3 on the tree

[crapy67]

How much horse power can a 3 speed handle? I'm going to swap out my 307 for a much healthier 350 and want to keep the 3 speed in it.

[DaSchlange]

Unless you plan on lifting your front tires off the ground you should be ok. I know I guy with a 1965 mild rebuilt 350 and it's a 3 on the tree. It runs great. That shouldn't be a problem really...

[powerdriver 1958]

I agree , seem to be pretty tough trannys

[ChevLoRay]

You're not doing anything that hasn't been done many, many times over the span of ages of automobiles. I know guys who have gone through a couple of transmissions a week, but they were dealing with non-synchro first gear boxes and bad synchronizers while trying to speed-shift and impress their buddies. The gearboxes we have had since the mid-Sixties are better. Worst issue will be the linkage that gets worn and hangs up....and, that has nothing to do with horsepower.

[oldblue1968chevy]

yeah it'll hold up (so far mine has)

[ixnay]

Hain't had no problems with mine. The 3-speed handles the the 350's horsies just fine. Now, the oil drain being right over the cross-members that came with the 307 and remained after the 307 left, that's another matter.

MJH

[ChevLoRay]

Here's a twist: Find a late Sixties/early Seventies G-van that has a 4-speed column and put a 4-speed in your truck. Can you imagine the fun that might bring when it comes to braggin' rights?

[brothers69c-10]

Must be pretty tough tranny's cause they use them in stock cars

[PanelDeland]

I bought one that had a worn non-synchro low tranny in it.It worked fine for about 2 years.I then bought a synchro tranny and installed with no other mods or repairs.I drove it for about 12-15 years before the engine hgave out.That truck is put away for a future project and that tranny is still in it.

[crapy67]

Thanks for all the replies guys, I was going to put a turbo 350 in it but my buddy sold me on the fact the I'm taking something away from the truck by doing that.

[19673ontree]

I had a big journal 327 and saginaw 3spd in a 67 camaro and would burn the tire's on a regular basis , ran it for year's , took it out when I found a T10 for the car , I sold the 3spd to a guy the raced a circle track dirt car with over 400HP , last I heard the 3spd was still working perfect , I myself have NEVER had a problem with one of the late 67 up 3spd's , now the 66 back 3spd's that have the non syncro 1st gear will break ,

[ChevLoRay]

The transmissions were a weak link and GM knew it. That's why the GTO used a Ford top-loader 3-speed for the standard 3-gear transmission.

[ixnay]

The potential down-side on the 3-speed column shift is the possiblity of dirt getting onto the transmission as the tranny passes through the engine compartment. Since I don't plan to go mudding, I don't think I'll worry much about it.

[El Jay]

Back in '74 I bought a bottom of the line '74 C-10 (all I could afford) & it came off the assembly line with a 3550 & 3 OTT.
Never had a bit of problem with it.

[hayhauler71]

I had two Saginaw 3 speeds and than went with a Saginaw 4 speed on the floor and every one the input shaft broke. I was using a Kevlar 12 inch disk with a diaphragm pressure plate this clutch was in or out no slip whatsoever. ended up putting in a th350 with a 3000 stall.

[raycow]

A lot of people will say you don't want a Saginaw in a serious performance application if you have good traction. I had one in a 66 GTO for years and never broke anything, but it had skinny tires.

ChevLoRay is right in saying that at least some of these cars came with the Ford transmission. Even though the Ford box had an unmistakable FoMoCo logo cast into it, GM was reluctant to admit that they were using Ford parts. All of the service literature that I have seen referred to it as a "Dearborn" transmission.

My bellhousing was drilled with both bolt patterns, but the car shipped from the factory with the Saginaw.

Ray