The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Who can answer a tranny question

Hi Stovebolters!
Some where in the vastness of the World Wide Web I encountered some information about how to determine your gear ratios by the numbers on the outside of a tranny. Now I cannot remember where I saw that. I have a stock 1970 GM 3 speed in my C/10. First gear is very low and so is second, and then it is a Loooonng ways to third. I am thinking of possibley swapping this out for a different transmission. One with a higher first and second.

Also I think I lost a synchro because I can't shift down into second until I drop to about 35 mph. So, anyway, if anyone knows about decoding the numbers I'd appreciate it.

One more thing I'd like to know is about rebuilding. I saw a kit with bearings and stuff that looked like a good idea since my tranny is pretty noisy. If I were to undertake a rebuild, can I use different gears in my case to change the ratios?

Thanks,
Bob

The first thing you always want to do is check our links page. You'll usually find what you're looking for there. In the case of trannys, try this:

4lo.com/

How about 3.50 first gear and 1.89 second.

Depending on the transmission, you should be able to swap some different gears in, but it sounds like you would do better with a close-ratio four speed. Rebuilding the transmission should fix the syncro problem, but all you have to do is learn how to double-clutch. Another possibility is an overdrive unit or some other gear-splitter to get the inbetween ratios. Good luck

Thanks Paul -- Yeah, and I just added some transmission-related stuff to the Links section (In Parts under Transmission). Mostly SM420-related links, but some of those places have parts and kits for the 3-speeds, too.

Regards,
John