tranny options for a 250 inline 6?

[slash crashley]

hey all. i've got a 1982 chev c10 with a 250 I6. when i picked the truck up it caused me a bunch of grief and all the gears in the tranny got meshed together. i got it "fixed" and it was alright for a few weeks. now it seems like it gets "stuck" in a lower gear. it bucks and chugs and it's hard to get it loose, into another gear or even into neutral. it makes driving it around a stressful endeavor. (so i haven't been driving it since the last episode)

i feel like the whole project is at a stand still. i'm at a fork in the road. i'm half thinking about just getting a modern 350 with tranny combo and go that route. i realize that could get expensive, but i also like the idea having all the modern ammenities like ps, pb, a/c etc.

i did a little research and read that a tranny out of an s10 or mid 80's camaro will work with minimal modifications. any truth to this?

outside of a complete engine swap, what options are available with this problematic tranny?

i always get optimistic when i visit this forum, especially the pics of 73-87shortbeds.

any input or suggestions are appreciated. thanks for your time.

[edman87]

I am assumin you have a 3 speed column shift? You first need to decide if you want to keep your motor or not, then an auto or a manual. Then decide which one and put it in there. The possibilities are almost endless.

[slash crashley]

hey there. it started as a 3 speed column shift but when i got the truck it had been relocated to the floor. ideally, i'd like to keep the motor because it runs great.

i'd much rather dump money into other improvements that swap out an engine that functions fine.

are there modern replacement trannies for these motors? any truth in a 5 speed s10 tranny working with it?

thanks for the quick response btw.

[edman87]

OK, the floor shift conversion is most likely you problem. If the linkage is not just right, what you described will happen.
As for swapping it out, I am fairly sure the bellhousing bolt pattern is the same on your motor as a regular smallblock, so any transmission/ bellhousing that goes behind a smallblock or a 4.3 v6 will work, 5 speed froma an s10 with a 4.3, 305 and 350 camaros and about anything else.
Now, bolt up and fit are 2 different things. As with everything else, going to somthing that was originally available for your vehicle and having the doner vehicle to get everything from is always the easiest and usually requires no fabrication/ modification. Your truck could have cam frome the factory with a sm465 4speed as the option manual trans and they are plentiful, durable and cheap, but no overdrive. If you want a manual trans with overdrive, it will require some modification, how much depends on the trans. At the least, a hole in the floor, modify crossmember/ tranny mount and different- probrbly shorten- driveshaft length.
A t5- s10 or camaro- would not be a hard swap with a little time and effort, a sm465 would be a bolt in job.

[sick69]

The I6, small blocks and big blocks all have the same bell housings and bolt patterns. The late model engines may have changed but I'm possitive up to the mid 90s were all the same.


Tranny mounts and linkages on the other hand changed depending on what tranny you had or want so which ever tranny you decide on make sure you get all the mounts and linkages to go with it unless your going to stay with the same trans you have. Also something to think about is some of the late s10s and camaros I believe had hydrolic clutches so swapping in a master cylinder and slave cylinder may also be a factor.



Staying with the same trans would be the least head ache to replace.

Frank

[edman87]

I was pretty sure they were the same. I also am pretty sure all camaros and 4.3 s10s had hydraulic clutches. That is not a big problem as the linkage pedal can be modded to use a 85up hydraulic master cyl and just use the slave that goes with the trans. Keep in mind the only v6 with that bell pattern is the 4.3, all smallblock and big block motors had it. Many older gm 4cyls also had same bell, but the trans probably would not hold up very well.
I would first suggest adjusting your linkages and making sure non are bent or binding, as this is a very common problem with the floor shift conversion. I do not have a lot of experience with the 3 speeds, but all I have seen with a floorshift conversion had issues with the linkages.

[slash crashley]

thanks very much for all the detailed info sirs. i suppose i'll see if the linkage is suspect before i do anything else.

when i took it for repairs originally, the mechanic spent 3 hrs re-aligning everything, packed it with grease and said it was as good as it was going to get w/o replacing the trans. maybe it'd just be best to install an automatic in there?

again, thanks for all the assistance and input. i just want it to function properly and without any surprises 5 miles out.

[abebummy26]

A stick is more of a theft deterrent though lol.

[beaterC10]

What shifter do you have? A lot of the aftermarket three speed shifters are junk out of the box. Hurst makes a "Mastershift" three speed that is comparable to the Competition plus four speed shifters.

You might also look at the clutch, make sure it is fully disengaging, that will also cause issues with shifting. The mechanical clutch linkage is prone to wear and over time slop in the linkage can cause issues with the clutch action. My experience with the GM three speeds is that they will run forever or until you grenade them w/ too much power. You would be hard pressed to hurt the three speed with a 6 cylinder though.

[old Rusty C10]

as much as i like the stick in these trucks i much prefer the four speed trans to the three speed especially if you do highway driving that extra gear seems to make the truck run less hard

[edman87]

I am partial to the sm465 myself- the 4 speed. BTW, neither have a overdrive, both are 1:1 final ratio, so I don't know how it would make highway driving easier. With the 4 speed, you only use 1st if towing or loaded down.
BTW, the sm465 would be an easy swap and they are cheap and fairly easy to come by.