Manual trans options?

[darush01]

I was considering doing away with my old bulldog 4 spd for something a lottle more highway friendly i was wondering what you giys have used? I have a 350 if that matters at all. Thanks in advance
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[jocko]

if you want to keep it a manual trans and are not the type to do burnouts, then a T5 is a nice swap that will give you a 5 speed with an o/d 5th.
- Several ways to do this, the most common is an S10 T5 because it provides the proper tailshaft housing to provide stick bench seat clearance.
- S10 T5s were normally not "world class" T5s, except in the later years - 93 or so I think.
- The downside of an S10 T5 is that the i/p shaft is longer than our trucks' originals, so a spacer and a little bearing retainer work is required, but not difficult (details in thread below)
Camaro (and F-body) T5's were more often the WC variant, and thus a little sturdier (but still won't live through many burnouts...).
- The big upside of a Camaro T5 is that it does have the correct i'p shaft lenght and is a direct bolt in to the bell housing.
- The big downside of the Camaro T5 is stick placement - if not modified (with an S10 tailshaft housing), the stick comes up below the bench seat...

So, best option: Camaro main case with S10 tailshaft. Direct bolt in (almost) + shortened driveshaft. (if you happen to have buckets, then just stick a whole Camaro trans in and call it a day)
2nd best option: S10 T5 and use the adapter plate.

Other considerations:
- Production year of T5 will dictate electronic vs mech speedometer hookup - you will need mech speedo hookup (an electronic one can be changed to mech)
- many gear ratios exist - reference the links in the thread below to decode a T5 before you buy
- WC might stand up to a little more abuse than a non-WC, but not much. To be able to ID a WC trans, see the links to some great articles folks have written in the thread below.
- I built my own spacer and it worked out well - but if I had it to do over again, I'd buy a spacer from vintage metalworks (1st), Hamilton Intakes (2nd). There just wasn't one available when I was building my own - and you can duplicate the one I built, specs and process are in the thread.

here's my build thread (in a 66 C10): http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=482069

since you mention your TH350 - are you considering swapping to an automatic? The TH350 will not help your highway friendliness - same 1:1 final drive ratio as a 4-speed. You'd need a 7004R or 200R4 trans to achieve overdrive capability. There are other, more modern (and more expensive) options -4L80, 4L60, 65, etc... but require computer to manage the trans. 700R4 is probably the most common and affordable option for an o/d automatic.

Hope that helps!

[darush01]

Thanks, i do have a tendency to do the occasional burnout but i think i can control myself
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[54belair]

The old Muncie 4 speed car trans. is an easy swap also. It has no final gear advantage--but its fun!