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I am thinking of switching out my Dynaflow for the Three speed in my 1951 special. I found a parts car with the manual transmission and all the parts to convert. I was wondering if the torque tube and driveshaft are the same or is there a difference. Any thoughts are appreciated.:shifter:
Yours is not a recent post, so I don't know if you are still interested.
I am doing the same thing to a 51 special. Here is what I found:
In addition to bellhousing, flywheel, clutch, transmission, and all of the linkage, you need a peice of the frame from the donor car, to hold the left end of the clutch linkage. Also, the Dynaflow and manual cars use different crankshafts. I have not yet torn mine apart, but I hope machining is all that is necessary to get the dynaflow crak to accept a pilot bearing.
If you have already gone forward, I would like to hear your thoughts on how it went.
I was actually going to rebuild the motor with the three speed and avoid the crannk problem. This also makes it easier to rebuild the whole system at the same time. I'm glad that you let me know about the frame part so that I can Get it as well. I am trying to get a complete parts car to achive the goal.
Good idea. That helps take care of issues concerning rebalancing the engine/flywheel/clutch. Also, you are unlikely to have any issues with alignment of the engine block and the bell housing.
Following other threads on this site, you already know to be careful to look for a 263, which requires care when considering 1950 model cars as donors. My experience was that almost all of the '51-'51-'52 Buicks I found were built with Dynaflows, and that the 3speeds in the Specials and Supers can be in tough shape. I am now cobbeling togather a '46 or '47 gearcase with a '50 tailshaft ("bearing carrier in the Buick book) because I couldn't find a donor car with good 3speed and the correct ('49 through '53) transmission mount.