Transmission conversion

[word4077]

Hi Everybody,

I have a 1964 Skylark 2dr.coupe with the 310 motor. I'd like to put a 5 speed manual in the car. Can I use a S-10 trans from a '95 with a 4.3? Has anybody ever done this swap before? what adapter will I need? Bellhousing, clutch? I got a 4bbl intake for the motor and I need advice as to the best cam to use also the best carb too.

Thanks, Scott.

[bob k. mando]

Scott
"310" refers to the torque rating. you actually have a 2v, medium compression 300ci SBB with aluminum heads and intake. this has the 'standard' BOPC ( Buick, Olds, Pontiac, Cadillac ) bellhousing pattern which i describe and compare to the Chevy bell in my thread on transmissions.

you'll need a manual bell from a Buick, Olds or Pontiac but you need to make sure that it has a starter kickout on the passenger side. the manual trans should bolt to the bell. you'll also need a man trans flywheel.

http://www.teambuick.com/forums/show...nsmission-bell





Can I use a S-10 trans from a '95 with a 4.3

4.3L is derived from the SBC and likely has the wrong bell pattern ( unless it's a dual pattern bell ). 3.8L and 4.1L are derived from the Buick 300 ( 225 = 300 * 6 / 8 and 225ci is the size of the 1964 Buick v6. you get 231ci / 3.8L by punching the bore size out to be the same as the Buick 350 ).

[raycow]

Can I use a S-10 trans from a '95 with a 4.3? Has anybody ever done this swap before? what adapter will I need? Bellhousing, clutch?

Take a look at that S-10 trans and see if it has an integral bellhousing. If it does, it will be Chevy pattern. In order to bolt it up to your 300 you will need one of the thin BOP to Chevy adaptor plates normally used with automatics. Fortunately, the Chevy starter is on the same side as Buick, so if you need to hack the bellhousing for starter clearance, it won't be very much.

The second hiccup is hooking up the clutch, because the S-10 bellhousing is set up for hydraulic linkage. I think the easiest fix there would be to use an aftermarket system like Wilwood instead of trying to cobble something together out of GM factory bits.

Next challenge is that the trans has an electric speedo drive. If you don't mind hacking your stock dash, the cheap and dirty way out is an aftermarket electric speedo for about $150-ish or maybe a little less. If you want to keep your stock speedo, you will need a gadget called Cable-X, which was about $300 the last time I looked.

Even if it turns out that the trans is a T-5 (separable bellhousing), you still aren't out of the woods yet. By 95, GM had changed their T-5s to the "Ford" bolt pattern. This means you will need an adaptor plate to bolt it to a stock BOP bellhousing. Just to avoid any confusion here, a lot of BOP bellhousings do have two sets of transmission holes, but the second set is for a Ford 3 speed trans (also fits the toploader 4 speed) and will not match a Ford T-5. At least the good news is that you will be able to use factory A-body clutch linkage.

Good luck on this project, and please let us know what you find out and how you plan to proceed with it.

Ray


NOTE TO MODERATOR:

I think this post might grab a greater number of knowledgeable eyeballs if it were moved to the Transmissions & Drivelines forum. I don't normally check over here for tech questions and I just happend to stumble across this one by accident.

[BigDonno]

Take a look at that S-10 trans and see if it has an integral bellhousing. If it does, it will be Chevy pattern. In order to bolt it up to your 300 you will need one of the thin BOP to Chevy adaptor plates normally used with automatics. Fortunately, the Chevy starter is on the same side as Buick, so if you need to hack the bellhousing for starter clearance, it won't be very much.

The second hiccup is hooking up the clutch, because the S-10 bellhousing is set up for hydraulic linkage. I think the easiest fix there would be to use an aftermarket system like Wilwood instead of trying to cobble something together out of GM factory bits.

Next challenge is that the trans has an electric speedo drive. If you don't mind hacking your stock dash, the cheap and dirty way out is an aftermarket electric speedo for about $150-ish or maybe a little less. If you want to keep your stock speedo, you will need a gadget called Cable-X, which was about $300 the last time I looked.

Even if it turns out that the trans is a T-5 (separable bellhousing), you still aren't out of the woods yet. By 95, GM had changed their T-5s to the "Ford" bolt pattern. This means you will need an adaptor plate to bolt it to a stock BOP bellhousing. Just to avoid any confusion here, a lot of BOP bellhousings do have two sets of transmission holes, but the second set is for a Ford 3 speed trans (also fits the toploader 4 speed) and will not match a Ford T-5. At least the good news is that you will be able to use factory A-body clutch linkage.

Good luck on this project, and please let us know what you find out and how you plan to proceed with it.

Ray


NOTE TO MODERATOR:

I think this post might grab a greater number of knowledgeable eyeballs if it were moved to the Transmissions & Drivelines forum. I don't normally check over here for tech questions and I just happend to stumble across this one by accident.

I'm in the midst of puting a 200-r4 in my '41. Seams like the best way to modernize the '64 Lark. Same length as the old 200 and overdrive.