buick straight 8 gearbox question

[englishbuick]

is there any gearbox that has the same bolt pattern and spline as the standard buick 3 speed gearbox?
if not, whats the best way to convert it to open drive?

[Jyrki]

50's Oldsmobile transmissions are the same but with open tailshaft.

Another way is to do like I did, see http://www.roadmachine.fi/Buick/august2001.html

or you go with an automatic and get an adapter from Bendtsen's, www.transmissionadapters.com

And welcome to the community

[englishbuick]

so what do you do about the engine angle if you change the gearbox? will making the engine more level affect the carb and manifold?

[Jyrki]

I didn't change engine angle.

[39CENT]

'36 to '50,s Pontiac and Olds, trans are open drive will bolt up to Buick Special, and Supers. Installing an open drive rear end is kinda complex operation, you can find posts about that by using the search box located above .

And also you can adapt the pontiac, olds rear ends, and driveshafts. and use the 67 era chevy pickup rear torq arms.All of this doesnt just bolt on but I think it adapts reasonably well.

[David Juricic]

I used a 3 speed from a 1954 Chevy. The upper bolt holes are the same, the lower bolt holes have to be redrilled. The spline is the same and I used a clutch fork and clutch bearing from the 54 Chevy. The Buick shifter will not work with this tranny, you would have to get the shifter mechanism off the steering column of a 54 Chevy to make it work like a 3 speed. I am using a universal 3 speed floor shifter with the 320 engine in my 23 T-Bucket.