So mad !! new tranny did not bolt up !!!

[sevensixoh]

aHHHH !!!

So my 60 apache , connected to a 283 powerglide needed a tranny rebuild . I went they cheapo route and found a donor powerglide from a 1960 bel air and after all the laborious work ( not a mechanic ) only about 4 of the 11 bolts lined up !! and then the starter wouldn't fit either !! don't know what to do .... I think a rebuild quote was way too much and know contemplating a 350 .... wondering if that will bolt up ??

[jayoldschool]

If the Glide out of the 60 Bel Air was attached to a V8, it should have bolted right in.

[geezer#99]

You probably need the adaptor.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1956-1961-Ch...-/390384378991

[Auctioneerhere]

SBC is SBC, Same Bolt pattern as a BBC.

[100%Chevy]

Geezer99 is correct!
You need the adapter.
And if the trans came from a six,it will not fit!It will only fit a six.
In 62,the powerglide was aluminum and would fit without an adapter.
You will also need an end-mount starter to bolt to the adapter.
And,that adapter is way too much money!Shop around!
Mike.

[LT1 Burb]

Too bad I took a cast iron glide to the scrap yard with all that crap on it, no one wanted it.

[Captainfab]

I would definitely go with a TH350 instead of another Powerglide. And yes a TH350 will bolt up to your 283 as long as you get a Chevy TH350 and not the BOP version. A TH350 will make your truck much nicer to drive IMO.

[kieth]

If you are going to change why not go to a 700r4 and get performance and fuel economy.....Kieth

[sevensixoh]

Thanks for all your help gentleman !! much appreciated , Im leaning towards the th 350 now. But if i did buy the adapter plate , would my stock starter fit right in or would i have to change the starter as well . Thanks in advance .

[cru_zn_29]

I think i have the adapter and starter parts you need.
Kenny

[sevensixoh]

really , Pm me !!

[losthope]

Might be a silly question but if he does buy the adapter plate and the correct starter to get the trans to work, wont the adapter plate make the length measurement longer, of the trans? Just thinking about how the drive line will mate up, hopefully theres enough play in the slip yoke to compensate for the added length of the adapter and no binding with the travel of the rear end goes up and down....or else he'll have to have the drive shaft shortened...right? might be best to take some measurements of the old trans and replacement trans and make sure they are the same length, and ask to get a measurement of the adapter before you buy it and make sure everything's going to work, before you spend money on a adapter and find out you need to pay more money for shortening the drive shaft......if thats the case it might be better to pick up a cheap th350 and have the drive shortened/ lengthened if needs to be...or find the correct powerglide to fit back in there! .....also with adapter plate or th350 swap you might have to move the trans crossmember!

[sevensixoh]

Your right !! i only have about a Quarter of an inch of play and that adapter plate looks 1/2 inch thick !!

[61K10]

pretty sure a cast iron pg is a different length than 62 up alum. which would make the d/s different.

[losthope]

Originally Posted by sevensixoh

Your right !! i only have about a Quarter of an inch of play and that adapter plate looks 1/2 inch thick !!

since i assume your trying to get your truck going on the cheap...cheapest route would most likely be findind the same type/length powerglide in running condition, that you had in there in the first place...or having yours rebuilt..

not every trans length is the same so if your planning on swapping a different trans in you need to find one thats very close in length or you will be forking out money to have your driveline lengthened or shortened depending on trans you go with and also may need special cables and bracket for certain tran's...this link may help you a little:
https://www.google.com/search?q=chev...tm%3B630%3B503

what you need/should do is is sit back and get a game plan,and make a price list of what it will cost to put the replacement trans you already have(dont know if you paid for it or not) and parts that will take to swap it and find out the cost and compare it to what itll cost to either, 1. find a correct running powerglide to do a direct swap, 2. rebuild your original power glide for a exact fit, 3. or a th350, 700r4 ( drivline shortened or lengthened and other parts to do this swap , like kickdown or TV cables and brackets to hook them up, and shift linkages)...and see if the cost is even worth trying to use the replacement trans...

so how much is the cost of:

1. cost of trans(you already own it)?
2. cost of adapter plate?
3. cost of starter you will need?
4. will there be a cost to service the drive line because of length?

since you said you have the replacement sitting in the truck now half way bolted in i suggest you :

1. measure old trans and your replacement trans and see if they are the same length or not so you know what your working with ,and what difference in length you might already have

2. with the rear axle under load ( rear end sitting on jackstands) there should be 3/4 to 1 inch of travel in the slip yoke ...i suggest you check that out and see what you have ( that is where you want to be so you dont have driveline issues), then once you find out the adapter measurement you will know if you have enough room or not by also knowing how much play you have in the slip yoke...


i dont know about your area but Around here i can find a used th350 for around $200 and get a driveline built for $300-400, or buy a rebuilt trans(th350 since thats what i bought) for $600 with a 1 year warranty....how much was your rebuild quote?

[losthope]

heres the transmission link i meant to post above:
http://www.maliburacing.com/auto_tranny_id.htm

[PoDuck]

Okay, I have a 1962, which is pretty much the same as yours. My powerglide took a dump several years ago, and I replaced it with a TH350 and have never looked back, especially since I didn't realize that the powerglide was cast iron (not aluminum as said earlier), and I about lost my finger when dropping it out. Nothing like a part trying to dismember you to get you to be happy dumping it.

If you're going to switch to a TH350, you'll have to change out the starter ~$50 without a core, flexplate ~$60, transmission mount (1972 1/2 ton 2wd mount works) ~$5, remove all the mounting hardware for the pg from the back of the motor, and you'll need to get a shift linkage that will bolt up. I went for the Lokar ACA-1800 column shift linkage kit ~$60.

On my truck, the transmission cross member holes weren't quite long enough, so I had to grind them back about half an inch so the transmission mount could be mounted to it while on the transmission.

All said, not including torque converter or transmission, it's less than $200. Even less if you can find parts you need laying around.

As for what someone else said about putting a 700R4 in there, that's a bit more work. I don't see any simple (bolt on style) way to put a 700R4 into a truck with torsion bars. Something would need to be fabricated, since the bolt holes on the 700R4 are a little over 2 inches longer to the transmission mount holes on a TH350, and I pushed the limit on getting those to fit.

Anyway, even though the top gear ratio is still 1:1, the sound is greatly diminished at freeway speeds, and for some reason I'm getting significantly better gas mileage too (18mpg), just since the swap. Before I was only getting 14 mpg. I'm not sure why that would be, but I'm not going to complain. I was happy with a small block chevy motor getting 14 mpg in such a heavy vehicle. With 18, I'm ecstatic.

Hope that helps some.

[sevensixoh]

Gentleman , thank you for all the advice , this is my first old truck and first time really getting under there and doing some work !!!! I got a qoute to rebuild the cast iron pg and was around 800 to $1300 . Which in my opinion was way to much , and they, said because it is an old trqnny that nobody really works on anymore . So I'm Into the donor tranny for $75 , not bad but I'm thinking of going the 350 route , I figure parts and rebuild would be cheaper since it is a more common tranny than a pg . So wish me luck and ill keep yall posted .
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[sevensixoh]

Oh yeah ,what is a flexplate ?
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[losthope]

Originally Posted by sevensixoh

Oh yeah ,what is a flexplate ?
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Cool stuff glad your getting under it and working on it , you can never ask to many questions! if it were me id also consider a th300 instead of paying that much for a rebuild! th350 are a dime a dozen and you can pick one up fairly cheap and the swap is easy, thats what ive had in two of my trucks, but with 350 motors, does fine for me.......a flex plate is the big metal plate that bolts to the crankshaft on the rear of the motor that has the teeth around the edge that the starter spins to start the motor and the transmissions torque converter bolts to also....good luck!

[sevensixoh]

Ah ok , i was calling that a flywheel . but im learning new stuff everyday !!! thanks

[PoDuck]

Originally Posted by sevensixoh

Ah ok , i was calling that a flywheel . but im learning new stuff everyday !!! thanks

With a manual transmission, it is a much thicker piece called a flywheel. Flywheels are made to work with rotational inertia. A flexplate is not, and is only on automatic transmission vehicles.

[sevensixoh]

So I was able to get a th 350 with convertor from gimmy 64 ..Thanks !! now the question is , what flexplate and starter do I need to get this thing on the road . please help ... thanks

[losthope]

first you should find out what starter will bolt up to your engine block, staggered bolt pattern or in-line bolt pattern then use the correct plate for your application ?

A 168 tooth starter will have staggered mounting bolt holes

and

A 153 tooth starter will have the holes in a straight line.

and

If your starter has 2 sets of mounting holes( found alot on mini starters), it can be used on either flywheel/flexplate.

hope that helps!

[hopped up]

Originally Posted by PoDuck

Okay, I have a 1962, which is pretty much the same as yours. My powerglide took a dump several years ago, and I replaced it with a TH350 and have never looked back, especially since I didn't realize that the powerglide was cast iron (not aluminum as said earlier), and I about lost my finger when dropping it out. Nothing like a part trying to dismember you to get you to be happy dumping it.

If you're going to switch to a TH350, you'll have to change out the starter ~$50 without a core, flexplate ~$60, transmission mount (1972 1/2 ton 2wd mount works) ~$5, remove all the mounting hardware for the pg from the back of the motor, and you'll need to get a shift linkage that will bolt up. I went for the Lokar ACA-1800 column shift linkage kit ~$60.

On my truck, the transmission cross member holes weren't quite long enough, so I had to grind them back about half an inch so the transmission mount could be mounted to it while on the transmission.

All said, not including torque converter or transmission, it's less than $200. Even less if you can find parts you need laying around.

As for what someone else said about putting a 700R4 in there, that's a bit more work. I don't see any simple (bolt on style) way to put a 700R4 into a truck with torsion bars. Something would need to be fabricated, since the bolt holes on the 700R4 are a little over 2 inches longer to the transmission mount holes on a TH350, and I pushed the limit on getting those to fit.

Anyway, even though the top gear ratio is still 1:1, the sound is greatly diminished at freeway speeds, and for some reason I'm getting significantly better gas mileage too (18mpg), just since the swap. Before I was only getting 14 mpg. I'm not sure why that would be, but I'm not going to complain. I was happy with a small block chevy motor getting 14 mpg in such a heavy vehicle. With 18, I'm ecstatic.

Hope that helps some.

18 mpg!!!!! With a v8 and th350? How is that? What geara are you running in the rear. I only get 14 max in my 64 with 3.73 gears
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