The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop saginaw 4sp in a 46 truck

will patricks shifter work in my 46 truck chevy or will i have to move things around thanks

The problem with your 46 if stock is that the master cylinder will interfere with the shift levers of the saginaw. Also you'll need another bellhousing (or an adaptor plate) as the 46 housing has a different trans pattern than the later transmissions.

I've been down this road that you are taking, can be done but plenty of headaches. I finally opted for the T-5 trans (no side levers) and an adaptor plate, trans to old bellhousing. You can use a 1950 or so truck bellhousing for the late trans pattern, but then you'll have to modify it accomodate the master cyl bracket etc.
Best advise I can give you is to contact Buffalo Ent. ph. 360 652-7684, this man has all the solutions to adapt later trans to your old truck.

The Saginaw 4spd is a direct bolt on to your 46 216 or 235 using your original 216 or 235 bell housing. Patricks sells a Hurst 4spd shifter and linkage along with a special shift lever that adjusts for the slightly rearward shifter location.
T5 is also a good choice...5 speeds (OD) and an integral shift linkage...mouniting bolt holes need to be made 1/2" (currently metric), input shaft needs to be shortened and clutch plates need to be tweeked.shifter location is 7-8" back from original.
al. Master cylinder location needsa to be reworked.

I've owned my 46 for well over 20 years, have had the following transmissions. Stock 3 and 4 speeds, saginaw 4 speed and since about a year ago the T-5/S-10 which is wonderful in these old narrow cab trucks. I've never used Patricks shifter, mine was a Hurst for 60s truck application. To get the shifter foreward enough in the 46 I had to fab up a special mounting bracket and shorten all the shifting rods, still had to whittle much of the master cyl bracket away for clearance. Now with the T-5 (no side levers) I have just enough clearance for the stock master cylinder bracket. The trucks used a slightly smaller trans to bellhousing pattern from late 30s to 1947, in 48 the trucks were changed to the modern trans pattern bellhousing. I know what we had to do to make the saginaw work in the 46, and that was to fabricate an adaptor plate to get to the 48 style pattern. Again, call Buffalo Ent. he now has these adaptors available, or can modify the later bellhousing to mount your stock master cyl assy. Go ahead and measure and compare the trany patterns, you'll see the differance. Best of luck!

JiMerit is correct. A Saginaw 4 speed is a pain to install in any Chevrolet pickup from 1936 to 1947 (1st Series). Reason? The brake master cylinder is directly in the way. If you want to move the master cylinder, which is a big job, then you can pull it off. Be prepred to cut out your seat for the shifter to clear.

The best choice is the T-5 five speed transmission form a mid 80's S-10 pickup or Blazer. By comparison, it is a snap! The good thing about the T-5 is you will have all you have with a Saginaw 4 speed and MORE!!

Do a search here on this site for all kinds of information on the T-5 installation and call Steve at Buffalo Enterprises.

Joe

I've got a 37 truck that has a Saginaw,no need to butcher the floor or seat if you have the ability to make shifter mounts,and fab up a shift lever,really not too difficult at all using common shop tools.The shift lever in my truck is more or less in the same position as the stock lever.I tossed the stock master cylinder,used the remote master cylinder linkage rods and clevis from a 1-1/2 ton truck which mounts the master out of the way completely.If updating the brakes,use a Mustang or Camaro cylinder.I also modified a 48-53 truck bellhousing to adapt the stock floor pedals.You can also do this yourself,buy one already modified from Jim Carter or mount the pedals on a sturdy L bracket bolted to the frame rail.
The Saginaw 4 spd in my truck has an overdrive unit adapted to it and the tranny can easily be removed or installed without any tricks.