i've been struggling to piece together a traditional drivetrain for a '54 322 nailhead I can't afford much and have been mostly theorizing. I have a 5 bolt Buick 3 spd. from a 264 condition unknown but I've been told it's a p.o.s. At first I thought a chev 3 spd o/d would be awesome but seems like tons of work and or money. I found this cad/lasalle trans locally. I've heard alot about them but I think what you do is put the gears from this side shifter trans into a ford box? as far as I know the 264 bell and flywheel will fit the 322 and at least it is open drive but does anyone know if it will bolt onto the 264 bell? - thanks
A 264 bell housing, clutch, flywheel and clutch fork can all be used on a 322. I've done it on a 55 Buick Special. The only problem is the 264 three speed one arm bandit transmission is a POS and extremely fragile. I don't understand your statement about the 264 transmission being open drive. Thats a torque tube transmission. What type of car and rear end will you be using? Gary
No you did not put Cad gears in a Ford box. You put Lincoln . gears in a Ford box. The LaSalle/Cad box is used as is, usually, If you get an earlier model ("37?") it would be a top shift.
I believe the the OP is referring to the Caddy trans, if coupled to the 264 bell, would be open drive... ray
The main problem with adapting other transmissions to '30s thru early '60s Buick bell housings is the way early Buick, Olds & Pontiac transmssions interface with the bell housing. Unlike many other transmissions, those BOP models used a slide in flanged tube in the bell housing that served as the front bearing retainer and TO brg support tube and the trans to bell housing joint needed a gasket to keep from losing trans lube. In addition, there is a dimensional difference in the trans bolt pattern to bell housing between the 5 bolt and 6 bolt cover trannies. The 6 bolt have a deeper/taller bolt pattern that has more surface area for redrilling if needed. Looking at the pic of you Caddy transmission, it appears it may share that characteristic of front bearing retainer with the BOP stuff. Or, maybe, the front bearing retainer has been removed from the trans. I am not familiar with the Caddy configuration, except that '50 Oldsmobile stick shift bells would accept an floor shift Cad/Lasalle trans bolt pattern and used the slide in tube described above.. '51 and later Olds used the same configuration and bolt pattern as the Buicks I described above. If Buick offered a manual trans in a Super (322 engine), that trans would likely have been a 6 bolt cover and it's bell housing would be a better choice to mate with the Cad/Lasalle box. Unless, by chance, the Caddy fits your Buick bell, limited funds or not, if I were wanting to use the Buick engine I would look for a vintage trans adapter that would take a more commonly available open drive transmission. edit: can you post a pic of the front of the Caddy trans? Ray
I meant the cad trans... it is unfortunately still side shift but at least it is open drive....its a model A and I have either a '46 truck open 3 pce or a '57 Chev rear I could use....if this is a stronger trans and bolts up to the 264 bellhousing Thanks I remembered my Hot Rodding 101 after I wrote that lol...I wish it was a top shift but its reasonably cheap so I guess thats why thanks that is what I meant.... unfortunately my bell is deeply buried last time I tried to dig it out I stretched my model A trunk floor pan grrr! so I can't just take it over to compare
I've contacted him hopefully he can text me a pic It was a dynaslow that didnt come with the engine, later I scored a complete frame but from a 264 driveline I planned to use the whole 264 driveline until a few litres of water poured out of the rear end and I started hearing what crappy trans the 5 bolt were. I've had no luck finding a 6 bolt and honestly don't want to mess with closed drivelines...I do have a model A axle maybe I should bolt the the 5 bolt trans to it and see which grenades first lol I think it would be the 5 bolt cover trans ha ha
Nailhead A-V8 - check the thread "Original paint coupe" for some useful info on this topic. Hamber Duncan is using the 264 Buick/Cad-Lasalle trans combo.
Hnstray is correct in this. The Cad/LaSalle input bearing retainer is also the sleeve that the throwout bearing registers on, and is caged in the bell housing, just as the Buick is. I Am using a vintage (early 60’s) Speed Gems adapter plate between the 264 Buick bell housing and the C/LS transmission. Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
I second this, I posted a while back on behalf of my neighbor who's 3 on the tree transmission grenaded in his stock Buick sedan, it was just a cruiser and never abused. Still waiting on the machine shop to finish the new shafts, he was unable to locate any replacements.
You 'could' use an open drive 5 bolt cover trans from a Pontiac or Olds as they are a direct bolt up to the Buick. A 5 bolt trans might hold up better with a light weight Model A as compared to heavy Buick/Olds, etc. Reducing weight/load has the same effect as using a stronger part in most cases. However, if the trans were to come from a column shift car, you end up with the 'selector' shift mechanism, which is more difficult to convert to floor shift. With HAMBer Duncan's input, it looks like the Caddy trans is doable with an adapter plate and it is easier to convert to floor shift. Although, Model A's have been built with column shift (think '40 Ford column). If you have a machinist friend, you might show him what you are trying to do with the Cad trans and a suitable plate can be fabricated, especially if you could find a photo of the Speed Gems item. Wishing you well with this project. Ray
Duncan! You have the answer to 2 yrs of hair pulling and teeth grinding and right in my own back yard too.....please please tell me you copied that plate or have yet to install it I would love to copy it
I can give you photos and dimensions, it isn't that complicated, but you will need a friend with a miller or a machine shop to do it. The register for the input bearing retainer must be exact, that is what aligns the transmission to the bell housing. The mounting holes could be drilled in a drill press, but must be recessed in a miller.
Thanks! I really appreciate it! I guess i'll go buy that trans as long as it's in reasonable shape .... finally a step in the right direction
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