I need a top shift 3 speed transmission for a Chevy with a torque tube. I know that Chevy passenger cars went to a column shift/side shift transmission in '39. Top shift boxes from earlier ('35-'38) models seem to be quite scarce. What about 1/2 ton trucks? Did the '41-'47s have top shift and torque tube?
Those old 3 speed Chevy transmissions were weak, a little wear and they would get to where they would jump out of gear going down the road. Many an old Chevy pickup owner has had a bungee cord hooked onto the seat frame so that the other end could be hooked over the gearshift lever to hold it in high gear. Not a trans that you want to put behind anything that has more power than the stock babbit bearing 6. You're way ahead of the game to lose the torque tube rear (which you could use to build a trailer) and swap in a rear out of a Nova or Camaro, then you can have a choice of any number of transmissions that would be way better than an old Chevy 3 speed. If you want to keep 6 lugs, look at a Nissan pickup rear, same 6 lug bolt pattern as old Chevys. Guy brought a '34 Chevy sedan to our cruise a couple of months ago, a real sleeper resto-rod rolling on 6 lug stock wire wheels. He used a Nissan pickup rear, same width as the stock Chevy rear, open drive, and the Chevy wire wheels bolted right on.
The answer is yes thiose trans will "bolt up" and "fit" , but the trans on pick ups were different than cars. So you have to make some mods to get it to work. The other option is Patricks 4 speed trans conversion for torque tubes. Sort of pricey but works and you are going to have to make the mods anyhow, so why not put a trans that works in there? PM me for details.
All good advice but not pertinent to the project: the restoration of an old track roadster that was powered by (first) a 216 then a 235. In 1949-'52 it had an "in/out" box behind the engine with a Ford torque tube rearend and had to be push started.. The car will be used for vintage racecar exhibitions only but want to make it a self starter which requires a clutch and gearbox. Still using the Ford rearend and will have to figure a way to adapt the Chevy output to the Ford drive shaft. Probably will involve splicing in a piece of Chevy torque tube.
Dale, The '37-'39 pass. car & '37-early '47 truck boxes both have the same bellhousing bolt pattern & spline. The '41 up truck is best - has needle bearings in the cluster. The gear jumping/syncro grinding can be cured by a thicker shim behind 2nd gear -it compensates for the worn snap ring groove in the rear of the case.
Unless you want to keep the car period perfect, you might consider the kit for the S-10 4x4 trans (T-5) to torque-tube (Ford) rear; that crazydaddyo makes.
This is exactly the info I was looking for. Thanks a bunch. Now we know better what to look for plus the field of selection is broader than we thought. Even with a Chevy transmission the car won't be 100% period correct.That would require installing an in/out box which, even if we could find one, wouldn't satisfy our objective of making the car more "user friendly".
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