The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline Its Ugly - My Patrick's Saginaw 4 speed converted to torque tube

I believe it was in 2002 with Patrick help I converted a Saginaw 4 speed to work with torque tube. I cleaned it up with some fine steel wool a lot of Elbow grease. The guy said it was used on a short track. The only thing I replace was the brass synchro’s. It was supposed to be a three ring. But I am not sure. So I need to remove the rear axels to install the oil singers I forgot to replace. also need to correct leakage at the ball color and third member. Again with the stainless hardware and anti seize. I have a newer 3 ring Saginaw under the bench if I need to rework the tranny before paint. look at the phots and give me your thoughts. This would be a lot easier now with no body.

Shade Baby

Hey, shade, I don’t have any knowledge to offer, but I’m wondering if you
shortened a torque tube driveline to accommodate the longer transmission?

Shade Baby's transmission pics don't look any longer than the stock transmission used with the torque tube. Shortening the torque tube would be a fairly major undertaking.

Just a tiny bit of input from my limited knowledge. I believe part of the conversion of the Saginaw 4 speed included modifying the main shaft length and splines to work with the new tail shaft ball collar design and output yoke. If you're contemplating using that other 3 ring Saginaw 4 speed, you'll either have to swap the existing modified main shaft to that transmission, or modify that main shaft the same as your current unit for things to go together and work like they should. Might be a bigger bite of the apple than you want to take on.

Just food for thought.

Ok I should have included these pictures and yes the Saginaw tail shaft was replaced by something only Patricks had at the time. He had this special, piece made just for him. it even has raided ID cast into the unit it simply said Patrick. There cant be more than a few hundred in existence. It replace the tail shaft and bolted right up the torque tube. It was designed only to mate up to the Saginaw 4 speed tranny.

Shade Baby

I just looked and there is one on eBay but they want a small fortune for it. Cant tell if it's complete or serviceable.

That ball pivot adapter can be duplicated by anyone with the unmitigated gall to call himself a "machinist". Cutting the radius for the torque tube ball to pivot into would be a bit tricky, but everything else is just basic machine work- - - -including shortening the output shaft and re-splining it. It would even be possible to cut the back end off an original torque tube type transmission extension housing and graft it onto a Saginaw extension housing flange.
Jerry

I stopped by Patrick's place quite often 30 to 35 years ago when Patrick was selling the adapters to go along with his 3.55 ring set. He had the adapters on the shelf back then. I have no idea how many he had made back then. I always thought the idea was OK for a GMC 270 or 302 or a Chev 261, but I think a 216 or 235 Chev would have been a disappointment. And unfortunately the business has been closed for several years and Patrick has passed on.

Patrick’s favorite Chevy engine was the 235. So, most of his specialty equipment was designed for the 235. I forget which Saginaw was the “best” one for this application.

All I can add to this conversation is that I'm in awe of Shade Baby's impeccably neat and clean laboratory.