Engine/ transmission compatibility question

[FAT TONY]

alright well ive been having the idea of getting a 350 but only have budget for the engine not a transmission, so my question is would the original 3 speed transmission work with the 350 engine or would it just cause damage to the engine/tranny?

[rbar]

You would be good with the 3 speed. I have ran a strong 350 and a strong 327 with a 3 speed. Drag raced it alot too, although it's not a recommended tranny for racing.
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[FAT TONY]

Originally Posted by rbar

You would be good with the 3 speed. I have ran a strong 350 and a strong 327 with a 3 speed. Drag raced it alot too, although it's not a recommended tranny for racing.
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well i just use it to go to school might race a couple times here and there but overall it shouldn't cause damage rite?......... and what speed did you get out of the 350 with the 3 speed?, by the way seeing as how its the original 3 speed, did they make them strong enough for newer engines? ive been told back in the day the speed limit was way slower

[jocko]

it would bolt right up and be compatible - won't cause damage just because it's a 350 with a bit more power, unless of course you tend to drop the clutch and try to roast the tires every once in a while... In which case, there are many other parts that will probably break before the trans (u-joints, spidey gears, ring & pinion, etc etc)

[FAT TONY]

Originally Posted by jocko

it would bolt right up and be compatible - won't cause damage just because it's a 350 with a bit more power, unless of course you tend to drop the clutch and try to roast the3 tires every once in a while... In which case, there are many other parts that will probably break before the trans (u-joints, spidey gears, ring & pinion, etc etc)

so as long as i dont try to burn rubber to much i should be good rite?, can i do it at all without breaking something, you know once or twice a month? ............ more than likely though i wont be wasting tires seeing as the prices of gas and tires are rising

[rbar]

I was running slicks at the track, heating them up and launching pretty good. It was a 3 on the column. I missed a shift once and punched the windshield. I was expecting it to break at some point, but it never did. If the tranny itself is in good working order, I wouldn't be afraid of using it at all. I would say that generally when you spin the tires in one of these trucks, it's just spinning loose and not getting nearly the jolt that you would when trying to get it to hook up and launch.

[FAT TONY]

Originally Posted by rbar

I was running slicks at the track, heating them up and launching pretty good. It was a 3 on the column. I missed a shift once and punched the windshield. I was expecting it to break at some point, but it never did. If the tranny itself is in good working order, I wouldn't be afraid of using it at all. I would say that generally when you spin the tires in one of these trucks, it's just spinning loose and not getting nearly the jolt that you would when trying to get it to hook up and launch.

i don't plan on racing at the track too much but hopefully i can go once in a while to see my time, mine is on the floor i like the feel of the floor shifter i could never get the hang of column shifting.....hopefully my tranny can handle it and the only thing that im scared of is safety although with the bigger engine i need brake booster, thicker wheel studs, cause the ones i got only hold a little thread on the nuts, and maybe a new drive shaft but other than that it should be safe enough to drive..... and yea but i really don't think ill be burning rubber to much

[jocko]

Originally Posted by FAT TONY

so as long as i dont try to burn rubber to much i should be good rite?, can i do it at all without breaking something, you know once or twice a month? ............ more than likely though i wont be wasting tires seeing as the prices of gas and tires are rising

it only takes once... I had a 3-speed in a 57 bel air once also in addition to my current truck. The trans held up (kinda.. the synchros were bad eventually, but probably were going bad anyway), the rear end did not. So, like I said, I wouldn't worry about the trans with the 350 - something else will let loose before it. If it's your daily driver to school - might want to be a little careful it it's critical transportation with no backup. Ha, who am I kidding, like I would've listened to that sort of advice when I was 16. Actually blew the rear end twice... Anyway, your trans should be fine. Only one way to learn how expensive old repairs can be on a budget - break the parts and have to buy them yourself. So, you'll probably do exactly what I did, and there's nothing wrong with that. Still ticked me off though when a week's salary went toward a new rear or a new clutch, or the strangely prematurely worn right rear tires!

[FAT TONY]

Originally Posted by jocko

it only takes once... I had a 3-speed in a 57 bel air once also in addition to my current truck. The trans held up (kinda.. the synchros were bad eventually, but probably were going bad anyway), the rear end did not. So, like I said, I wouldn't worry about the trans with the 350 - something else will let loose before it. If it's your daily driver to school - might want to be a little careful it it's critical transportation with no backup. Ha, who am I kidding, like I would've listened to that sort of advice when I was 16. Actually blew the rear end twice... Anyway, your trans should be fine. Only one way to learn how expensive old repairs can be on a budget - break the parts and have to buy them yourself. So, you'll probably do exactly what I did, and there's nothing wrong with that. Still ticked me off though when a week's salary went toward a new rear or a new clutch, or the strangely prematurely worn right rear tires!

haha man sounds like you've had your share of experiences , I really am thinking bout getting that 350 only thing im really putting thought into now is gas cause i know for a fact that if i know i can go faster more than likely im going faster, hopefully though every thing works fine for a while, and yes i know what you mean by that couple parts ive broken costed me some cash, worst thing was finding the parts

[rbar]

With a 350 with a corvette 327 / 350 horse cam, quadrajet 4 bl, 3 speed, 373 posi, I got 18 mpg when I kept my foot out of it.
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[FAT TONY]

thats not so bad........ hopefully i can get better gas mileage if not im gonna end up having to put an antique plate on my truck and only drive it on weekends

[1963c-10]

I would say it depends what 3 speed your refering to. The muncie mc318, the saginaw or the Borg warner t-16 which came behind big block chevelles/camaros. All three have different applications. The borg warner was rated to handle 425hp and has the same size gears/case as a muncie m22.

[FAT TONY]

how would i find out what tranny i have?....... were on the transmission would i find that information?

[1963c-10]

The muncie 3 speed has a short main case and long tail. The saginaw has a longer main case and a very short tail. Counting the side bolts on the main case will also help with what trans you have.

[61K10]

well i am from the old days---if its the old muncie the only week spot is the synchro drum. would push the ends out when shifting. this was with a good hurst shifter (not a mystery shifter) they used to make heavy duty drums, don't know about today. i never broke a gear in that 3p and it was in a 56 chevy 210 with a 327 and 4.56 posi rear. I also had one in a 62 c10 lb with a 350 (it had overdrive). the 3p should work fine for you, but as you know you can break anything--have fun

[1963c-10]

here are the muncie mc318, saginaw and borg t-16 3 speeds in that order. The saginaw here has the overdrive

[FAT TONY]

i think mine is the muncie mc318 but not sure....... ill make sure of it when i get home to check it......... and out of all three which one do you think will work best with the 350 and what are the pros and cons of the rest ?

[oem4me]

Are all of these transmissions the same OA length? If not, you may have to modify the drive shaft, plus find an appropriate yoke. Then comes custom/modified linkage from column to trans. I put a later trans in my old '63 and the shift linkage ended up being the weak point. I never could get the solid feel like it originally had.

[1963c-10]

Yes, I currently own 2 of the 3. I had a saginaw for another project and they are all the same. The muncie is a non-snychronized 3 speed. The saginaw is nice, but your limited on your torque and HP. The borg warner T-16 was a HD 3 speed, fully synchronized and chevy used it behind many high HP SB and BB applications. Was listed as the M13 option for chevelle/camaros. The 4 speed muncie was the optional trans that most people went for. The only down side of the T-16 is that they are hard to find...but bulletproof trans. Im putting one in the 63 w/my 427 BB. Still plan to retain the3 speed on the column, although I have the shifter in the pic if I change my mind. The spline is different on the Borg Warner from the muncie/saginaw. Runs the fine spline that you commonly see with car applications.

[FAT TONY]

well i just made sure and yes i have the muncie mc318 i can tell by the long tail anything else i should know about this transmission that might help or detain the performance of my truck? ........ by the way i was also wondering how can i check what my rear ratio is?

[FAT TONY]

bump

[FAT TONY]

i have the muncie with a 7 side bolts, what is the difference between the 7 bolt or the 4 bolt?