Trans "Mission" talk with G.Lester - The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network

retselgerg · 03-12-2009, 09:46 PM

Well the rebuild is less then a month away (im starting the first week of april) I've bought new wheels, plenty of other new junk, getting ready for new paint etc...but the major thing i want to address is my tranny....when installed my new motor i had a virgin saginaw 4 speed i thought it would be the perfect fit for a stock motor and a 308 rear gear..well i had major shifter trouble got disgusted in not being able to ride my truck i put the ole granny tranny back in it... the motor was bought in the summer of 07 (july i believe) and it only has 1139 miles on it...I dont like the gear ratio of the tranny and its no fun to to drive..i have a few options on the table which are
A.Deal with the granny coz i know it will never tear up
B.Get a new shifter and try the sag again (not a good feeling about this one)
C.I have an S10 t5 but i know how weak they are
D. look for something else like a t56 or NV3500 or 4500

im not on a budget but im not gonna spend 3grand on a tranny either
its not a hotrod just a cruiser that i wanna ride to the beach and such

ChevLoRay · 03-12-2009, 10:07 PM

What brand of shifter do you have? I had a Saginaw 4-gear in my '81 El Camino, that had the 229 V-6 in it. Originally, it had a 3-speed, but the 4-speed was something I had bought and planned to use on my '67 Firebird Sprint (OHC-6/4-bbl). Sold the car and still had the transmission.

I bought a Hurst Competition Plus shifter, for the El Camino. The shifter handle was a short, straight stick and I hated it. It bumped the seat cushion and basically sucked. I had a Hurst catalog and started reading through it and found a shifter handle that would work with the shifter and the body style.

When the shifter handle was mounted to the shifter, life became a lot more fun. As to that transmission, I strongly suspect it was a Vega gearbox....but, it was good for my usage and lasted until I sold it and the subsequent owners son totaled it out....sniff, sniff.

retselgerg · 03-12-2009, 10:10 PM

well when i bought the shifter i thought a cheapo summit brand would be fine.....WRONG.the shifter componet was trash..they refunded my money tho....anyway....the tranny i have is from a earlier 70's camaro not sure of anything else
Im just tired of the ole granny gear 4 speed its NO FUN TO DRIVE

PanelDeland · 03-13-2009, 09:05 AM

Have you checked the tranny?After all it's nearly 40 years old.The syncros or bearings in it may be going.You may have a tranny problem rather than a shifter problem.I don't like the granny tranny since it's not much fun either.

retselgerg · 03-14-2009, 09:52 PM

nah the tranny is fine, the shifter was defective....im not sure which direction to go

03-12-2009, 09:46 PM	#1
retselgerg Registered User Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Grundy Virginia Posts: 385	Trans "Mission" talk with G.Lester Well the rebuild is less then a month away (im starting the first week of april) I've bought new wheels, plenty of other new junk, getting ready for new paint etc...but the major thing i want to address is my tranny....when installed my new motor i had a virgin saginaw 4 speed i thought it would be the perfect fit for a stock motor and a 308 rear gear..well i had major shifter trouble got disgusted in not being able to ride my truck i put the ole granny tranny back in it... the motor was bought in the summer of 07 (july i believe) and it only has 1139 miles on it...I dont like the gear ratio of the tranny and its no fun to to drive..i have a few options on the table which are A.Deal with the granny coz i know it will never tear up B.Get a new shifter and try the sag again (not a good feeling about this one) C.I have an S10 t5 but i know how weak they are D. look for something else like a t56 or NV3500 or 4500 im not on a budget but im not gonna spend 3grand on a tranny either its not a hotrod just a cruiser that i wanna ride to the beach and such __________________ "OLE BLUE" Goodwrench 350, 5speed, Tilt, PS, PB, "some guys got into cars for money or girls but i got into cars because of the cars" -Jay Leno Last edited by retselgerg; 03-12-2009 at 09:53 PM.

03-12-2009, 10:07 PM	#2
ChevLoRay Old Skool Club Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Benton, AR "The Heart of Arkansas" Posts: 10,880	Re: Trans "Mission" talk with G.Lester What brand of shifter do you have? I had a Saginaw 4-gear in my '81 El Camino, that had the 229 V-6 in it. Originally, it had a 3-speed, but the 4-speed was something I had bought and planned to use on my '67 Firebird Sprint (OHC-6/4-bbl). Sold the car and still had the transmission. I bought a Hurst Competition Plus shifter, for the El Camino. The shifter handle was a short, straight stick and I hated it. It bumped the seat cushion and basically sucked. I had a Hurst catalog and started reading through it and found a shifter handle that would work with the shifter and the body style. When the shifter handle was mounted to the shifter, life became a lot more fun. As to that transmission, I strongly suspect it was a Vega gearbox....but, it was good for my usage and lasted until I sold it and the subsequent owners son totaled it out....sniff, sniff. __________________ Member Nr. 2770 '96 GMC Sportside; 4.3/SLT - Daily driven....constantly needs washed. '69 C-10 SWB; 350/TH400 - in limbo The older I get, the better I was.

03-12-2009, 10:10 PM	#3
retselgerg Registered User Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Grundy Virginia Posts: 385	Re: Trans "Mission" talk with G.Lester well when i bought the shifter i thought a cheapo summit brand would be fine.....WRONG.the shifter componet was trash..they refunded my money tho....anyway....the tranny i have is from a earlier 70's camaro not sure of anything else Im just tired of the ole granny gear 4 speed its NO FUN TO DRIVE __________________ "OLE BLUE" Goodwrench 350, 5speed, Tilt, PS, PB, "some guys got into cars for money or girls but i got into cars because of the cars" -Jay Leno Last edited by retselgerg; 03-12-2009 at 10:12 PM.

03-13-2009, 09:05 AM	#4
PanelDeland I am a Referee of life. Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Greensboro N.C. Posts: 13,992	Re: Trans "Mission" talk with G.Lester Have you checked the tranny?After all it's nearly 40 years old.The syncros or bearings in it may be going.You may have a tranny problem rather than a shifter problem.I don't like the granny tranny since it's not much fun either. __________________ The 47-present Chevrolet and GMC Truck Message Board Network,it's owners,moderators,members,and associates of any type should not be held responsible for my opinion. You can't fix stupid,not even with duct tape. "My appearance is due to the fact that "GOD" does punish you for having too much fun!" Barrett-Jackson has perfected alchemy,they make rust into gold! "You can lead a horse to water but you can't saddle a duck" "Cleverly disguised as a 'Responsible Adult' "Sometimes your Knight in shining armor is just a retard in tinfoil"

03-14-2009, 09:52 PM	#5
retselgerg Registered User Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Grundy Virginia Posts: 385	Re: Trans "Mission" talk with G.Lester nah the tranny is fine, the shifter was defective....im not sure which direction to go __________________ "OLE BLUE" Goodwrench 350, 5speed, Tilt, PS, PB, "some guys got into cars for money or girls but i got into cars because of the cars" -Jay Leno



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