I know you have heard this story before, but I could really use some advice on which transmission would be a good fit for a cruiser. I have a 62 c10. It has a 2bbl intake. Non power pack heads. Right now I have the sm420? Granny low 4spd. 3.08 12 bolt rear. I feel like switching to an auto, but am not 100 % convinced. Thinking th350.... I know I will have to replace the motor and trans mounts. It has the horseshoe mount on the front of the block and the bellhousing mount for the trans. With the low hp motor and the 3.08 rear end is the th350 trans an ok choice or is the something better I should be looking for? Is there a better 4 speed that is a direct swap? Thanks . I appreciate your responses.
I don't see a problem running a turbo 350. Most guys would suggest an overdrive trans but then you get into how you control the and the 350 is basically bolt in and go when you add a crossmember for the trans. Your truck isn't all that heavy and should do fine with that setup. The only complicated thing is getting the front half of the drive shaft cut down to fit and gettng a yoke for the 350 trans. An aftermarket add on trans cooler takes care of cooling it.
IMHO, the 350 turbo is the easiest choice and is in line with a factory set-up so it will function very smoothly. My experience with a 700R4 is, the 3:08 rear is too high for OD, I run a 3:25 rear with a 700R4 and a lock-up converter. My car cruises great at 80 MPH at 2100 RPM, anything slower and my RPM's are under 2000. My car still runs good at lower RPM's but it sounds more like its being lugged down.
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