The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot '60-'66 Trucks 62 Chevy 235 transmission problem

My '62 Chevy 235/6 SWB pickup came equipped with a 3 speed manual trans with column shift. This is a barn find that hadn't seen the road since 1993. The clutch was not engaging smoothly due to grit and grime buildup which was obvious when we removed the tranny and clutch. I decided (accidentally) to inspect the inner workings of the tranny...probably a good thing given the very poor condition of one of the shifting forks and first gear. Time for plan B as this tranny will require a complete overhaul. I do have options; I have a heavy duty 4 speed out of a 3/4 ton C20 that is in great conditon and should bolt in. Unfortunately, I'm not wild about this combo. My other option is a S10 5 speed that I originally bought for another project. I'd also like to consider finding a later model 3 speed tranny that has syncros in all three forward gears, but I'm not sure what years will work. Suggestions and ideas are welcome. Thanks

Bill,
My '60 was a factory 3spd, original owner swaped for SM420. Great box if you want to use it as a work rig. Too large of a ratio change from 3rd to 4th for me as a hiway rig but will give the 235 stump pulling 1st gear. Had a M20 Pontiac 4spd in it for several years, loved that 3rd gear acceleration to road speed. Down side, way too high 1st & rev on hill. Been running a T5 about 4 years now, should have swaped sooner. Mine is has the lower 1st gear ratio, not the best if I was always on the streets but give much better back road ability. I'm, running a 3.56 spicer rear end, pulls good in 5th down to about 60 mph and sure cuts down on the engine noise. The newer 3spd will stop that grinding when shifting to 1st rolling and that's the about it. As long as the 3/4 ton 4spd, as long as its as SM420 ('67 back) it will fit. Repair of the o.e. unit may be the simplest & cheapest option.
BC

If you use the 4 speed,you will have to get the high floor hump,and a longer drive shaft. I am going the T-5 route with my 62,there are good info on the tech tips section on this site for this swap.

Ive installed the 66 up Saginaw full syncro three speeds. They require a different splined yoke on the driveshaft. also the shift linkage needs to be modified. They have a taller gear ratio in 1st gear.

And of course there is the borg warner T-16 HD 3 speed also, which was fully sync and took 375HP big blocks from the factory in 65-69

Well, I've decided to go with the T5 swap. I finally found the correct clutch disc via the internet...not cheap either. There are numerous how-to sources including the January 2012 edition of Custom Classic Truck, so I think we will be able to manage this well. Thanks for the help.