Since my 1965 401 factory four speed bellhousing has what I believe is a Ford bolt pattern, in addition to the GM pattern, can I find a Ford five speed that will fit a 65 A-body? I don't want to spend what it would take for a Tremec, so any ideas appreciated, considering the cost of fuel. Thanks, Kurt
I think the length of the input shaft is shorter on the ford trannies- I had to rebuild the Ford Toploader 3-speed for my 69- it required a GM spec input shaft. - that dimension I believe to be the same on 350's, 455's and Nailheads - even though the bellhousing is obviously totally different. My t- 10, and tremec lined up perfect with the pilot bushing. (eelco's bell depth too short- may be a chevvy variation to input shaft length). So maybe a 5-speed from a camaro? My wildcat has some "other "4-speed- it works ok, has a lower 1st gear- works good with the 3.08 rear gear.
Hi Specialwagon 65: I have looked at pictures of the Camaro five speeds and they could be an option, but the rear mount is at an angle, which seems like a serious problem. I don't drive the car hard other than flooring it in gear, so the tranny doesn't need to be really heavy duty, so a t-5 would probably work fine. I thought I heard a while back that you could use the tailshaft from a chevy S10 with a t-5 and it would have the correct angle, but I have yet to see one online (ebay). Thanks for the input (no pun intended) Kurt ps. I also have a 65 Special Wagon that I plan to make into a BuCamino.
if you remove the rear sheet metal of the wagon I may be interested in it- Riviera or Wildcat Nomad Wagon :beer I think you may be on the right path with the s-10 trans but you may be the first on that path with a nailhead! Maybe check with the HAMB folks on trannies. Ted
Ted, What part of the rear sheetmetal are you interested in? My vision is to drop the roof of an elky into the wagon body. I will use the quarters of the wagon and the front quarts off of a post sedan and the tailgate off of the elky. Kurt
My vision is similar- drop the roof of a special wagon on a wildcat 2 door.- I've actually no plan to do this, but a guy can dream. I will stick to the stock stuff. Thanks!
The Camaro unit is offset by 18 degrees to line up in the tunnel on a F-body. It is also relitively light duty, so driving style and vehicle weight come into play. Ask Floyd's Buick (Dan) about using a 5spd saginaw for a GM truck. This might be a better option. Otherwise, a good World Class 5spd from a Mustang after 1988 is going to be stronger than the Camaro unit. These too have a habit of destroying themselves under "spirted driving conditions" (GM speak for beating the _ell out of your car). Jim
When you say the bell has a Ford pattern. Can you tell if it's the Ford "Butterfly" pattern (Toploader style), or the Ford "Narrow" pattern (T5). Ford Butterfly: Ford Narrow (T5): Greg
Greg, It is not the butterfly pattern. It looks like the narrow pattern. Did they make that pattern in 1965? I believe that pattern was used for the three speed nailhead GS. Kurt
Update, I think. After spending hours on google, I think the 1965 Skylark GS with a three speed used a Warner t85 transmission. Does anyone know if that pattern is the same as the later t5 in a Ford? All help appreciated. Kurt
Kurt, the 65-66 GS used a Ford Toploader 3 speed. It was replaced by the HD Muncie 3 speed a few years later. Ted has the right idea....a wide ratio 4 speed will allow you to use a 3.08 or lower number rear. Also keep your eyes open for a Richmond 5 speed, or the older Doug Nash 5 speed. They have a super-low 1st gear with a 1:1 5th gear, so they work great with 2.42 to 2.78 rears. I just got one today:bglasses: Keep in mind additional mods you may have to make....like cutting a new hole in the floor, buying a clutch disk that fits the trans, and yokes and u-joints....that stuff can add up. BTW, what rear do you have in the car?
Hey Walt, I have given the idea of a wide ratio serious thought. The car currently has 3:23 rear gears and tires that are two inches short of original. The close ratio t10 makes it hard to get rolling, so a wide ratio with evenly spaced gearing and higher (numerically lower) rear gears would be good. I hate to change the new rear tires, but that is the cheapest way to go to make the engine turn slower, or maybe 2:56 rear gears? Did they make that "high" a gearing for the 65 a-bodies??? Thanks for all the input, Kurt
Yes, a 2.56 ratio was avail in 64-67 for the 8.2 rear. It was the 'Economy Axle' option for some models. The 2.56 and 2.78 used a different posi unit tho. 68-up 2.56 gears are a different pn, so I don't think they will fit the early rears. See if you can find some info on the T10 4 speeds used in Pontiac TA's. Pretty sure they used a super wide ratio, with a first gear of 2.62? Should hold up better than a T5.
eelco sells a adapter so you can run modern manual trans t56 nailhead and 373 gears would be stupid fast
