Transmission Identification

Good morning,

Looking for help with the ID of a transmission that came attached to a buick 215 I bought years ago. Wikipedia says this about the Skylark I believe it came from:

"Transmission choices were a 'three on the tree' manual transmission, a floor-shifted Borg-Warner T-10 4-speed manual, and a two-speed automatic."

Without a shifter attached, I'm having a hard time determining if this is the three or four speed. Thoughts?

Thanks!

 

4 speed saganaw

 

what he said.

 

yup. Originally it probably had a 3 speed, and someone swapped in the saginaw.

 

Thanks guys.

 

4 speed the 3 speed only had two shift arms.

 

Thanks.

A new shifter and installation kit from hurst and other manufactures sure requires a substantial number of dollar bills. When hunting for a used shifter, anything to look for? After more focused research, I think the tranny I have began life in a vega...

Thanks again.

 

Almost any Hurst four speed shifter will work, as long as you've got Saginaw style shift rods. I don't know how many swap meets are within your circle of driving in ID, but around here, I can't go to one without seeing at least a few used Hurst Competition Plus shifters lying on the ground. Don't worry about it being a "Vega transmission"; it isn't any weaker than the Saginaws that came behind V8s. The reason they ended up in Vegas was that Chevrolet already had them, and the Opel four speeds that the first Vegas used couldn't even hold up behind a stock Vega engine.

 

It may have been from a Vega originally, but someone's done a little work to it. The Saginaws used the in the Vegas used a shifter that was bolted to the floor pan rather than the extension housing of the transmission. The mounting bosses were still cast into the housing, but they were not drilled and tapped for the mounting bolts. Someone may have modified the Vega housing or swapped it for one from a more conventional trans.

The Vega trans might be a good choice for this swap. I'm not sure, but the Vega Saginaw trans might have had a lower first gear to make the car more responsive with the smaller engine. Might make the 215 seem pretty snappy when the light turns green!

 

Thanks!

I'll check the input shaft next time I'm in the shop to check the 1st gear ratio. The motor I'm going to run has been stroked with a 300 crank with 64' aluminum 300 heads, mild cam, etc... I'm hoping its snappy either way!

Thanks again.