Buick and Olds selector transmissions

If you are going to be using an open drive system rather than the torque tube set-up you would be better off getting a Packard trans. They are open drive, come with an overdrive & are better suited for a hotrod IMHO. The trans. is also stronger & has a conventional shift pattern which makes it easier to do a floor shift modification. Most of their input shafts are longer than the Buicks so all you would need to do is make a flat aluminum plate, bolt it to the bell & bolt the trans to it. Although the 6 bolt top cover trans is pretty strong it can't be shifted fast enough in a race. Usually it will grab two gears at once & then break the mainshaft. Ask me how I know. The 5 bolt top cover couldn't hold up to a str.8 never less a V8 of ANY capacity. If using a torque tube then choices are limited. I changed the 5 bolt for a 6 bolt in my '55 Special many years ago & it was for all intent purposes a bolt-in. I had to play with the column linkage but I was still able to use the original shifter rods for the column shift. Then years later I put in a '59/401 & found a shifter through J.C.Whitney. If I remember correctly it was a Hansen. As hard as I tried to make it work properly when racing it would almost always grab 2 gears at once & break the mainshaft. 2nd.-3rd. was pain also for if you tried to do a fast shift the trans was just NOT made for this. Years ago I didn't have the capacity to change out rears. I started to make an adapter to install a TH400 with the "Nail" bell pattern. Then some guy came along & wanted to buy the car with the standard trans. Was a VERY FUN car for almost 20 years though & also very fast.

Tom T.
 
standard transmissions

Yea Tom, I agree the Packard trans would work, I wished I had got one backwen I had the chance. I see the interest here for changing torq tube drivelines, so when i get some info I like to pass it on, as it gets a little complicated. I had a buddy that had a 40 Roadmaster with a 38 floorshift and he threw some mighty hard shifts, I couldnt believe how hard he was on that trans but it held up. That big old 40 would go surprised a lot of 88,s.
 
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