Muncie 4 speeds

[Impalaguru]

Does anyone know if you can swap the tail housings arround on the muncie 4-speeds? What I want to do is swap the tail houisng off of my muncie (late 65 with pass. side speedo) for a correct 1963 tail housing with the drivers side speedo. Also, can you swap the main cases arround too? Would it be possible to put my 65 muncie guts into a 1963 case? Any help would be great!
Ross

[Bungy]

Do either of you guys know, Does the 63 case (1704) use a smaller front bearing then the later versions or is it just the bearing retainer has a smaller outside diameter? Would a later front bearing retainer work on a 63 case to mate up to a later bellhousing?

[Impalaguru]

Did the factory use a ring when the 63 muncie was used with the 553 aluminum bell housing? The 421 small-block housing has the smaller hole but the 553 has the larger one. My 63 has got its original 553 housing, but I am running a 65 muncie with the larger, steel retainer. Just curious.

Also, about the speedo gear, does the gear on the shaft have to be pressed off and repositioned? Or is it just a matter or moving the speedo gear that is in the tail housing it's self? Will I have to get a different speedo gear for the driver side application? I guess what I'm asking is, will the gears still mesh the same when the position is changed?
Thanks for the help!
Ross

[Bungy]

You won't need new gears, they are the same for driverside or passenger. I'm not 100% on this but I think the pressed gear on the shaft will still be in the same location. It shouldn't have to be moved.
Sorry, can't help you with the bellhousing question. I thought 63s all had the same. :dunno

[Ed51]

I've been following this this thread with some interest.My 63 is totally made of swapmeet acquisitions with very little thought given to originality,and my Muncie has the speedo cable going in the passenger side and my speedo does not work because when you look into the hole where the cable goes in the gear in the tranny is toward the back of the car maybe 1/2 to 3/4 inch enough so the speedo gears won't mesh. Could this be because some one didn't use a compatible tail shaft housing or is the gear FUBAR? :dunno

[Bungy]

Ed, are you saying the gear pressed onto the output shaft is too far back or the removable gear on the outside is too far back?

[gearhead409]

no the factory didn't use a ring. the 553 hgs. was only used on the 409 in 63. the 409 trany used the larger retainer. i'm not sure and someone may correct me but i think 63 409s all used the bw t-10. the speedo gear is the same but if you are going to use a tail hgs, with the speedo on the driver's side it will need to be moved back about 5/16 to mesh with the speedo cable gear. some muncie mainshafts have a long ground area so you can move this gear to work with either tail hgs. some don't but you can still move the gear and make it work, it will just be at the edge of the ground area.

[Bungy]

Gearhead, I just want to make sure I'm understanding you correctly. You're saying the Muncie drivers side tailhousings have the pressed on gear farther to the back then passenger side tailhousings? If this is correct then it also answers Ed's question.

[gearhead409]

yes that's correct.

[Ed51]

:? :? Gearhead, I just want to make sure I'm understanding you correctly. You're saying the Muncie drivers side tailhousings have the pressed on gear farther to the back then passenger side tailhousings? If this is correct then it also answers Ed's question.
So the speedo gear in the transmission does NOT get pressed against some sort of a shoulder or stop ?? How much force does it take to press it on? You got me wondering if I could finagle forward with a screwdriver blade or something.Tired of driving by the tach!

[gearhead409]

it's not pressed on very tight. if you could find something long enough and thin enough to get past the tail hsg. bushing and seal without damaging them, i think you could move it. maybe a better method would be to find a pc. of exhaust tubing of the right size that would clear the bushing and mainshaft.

[Ed51]

it's not pressed on very tight. if you could find something long enough and thin enough to get past the tail hsg. bushing and seal without damaging them, i think you could move it. maybe a better method would be to find a pc. of exhaust tubing of the right size that would clear the bushing and mainshaft.
Gearhead thanks for bearing with me,So as I understand it,if I were to slip a thin tube of some sort over the output shaft, the first thing it would encounter would be the speedo gear, at which point I could tap it forward? Thanks Ed