The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The HiPo Shop Definitive 5 speed interchange on a SBC.

I'm currently running a TH350C behind my '79 small block in my '50 and frankly it's boring me to death,i've always had 3 pedals and a stick in all my rides.
I'm also looking to giving my truck longer legs on the freeway without having to change the final drive ratio which is currently a 3.27 Posi Gen-3 Firebird rear end.
A couple of extra MPGs wouldn't go amiss either.

Due to being in the UK I can't just simply pop round to my local Pick 'n' pull and yank a manual trans from a junker.

So my question is: Is there a 5 speed manual trans,clutch,flywheel etc that will simply unbolt from a car/truck that will then bolt directly to my engine without having to resort to changing the bellhousing,release bearing etc or any other components,and if so,what vehicle(s) should I be looking for?
I understand the location of the gearstick might play a part but i'd even go to bucket seats if required.

TIA.

Jock, LUGNUTZ is our go to guy for 5-6 speed manual trannys. Hopefully he will chime in soon.

Going to a manual transmission of any kind would be a giant leap backwards in technology. If you want better gas mileage (which isn't likely to happen) try fitting a 700R4 overdrive automatic instead of the TH 350. It's almost a bolt-in swap, and there are a few dual-pattern shifters available that will allow you more control over the shift points than simply selecting "Drive" and letting the transmission do the thinking for you. You could even fit a spring-loaded dummy pedal to give your left leg some exercise!

The 350C has a locking clutch in the torque converter that is very easy to make functional with a couple of switches and a little creative wiring. It allows a 10% reduction in cruise RPM at light throttle highway speeds by eliminating the built-in slippage in the torque converter. The minimum clutch engagement speed can also be adjusted by changing a pressure-sensing switch in the valve body that responds to governor pressure as the driveshaft spins.
Jerry

If you want a 3rd pedal with a direct bolt in overdrive transmission do a search on an NV 3500.

I also like manual transmissions. I prefer them.

I have a lot of info about the Borg Warner T5 on my website. I'm not sure how available they are in Scotland.
If I disagree with Hotrod Lincoln, he may never speak to or help me ever again. LOL! Just kidding.

A 1993 or earlier S10 T5 will have a Muncie bolt pattern and should bolt right up to your bell. That's the easy part. You can swap the 14 spline input shaft for a 10 spline input shaft and keep your factory clutch.
Now things can get a little tricky. It really depends on what you want for your final result.
If you want to keep your factory cable style speedometer - you will have 3 options. 1. Use a Camaro tail housing (they all have a cable style connection). 2. Buy a VSS converter for around $300. 3. Find the extremely rare 1988 and earlier S10 T5 tail housing with a cable speedo connection.

If you have more modern gauges with a VSS input, then things are easier to solve. Or just run a GPS driven speedometer for the simplest solution of all.

I have no experience with the NV3500 or NV4500 transmissions. My understanding is they have a fairly low first gear but so does the S10 T5.
Other options are the 1992 and earlier Camaro or Firebird T5. Tremec makes some nice transmissions but they are pricey.

Here are a few links from my website to read on a rainy day.

Complete T5 installation - In my truck

Thinking about Installing a T5?

Input shaft swap for the T5.

My Main Index Page of T5 info.

Thanks for the info Jerry,in fact it was you who originally informed me some time ago I could safely run the TH350C without hooking up the lock-up and it would basically run as a stock TH350,to be honest i'd never heard of the 'C' until I got mine.

I've put over 13,000 trouble free miles on it so far but didn't realise connecting the lock-up function would physically reduce RPMs too,I just thought it reduced slippage/heat build up to help fuel consumption,this was one of my main reasons for going 'manual o/d' as I feel it's still a little high at freeway speed i.e. 70/80mph.

A 700R4 is out of the question for me financially as even ones requiring a rebuild fetch silly money here and frankly "giant leap backwards" or not,I DO actually like stirring cogs and stomping on a clutch pedal!

As Lugnutz (sorry I don't know your real name) confirms,there are just so many variables regarding a swap to manual,this is what I was trying to avoid as my location and readily available conversion parts or even complete transmissions etc are thin on the ground here.
Available suitable donors,even the lowly S-10s are considered rare and unusual here and rarely get scrapped....
The few 5 speeds I have seen for sale here are astronomical (a.k.a. silly) in price and are usually snapped up quickly by Cobra replica builders.

I might look into hooking up the lock-up function on mine,try it and see where I go from there.

Thanks once again for your valuable input.

Thanks for chiming in Sir,as you'll see by my response to Jerry I was basically trying to avoid getting into the minefield of bellhousing,pilot shaft and clutch swaps etc,the matter of the speedo drive wouldn't be too hard as I already have an electronic one.

Fwiw relatively common vehicles on your side of the pond are considered rare,unusual and collectable here so consequently parts and components fetch ridiculous sums of money.
Even a basic 4 speed manual can get upwards of $1100 for a high mileage one that would/could benefit from a rebuild!

I was kind of hoping for a scenario where I could pull the whole kit and kaboodle from one single vehicle and simply replace the TH350C/flexplate etc in mine.

Looks like i'll just need to suck it up,hook up the lock up converter meantime and see what turns up,an NV3500 trans might be an easier/cheaper alternative for me if one happens to show up this on side of the pond.

Many thanks for your help/advice and your links provided some very interesting/educational reading.

I never thought for one minute i'd be asking on an American site about manual swaps given your countrys love of auto transmissions!

I'll just talk my wife into going to Scotland for a holiday. Then I could pack a T5 in my suitcase. They only weigh 75lbs. LOL!

To make the converter clutch work "as designed" you'll need the factory vacuum switch, and a brake light switch with a "normally closed" set of contacts. The switches are wired in series, so either touching the brake or having a low vacuum condition (acceleration) disengages the clutch. The third switch in the daisy chain is inside the transmission, and only allows the clutch to engage at a governor pressure equivalent to cruise speed (45+ MPH) depending on the rear axle ratio. This provides several stages of "idiot proof" to prevent the clutch from staying engaged at a stop, or during low-speed operation.

A simple toggle switch would also work, but you'll embarrass yourself by leaving it on at the wrong time occasionally.
Jerry

It couldn't be much worse than my suitcase was when I visited Virginia back in 2007,it was packed to the hilt with truck goodies!

Or rearrange the back of someones vehicle at the traffic lights,just imagine all these little 'Euroboxes' stuck like bugs on my bumper!

The governor pressure switch will disengage the clutch before you come to a full stop, but I seem to remember some of the early 700R4's having a problem with converter clutches staying engaged and stalling the engine at a stoplight. I don't recall a similar problem with the TH350C, however.
Jerry