61 Belair engine and tranny swap

[Paulss]

Help! I need someone's expertise. I own a 61 BelAir 2dr post with a 235 and 3 on the tree. my son and I have built a mild 348 to replace the 6 cyl. Originally I was going to put in a 4 speed so I bought a 168 tooth flywheel and an 11" clutch and pressure plate to go with the 4 speed but after talking to some fella at the local car show I found out that in 61 you could get a 348 with a 3 speed. That got me re-thinking about cutting a hole in the floor and so on. will the 3 speed mate up to the 348, can I use the clutch and flywheel that I have already purchased. I won't be racing around with this car, it's all original barn rescue with 57K original miles, I wont be getting rid of the 6 cyl either just in case I want to put it back to original, any help or suggestions would be appreciated, thanks.

 

[Tom Kochtanek]

First of all, congrats on saving that vehicle .

By "mild" I suspect you mean 250 horse power or thereabouts. That will work OK with the somewhat weak factory three speed, but use your foot too much and you'll likely detonate that tranny. Just for fun, you should consider keeping the column shift in place, that would be a hoot to the youngins of today .

So to sum up, assuming you don't already have that four speed tranny, yes that 348 will bolt right up to the three speed manual trans from 1961. I did this years ago with a 283, but I put a Hurst floor shifter after can-openering the floor a bit. You will have to change out those 6 cylinder engine perches for the different V8 perches. I see them on Ebay once in a while and there might be someone here that can help you out.

Got any pictures you can share? We love pictures!

Let us know if you have any other questions, we can offer advise while you make the decisions!

Cheers!
TomK

 

[Paulss]

thanks for the quick reply and maybe not quite that mild but what about the 168 tooth flywheel and 11" clutch and pressure plate, any info on whether those new parts that i bought will work with this combo? And yes i will post some pics

 

[poison ivy]

that trans will work well as it could be a 2:94 first gear,real hole shot.

 

[boxerdog]

I think everything you have bought will work out fine. As others have said, the 3 speed will be fine until you add a few horsepower or hammer it from a dead stop. Just roll into it gently. Do you have any pics??

 

[4speedman]

Yes your parts should work fine.Went to school with a friend who had a 61 348 3 deuce with column shift he ran it hard at times and it held up ok.

 

[Tom Kochtanek]

My '61 Belair sport coupe was an original 348 with three-on-the-tree. Original engine and trans are long gone, but that column shifter is all there along with the pedals. I haven't decided which trans to go back with, but I have a Borg Warner T-10 and a Saginaw 3 speed with overdrive. It would be unusual to have a stroked tripower 348 with a column shift and overdrive...

Good luck!
TomK

 

[Jim Sullivan]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, I believe you will need a different bell housing as the six cylinder bell will not fit over the 168 tooth flywheel. Once you have the correct bell housing the three speed trans will bolt right up.

The column shifter would be neat, but as others have said the trans won't hold up to too much abuse.

Good luck with your swap. Would like to see some pictures!

 

[Last 60]

My first '60 (back in '61) was a 335 horse 3-speed. I only broke one tranny in it and that was my stupidity. I was 19 years old, it was my only car, and it got hammered everyday in every gear. Except for that one failure I never had any trouble with the 3-speed.

Lonnie

 

[Paulss]

WOW! i really appreciate every bodies input and info, if you need help always go to those in the know. I will post some pics soon. As far as the flywheel fitting I was told that the small block flywheel would work on that engine so with that I would assume it would fit with the 3 speed, I guess I will find out when the time comes. Does anyone know if there was a different size driveshaft when you ordered the 348 with the car? Thanks

 

[DonSSDD]

No different driveshaft for a 6 or 8. The flywheel and flexplate did not get smaller than 168 tooth until 1963, so a 61 would be 168 tooth in a 6 or 8.

Don

 

[Paulss]

Awesome, what a great group of people, I'm so glad that I found a place where I could get some real answers from experienced people, thanks to all of you for all your help, i will keep you updated on the progress.