The Stovebolt Forums Forums The Shop Area Driveline Tranny install question

I finally located an sm318 3-speed transmission to replace mine that is broken. I’ve been wondering what position the shift levers should be in when the tranny is in neutral? Is there an illustration or diagram showing this that someone could share so I know how to set the connecting rods? Thanks much.

I believe that truck and car transmissions used a different side cover, and the shift lever orientation was not the same. You might have to swap the side cover from your damaged trans to make the new one fit.
Jerry

The parts book says that car and truck transmissions share the same cover casting, but I don't know about the shift lever orientation.
I just finished reassembling my transmission. The attached photo shows the shift levers in neutral. Finding neutral is pretty simple. Move each lever all the way one direction, then back one notch. Middle position on each is neutral. Also, the shift levers are identical and can only go on in one position (rotation), but one goes on the shaft long lever portion first and the other with the short portion first.
[on edit] this would be for either one of your 1/2 tons.
[on edit again] You want to have the tranny in high gear when installing so you can turn the input shaft to mate up with the clutch disc splines. Push the forward lever all the way forward to do that.

I recently made a trans swap and was forced to use the existing side cover on the newer transmission to get shift rods to line up in line with Jerry's comments.

This diagram says that car levers are in different positions that truck trannies like Jerry said.

48-54 Passenger car shift linkage [chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com]

Notice that there's no lever on the bell housing like there is on the trucks, That reverses the direction of the rod action at the tranny.

Considering you have a 50 truck, car transmissions of that era have a different bellhousing mounting pattern than a truck and don't interchange.
Perhaps the PO had some floor shift conversion or some other modification if it is different from your original configuration.
As noted previously, use the side cover and levers from your existing transmission.
Fred

Since the SM 318 was used through the mid-1960's in cars and trucks, it's possible to end up with a car trans in a truck. When that happens, a dead giveaway is bolts and nuts at the bottom trans ears, since the truck trans case is threaded there, and the car case isn't.
Jerry

The casting number should show whether you have a car or truck transmission.
I have changed out the transmission on a'54 station wagon (and have a scar to prove it when I was hit in the head by the torque tube ) but don't recall how it was bolted to the bell housing as it was back in the '60s.