift. Will anything 60's mopar fit? Or god forbid an auto. I'm trying to get out of this relatively cheaply and without cross member mods if possible. I do realize this I a tall order. Bones.
not sure any late stuff will bolt in....one thing though they did use the same tranny for many a year - maybe 1941 up to 1959....will check my books for clarification.... Lawrence
None, some folks sell adapters for modern 5 speeds, but with the OD you basically have a 5 speed now, and second gear will shift to OD, acting as an intermediate gear between 2nd and 3rd. Because the transmission is a selector type it shifts diffeently that the H gated 2 speeds used by Chevy and Ford, so there are not many floorshifters out there. Several folks have modified regular floor shift conversions or built home made ones to deal with the praticular needs of the likage. Plus swapping the trans means you loose your parking brake as it is mounted on the transmission. That would necessitate a rear end change or at the least backingplate changes to mount rear brakes with e brake capability. A search here will turn up a recent thread on a home built shifter or two. However the threespeeds with OD are highly sought after and pricey to buy when available. You can down load a Borg warner Repair manual from the web, b=ut your back into top shape and have a very flexible drive train.
Get out of what? If there is something wrong rebuilding what you have is probably the easiest, cheapest and best solution. From memory they used the same manual trans from the forties to 1956. In your case, they probably used the same box to the end of production of that model in 62. Forties and early fifties Plymouths have an odd shifting mechanism, nobody makes a floor shift conversion that will fit without adapting. The other thing to bear in mind is the handbrake. Yours is on the gearbox, all modern cars have them on the rear brakes. This means changing your rear axle if you change transmissions. Is there no one in Australia who can rebuild your transmission? In the US some guys are adapting the T5 5 speed. Do a web search for Don Coatney T5 Plymouth and you should turn up some interesting photos.
Take a look at this thread: http://www430.pair.com/p15d24/mopar_forum/showthread.php?t=19456&highlight=ranger .
I sold a floor shift conversion for your car recently. I don't think the guy who bought it was going to use it, he just didn't think they existed and wanted to see it. If you want a floor shift conversion for what you have, which is the ideal solution for you, let me know and I'll check with him. austin dod sailor at yahoo dot com
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