Shifting a big block

Discussion in 'U-shift em' started by Donuts & Peelouts, Nov 22, 2017.

  1. Donuts & Peelouts

    Donuts & Peelouts Life's 2 Short. Live like it.

    For the sake of asking too much questions in one thread I made another thread for manual transmission questions.
    what is a budget-friendly manual transmission that can take the torque of a 430 whether it be an old 4Speed or a new 5 speed. I'm thinking some of those new transmissions from the nineties late nineties that were in the 1500 Silverados and maybe those old Ford top-loaders also. Saginaw 4's?

    What do you guys think?
     
  2. Brad Conley

    Brad Conley RIP Staff Member

    I blew up a Saginaw in a stock 1975 Skyhawk with a romp'n stomp'm 110 horsepower. I would suggest skipping this one....

    Of course, I was NOT kind to it. At all. From day one.

    ;)
     
  3. Donuts & Peelouts

    Donuts & Peelouts Life's 2 Short. Live like it.

    My best bet i think is finding a muncie in a scrap yard, but should I look for the 10 spline or the 26 spline units? What the logic behind the splines?
     
  4. CJay

    CJay Supercar owner Staff Member

    If your doing this on a budget, the closer you can stick to stock, the cheaper its going to be in the long run. The 26 spline input/32 spline outputs are a bit heavier duty than the 10 spline in, 27 out units. But even a 10 spline is more than fine. You would be more concerned over wide ratio vs close ratio. My 70 Stage 1 has a factory 10 spline unit in it and its held up behind my big block. I don't believe its ever been rebuilt either. A good used Muncie should cost you around $600-$900
     
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  5. TrunkMonkey

    TrunkMonkey Well-Known Member

    I put a saginaw 4 speed out of a Vega into a 1964 Buick Special with a 330 Olds .060 over, 10.25, W-30 F heads, cam was .475, 328, 108
    with a Q-jet and I drove it 6 years, and drove it hard.
    (this was in late 70s, early 80s, so I did not have opportunity to dyno or verify numbers, but it ran like a scalded dog and pretty much walked away from everything except well massaged big blocks)

    Gave it to the first wife as a "parting gift". She rear ended a dump truck and trashed the front passenger side, and sold it. I saw it around several years later and the guy that had it was still running it as it was when he bought it, (except it had a blue right fender).

    So, I had no hate for the saginaw, and was pretty impressed with it's performance and reliability.

    Sometimes the failure is in the hands of the one installing, maintaining and operating rather than the engineer.
     
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