I picked up a guaranteed good saginaw 4 speed for a hundred bucks. from what I've figured here are the ratios: first 3.11 second 2.20 thrid 1.47 fourth 1.00 Obviously the gear spread more/less sucks. but the price was right. My muncie blew up last year, and I want a super case 4 speed, but I have all my money tied up in paint. sooooo this trans is a temporary deal but, I know little about them. is it any good at all? its an iron case so it can't be that bad. anybody have any experience? Thanks :3gears:
Saginaws are not as bad as they are made out to be. They were put behind many lower cube/lower HP muscle cars back in the day. A lot of Saginaws were used in truck applications so they should be able to handle a fair amount of torque. When I bought my car years ago it had a Saginaw in from somewhere down the road. I bought a muncie with the intention of swapping it out. Then I decided just to ride out the Saginaw until it broke then I would swap it out. Well it's still in there and doing just fine although it's getting a little noisy now. Make no mistake, it sees plenty of hard shifts too.:3gears:
My 72 also had a Saginaw in it when I bought it. It was the smoothest shifting 4 speed I have ever had. It also took a lot of pretty aggressive power shifts and never had a problem. I finally swapped it out 2 years ago for an M20 Muncie, for durability reasons. Even after all the abuse I gave it the gears and syncros still look good inside the Saginaw. Not as bad a trans as people claim it to be. :TU:
With the iron case I figured it had to be worth something... or at least one less thing to worry about
the saginaw 4 spd tranny -was designed for the gm cars with less than 300 gross hp. anything over that was a muncie.
True, but they were also used in some truck applications as well and we all know that they probably didn't see that much horsepower but they had a fair amount of torque running through them. I'm not saying that a Saginaw is better than a Muncie but they can and do hold up to a fair amount of abuse.:TU:
well, I bought the shifter install kit. so i'm up to 240 bucks in this tranny. It really worked out well since the splines were the same on both ends as my muncie. I'm also interested in second gear starts too since second is 2.20, and of course we all know is first in a m21/22. I always thought the wide ratio was better, but I'll see how the buick likes it.. know I just need the time
The wide ratio is definitely better for getting out of the hole but the 21/22 keeps a smoother gap between gears. I just can't stand the way a close ratio acts from a stop unless you have a lot of gear. You'll probably find that you are not crazy about the fact that the Saginaw will carry you about 10' before it's time to hit second gear but until you get your Supercase done it will make for some fun stop light to stop light action.:TU:
There were also 3 speed saginaw trannys with overdrive, they were in late 50's early 60's trucks and vans. The OD section bolted on the rear of the main case, and the best part was you could install it on the 4 speed saginaw as well. :TU: The result was 8 forward gears. In or out of OD was accomplished with a shift lever or cable arrangment. The ratio was about 0.70 what I recall. I haven't seen one in years, but do a google search about it and you'll find something, the truck guys are into them.
This trans is fine if you drive like Driver's Ed taught you. STicky tires and power shifts will get them if you make any power. If you are on the street with a high rear gear, not a bad choice. With the 455 torque and the weight of a GS, I can't see them lasting long at the track. I really don't think that trans was in a truck as a 4 speed. The 3 speed was in 67 and later trucks. Sure beats nothing and lots cheaper than a Munice. Jim N.
I had this tranny behind a 327 in a 57 Chevy with 4.11 gears. At the strip I would shift into 2nd and the end of the concrete launch pad. It was faster taking off in 2nd.
a friend had one in his camaro years ago after blowing up his t-10. the gear spread from 1st to 2nd is what was awful. the 1st gear ratio will get you out of the hole nicely but then 2nd is like hitting a wall. if they geared it a bit differently it probably would have been much nicer, good luck.
