th350 to stick shift....

[Chadwick]

I know I posted up earlier about a t56 swap. But I'm really wanting to switg mine from auto to stick. Its a 76 c10 short bed. Is there anyone out there that can give insight on what a decent-good swap is that also isnt a budget killer. I'm also open-minded on either 3/4/5/6 speed. Just to consider that I'm not opposed to drive this from Charlotte to the beach or anywhere. So gear ratios will possibly make a difference. But I'm completly original auto to my knowledge with a th350. So I could use help with this guys, thanks.

 

[bucket]

What kind of budget do you have and do you plan to hop up the motor at all?

 

[Chadwick]

Well I'm not wanting to go crazy with price. Motor work will just be aluminum heads cam intake and carb upgrade. Not going to see more than 400-450ish. I ran into a guy at walmart yesterday that has a sm-465? trans cross member pedal and all the other stuff to swap mine to stick shift. Tie trans has a granny low first gear which won't bother me due to being low speed at cruise ins etc, but will it be good or bad for the route I'm going?

 

[Swims350]

do you have a long tail th350 or short?

the muncies I'm pretty sure and I know the saginaw 3 speed and four speed bolt right in place of a th350 short tail use same driveshaft and all.

 

[Chadwick]

do you have a long tail th350 or short?

the muncies I'm pretty sure and I know the saginaw 3 speed and four speed bolt right in place of a th350 short tail use same driveshaft and all.

I'm not sure if its a short tail or not... do you know the dimensions to verify?

 

[HotRodPC]

Yes, the 6 in tailshaft Th350, is equal to a Bell Housing and Muncie M20 and M21. Same driveshaft as explained too. What came in the squarebody trucks OEM was 9 in tailshafts which means if it's 9in, your driveshaft will be 3in to short.

 

[smurph20]

Problem going to an SM465 is if you are doing any highway miles you will be at a higher RPM in high gear depending on your rear gear. What rear axle ratio you have would depict what trans you go with.

 

[Swims350]

I don't think the sm465 is a direct bolt in, different length or different driveshaft required, but as mentioned if you had a 6 inch tail, the muncie's I guess fit according to hrpd, but I know for sure the truck 3 speed stick shifts and the saginaw 4 speeds from cars are the exact same length as the short tail and work fine.

fnding a driveshaft aint bad if you have a junkyard or have a driveshaft shop, we bought one for $65 at the junkyard.

 

[bucket]

If the goal is a fast C10 for fun, an SM465 isn't a very good choice IMHO. A T5 or NV3500 would be an OK choice if the motor was staying close to stock. Because of the muscle car resto market, a M20-M21 will probably end up costing about as much as a T56.

 

[HotRodPC]

I don't even know that a NV3500 is a good one for speed. Not near as bad as SM465 or SM420, but it's a top loader too. Not as tight as most. I might work. I've seen some Saginaw 3 speeds for $300, and some Muncies M20 and M21's for $500. M22, forget about. You'll spend $1000 on one of those.

 

[Chadwick]

So to touch back on this topic, what kind of 5 speed is there that I can put into my truck that will be ok with aftermarket wheels and 400 ish hp/tq on motor....... I don't care if I have to do a member swap etc etc because im doing major work anyways so that little wont be an issue.

 

[HotRodPC]

So to touch back on this topic, what kind of 5 speed is there that I can put into my truck that will be ok with aftermarket wheels and 400 ish hp/tq on motor....... I don't care if I have to do a member swap etc etc because im doing major work anyways so that little wont be an issue.

If you're using it like a truck, an NV3500 would probably hold up OK, but an NV4500 would be stronger. If you're wanting to ricky race around like a car instead of using like a truck, you might consider a Tremec trans out of a Camaro or Firebird and it's likely to be a 6 speed.

 

[Chadwick]

If you're using it like a truck, an NV3500 would probably hold up OK, but an NV4500 would be stronger. If you're wanting to ricky race around like a car instead of using like a truck, you might consider a Tremec trans out of a Camaro or Firebird and it's likely to be a 6 speed.

Well it has full air ride on it now and I really don't feel like breaking it and such lol.

 

[jux]

I'm quite happy with my Saggy 3 speed, if you are still considering having 3 gears. 1st and 2nd give me good performance with my 350 and 2.73 rear (yes, even with a 2.73). 3rd gives me highway cruisin 50 mph+ with decent gas mileage to boot. It's a side loader, and it should, AFAIK, bolt right in.

 

[Swims350]

saginaw 3 speed side cover/linkages are the exact same as a short tail th350, saginaw or muncie 4 spd. etc.