The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop transmission & rear end

O.K., income tax return time and now I can get started on the old 57 3200. I have a trans AND rear axle question.
I have a 235 engine and I thought a 3 speed floor shift trans. I thought I read in another post here that if it has a floor shifter it is a 4 speed. Mine has a hurst shifter someone put in it before I got it and it is a 3 speed shifter. Is this 3 speed transmission stock ? I wanted to restore the truck all original if possible.

Also, the rear axle appears to be shot. In netural it will roll backwards, but locks up rolling forward. I am trying to figure out first of all which rear end it is.American Truck VIN decoder lists 2 for this truck, 3.90 or 4.11 OD. I assume if it is a 4 speed it is the 4.11 gears and 3.90 if a 3 speed.

Any help on if the trans is a stock 3 speed and if so a 3.90 rear end? Links to the trans opening & shifter below.

[img]http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p199/johnmarkp/57shifter002.jpg[/img]

IMG]http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p199/johnmarkp/57shifter001.jpg[/IMG]

Oh @#%@!!& I didn't mean to attach the photo, just the link. SORRY!

From what I understand, the three speeds were standard in 1/2 tons. Four speeds were options for the trucks until you got into the big bolts.

I remember my dad explaining to me as a kid that the only reason he bought is 1966 Nova SS was because it was the only way to get a 4 speed standard.

Yeah, it wasn't the 283 or anything ....

Lots of help identifying Chevy truck 57' engines, transmissions and rear ends on this page from this fellow stovebolter's site.

It tells you where to look for the letters and numbers and what they mean.

http://www.chevytrucks.org/mikesgarage/1957.htm

That's an original tranny with a darned inconvenient, short Hurst floor shifter that someone without the sense to rebuild their column shifter plugged in there.

Hotshoe is right. It,s a 3 speed trans. Pull the cover off the rear end & take a look inside. You may have a broken spider gear. You can roll them out without pulling the pumpkin or tearing it down. The ratio is on the edge of the ring gear. It is in number of teeth. Divide the numbers to get the ratio. 4.11 would be 10-41. 3.90 will be similar. Or you can count the teeth & divide. Follow a repair manual or shop manual to pull the spider gears.

Thanks guys for the info & advice. Maybe it won't be as big a project (or as expensive) as I thought.

Alan's57- My guess is that that tranny is from a '58-64 car. The reason is because the '56 and 2 '57s that I had used the 3-speed with the longer tail shaft which did not have a mount on it. The cars went to a mount on the tranny when they switched from front motor mounts and bell housing mounts to side motor mounts and a tranny mount. If you look toward the rear of the tranny (which is a 3-speed)you will see a tranny mount. Just my 2 cents.

Packrat - the standard truck 3spd was the same as the car trans, and both had the mounting ears ... the optional HD 3spd may not have had the ears, as it was meant for the trucks ... the HD 3spd also had a variant with the propeller shaft e-brake ... I've got a number of the standerd 3spds from TF trucks, and they're as pictured

Bill

Alan,
My understanding is that the standard rear end for task force trucks was a 3:90 for all transmissions except the overdrive which used a 4:11 ratio. It is quite evident as Packrat mentioned that it has a later transmission. The later trucks also used this short tailhousing from around 61 through 67 but it did not use a rear mount. This transmission has the the same gears as the long tail housing version. It is probably like most 50 year old vehicles and has been changed,updated, and modified as necessary to keep it on the road.
Fred

Red58-It is possible that some of these may have been changed through the years but I had a '55,56' and 2 57s and they all had the long tail shaft with no mounting ears. My buddies '56 GMC also has the long tail shaft with no mounting ears. On the 56, I put in a stock overdrive which is longer and didn't have to modify the driveshaft. I still doubt that the trannys '57 and earlier would have the mounting ears since chev didn't go to a tranny mount crossmember til '58. I did have a 3 speed from a '71 Nova that had the long tail shaft and mount. It was also syncro all 3 gears and not only 2nd and 3rd like the older ones. 50 year old vehicles are likely to have anything in them now. Just recently saw a picture of a '57 Chev hardtop with a Ford flat head v-8. What a way to drop the value.

O.K. then, whatever this trans is, can an original stock floor shifter be mounted back on it? It dosen't look like it ever had a column shift unless the column has been changed too.I have the trans/floor access cover(which was not bolted in because the Hurst shifter does not line up with the hole) and would like to have the truck look original.What are the chances of finding an original shifter & linkage and can it be mounted to this transmission?

No. The 3 speed never used a floor shifter on the Task Force body trucks. The column shifter used on these trucks actually bolted to the top of the column, not integral with it like on later trucks.

Well, it looks like I need to find a used column with the shifter assembly still attached. That will go nice with the used rear axle assembly I just discovered I will need.I can fix about anything when it comes to body work,but mechanics I have to ask a lot of questions.Not knowing a lot about rear axles, even I knew it was a bad sign when I took the housing plate off and nothing came out but chunks of rust. The ring & pinion gears have teeth broken,but the other gears looked ok. There is about 1/2 inch of rusty crud in the bottom of the housing so I think it is probably a waist of money to buy new ring & pinion gears. Next stop, SWAP MEET.

Alan,
If your differential is full of rust and chunks, the axles and axle bearings are probably toast also. Check the ads on this site, there are lots of complete rear end assemblies for sale. Also post a wanted ad for the complete shifter assy from the column to the trans with the shift rods. There are lots of folks with this stuff.
Fred

Don't know if it's still on there, but there was a rear from a '57 or so 1/2 ton on E-Bay a couple of days ago. Also, you don't need the entire column, just the shifter mechanism (lever,shaft,control box,shift rods) from a '57-'59 truck. Don't get one from a '55/'56, the rods are different. They have a bell crank on the 1rst/reverse rod.

That is what I like about this Stovebolt web site. If I run into something I don't know about, everyone is right here with answers or to offer advise.
There is a car show/swap meet next weekend here where I live in Lakeland Florida. I am going to check there first for parts and if I come up empty will post here for them. Thanks again.