Manual or auto?

4 speed or 700R4?

  • 4 speed

    Votes: 13 72.2%
  • 700R4

    Votes: 5 27.8%

  • Total voters
    18
  • Poll closed .

BRYAN FUGATE

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 6
Carmine,
You can find that information in a Document call "19XX -Chevrolet passenger Car Specifications", the XX represents the model year of your interest. Tons of information about what was available on these cars is in those publications. I have 1961 through 1964. The page shown below is from the 1961-Chevrolet passenger Car Specifications. I imagine 58,59 & 60 would be the same. If one of the years I have interests you send me a PM with your email address and I'll forward a PDF copy of that year to you.

I'm pretty sure it was Cecil who turned us on to the GM Heritage Center a few years ago. If you're interested in other years you can probably find those pubs there: https://www.gmheritagecenter.com/gm-heritage-archive/vehicle-information-kits.html

26993790_10214439857207367_2098689696728757569_n.jpg
I had a set of 5.13 gm gears one time I removed from a 1961 p case assuming they were over the counter parts.
 

Jeff Olson

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 2
I have been thinking and thinking about this since I started this thread and I think 5 speed manual is going to be the choice, beside the obvious parts what else will be required for the swap?
 

Tom Kochtanek

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 12
Jeff: Your left knee will be fine with a standard shift, not a problem once you've rehabbed. At least it was for me.

I've had the good fortune to have both a four speed street car and a Turbo350 street car, both with dual quad setups on top of the big iron heads and stuffed into '62 Chevys. The four speed is much more fun to drive, and I have put on a few freeway miles (12,000) with the 3.36 gears. I have to admit having a 3 speed automatic was easy to drive on the local streets and I think I am slipping a TH400 in the next driver car I finish (whenever the convertible passes through metallurgic purgatory aka body work) :(. It's a slippery slope from there, might have to put in a tilt wheel for easy access...

Oddly enough the BA409, which was once a street vehicle with a dual quad 409 and a Turbo350, still has that (modified) tranny in place (but now it's a drag car). That's 'cause I'm too cheap to buy a performance race-ready tranny and the various iterations of clutches that James would torture :) : ) :).
 

Fathead Racing

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 7
I agree that three peddles are a lot more fun, I have both two and three peddle cars. At the strip I notice the three peddle cars break a lot more parts. The 3.06 first gear in my 700R4 and 4.56 rear gear lets me hole shot lots of cars that are faster than mine. So I get excited for 1.58 seconds then lose my wood before I make second gear :cryblow
 

pvs409

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 11
I just bought a very nice used Richmond Speed with a Long 5 speed shifter for less than $ 2000.
Picking it up this Saturday.

Paul
 

pvs409

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 11
Actually one of our members from Wisc. found it on Craigs list.
If I use Richmond 5 speed I will have a Muncie 4 speed (with a hurst shifter) with 4th gear as overdrive to sell out of my 62 SS 409 Hardtop.
Paul
 
Top