I've got a running 425 available to me and was wondering if there are any manual trans combos that will bolt up to it, preferably a modern 5 speed. Was this mill ever offered with a manual? If so, how hard are these parts to find? Or will I just be limited to automatics? Thanks......Los

Los,

An aftermarket manual 5-speed for the nailhead? - yep. The Tremec 5-speed will work. Forte's parts is the only place that "adapts" the Tremec to be mounted to a Muncie type of bolt pattern for the bellhousing/tranny mating face.

They run about 2k and Forte's site is at http://www.fortesparts.com/tremec/index.html

The trick is to find a manual bellhousing and clutch related hardware for the nailhead. There's two different types from about '61 to '66 that I'm aware of (not a positive statement - so some room for error http://www.buicks.net/forum/smile.gif. One utilized the clutch arm style of clutch release (kinda like the rest of the setups you see out there). The other uses a bell-crank design that uses a "pivot" arm actually held in place by two bosses in the bellhousing. These came in the Gran Sport Skylarks but may have come in the Wildcats as well. The bolt pattern is nailhead specific so another breed will not work.

I looked into the Tremec TKO quite extensively for my '66 Skylark Gran Sport but decided on a 3.5 rear ratio and a wide ratio 4-speed trans to keep a neck snapping 1st gear while retaining somewhat of a decent freeway RPM.

Here's what a Chevelle owner encountered in his swap - http://www.chevelles.com/techref/fpelltec1.html.

Sorry for the wind but to answer your question, the parts are there but are few and far between. Even if you find a complete assembly, some ingenuity will have to be applied.

Good luck and keep us posted if you go the 5-speed route. That OD certainly is tempting...

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Hub
66' Gran Sport Skylark
Minot AFB, ND

No problem, and thanks for the reply. As far as I'm concerned, the more descriptive the better. And I appreciate the info. I guess I can live with the 4 Speeder, but the 5 would really be nice. Mine will most likely not be installed in a Buick body, so I am just trying to round up as much info as possible on the pit falls. Thanks again.......Los