Will a 4 speed floor shift transmission from a 1948 1/2 ton Advance Design pickup swap into a 1948 Chev Sedan Delivery? The 3 speed column shift transmission with vacuum assist in the delivery is problem ridden. If the swap is simple that's the way we'll go.
If the Sedan Delivery uses the same bellhousing as the pickup, the swap will probably be pretty simple. The car transmission had a very different bellhousing bolt pattern than the truck 3 or 4 speed. I'm not sure which driveline components the Sedan Delivery used. There might also be a difference in the length of the torque tube and a different universal joint which would need to be adapted to the 4 speed transmission. The swap might not impossible, but it's probably difficult. Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
The Sedan Delivery while listed in some of the Truck Sales Material is in reality a car. Very little is interchangeable with truck parts.
Martin '62 Chevy C-10 Stepside Shortbed (Restomod in progress) '47 Chevy 3100 5 Window (long term project) ‘65 Chevy Biscayne (Emily) ‘39 Dodge Business Coupe (Clarence) “I fought the law and the law won" now I are a retired one! Support those brave men/women who stand the "Thin Blue Line"! Hug a cop! USAF 1965-1969 Weather Observation Tech (I got paid to look at the clouds)
The 1941-1948 car and Sedan Delivery used the same engine with 9" clutch assembly. The truck clutch assembly was larger.
My guess is the 1941-1953 216 was the same engine (block/head assembly), with some/many peripherals (bolt-ons) being different.
The car/truck 235 head/block assembly were the same through 1953 (with many peripherals (bolt-ons) being different). Except for the 1950 and later 235 car engines on Powerglide-equipped cars (hydraulic lifters).
Passenger cars from the floor shift days until 1954 used the same bolt pattern. I'm not sure just how the vacuum shift worked, but 60 years ago everyone that had it got rid of it and I'm sure it hasn't gotten any better. In fact a lot of kits were offered to remove the vacuum shift from 1939 through 1948. NOS vacuum shift units appear on eBay quite regularly and right now I see one of the vacuum shift delete kits on eBay. The problem is in the linkage, not the transmission itself.
The rubber parts in the vacuum shift cylinder would get sticky and refuse to move smoothly. The fix was simple- - - -run a 6 ounce can of Casite Tune-Up through the shift cylinder by letting the engine vacuum at the cylinder vent suck the liquid through it. Then the same solvent would serve double duty by cleaning carbon off the valve guides. The same procedure also worked well on vacuum windshield wiper motors, BTW! Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
If the 4 speed isn't a sychronized transmission I'd stay with the 3 speed that is sychronized. As stated above do away with the vacuum shift. I'd try Jerry's remedy first tho.
Thank you for the replies and suggestions. This is a project that I am helping my son with. He would prefer a floor shift. We'll get out the tape measure and take some measurements. The pickup transmission doesn't have the little lever by the knob for shifting into reverse so I'm assuming it isn't a crash box. If it looks like too much of a project, we"ll try solvent. Is there another product that is similar to Casite Tune-up? If neither of the above work out, we'll probably try a vacuum assist delete kit.
