Technical GM 3 spd OD. What years? Hard to find??

[Tugmaster]

I would love to put a 3spd OD in my 60 Belair. However I am not sure what to look for or where. I did some research but I'm still not 100% sure of the years. Here is what I came up with so far:

3spd OD was first offered in 55 and the same one was used till 57.

After that it was offered 58-64 but was different than the 55-57 trans ie, I can't put a 55-57 trans in my car (differnt mounts)

I am also wondering how common were these? Are they hard to find? I know there are some electrics and switches involved.

Thanks, Todd

[choprods]

They were also offered in the fully sychronized Saginaws as late as 1967 [CHEVROLETS]that I know for sure

[choprods]

a GUY NEAR ME HAS ONE HE DID NOT USE THAT HE WANTS TO SELL....
tUGMASTER i THINK THESE sAGINAW od S WERE same length as a 4 speed Muncie

[Tugmaster]

Originally Posted by choprods

a GUY NEAR ME HAS ONE HE DID NOT USE THAT HE WANTS TO SELL....
tUGMASTER i THINK THESE sAGINAW od S WERE same length as a 4 speed Muncie

We're talking 3spd here,correct?

[sixinarowjoe]

I have looked for a while for a reasonably priced one ,-but all i saw at the swaps were big $$$$ ones ,so i am going to do a saginaw 4-speed instead -4 gears on the column and the reverse will be actuated by a cable under the dash ,the guy who did my motor has a 56 ford convert with a 427 -4 speed with this setup .-pretty slick- why dont you just change the gears in your rear

[Tugmaster]

Good point Joe. My stock gears are 3:55. I have room to go down a little. Todd

[shemp]

They are pretty much the same from '55 through '66. The '58 up ones will have the provision for the rear mount. I ran a few in '55-7 Chevys. They work best with 4:56-4:88 rear gears and the gear set from the Corvette. The weak spot is the sprags and drum for the overdrive. You can run them with just a pull cable or lever to activate the overdrive. The wiring and solenoid is only used for the kick down. With the kickdown hooked up it's the poor mans 5 speed. 1st, 2nd out, 2nd in, 3rd out, 3rd in.

[1oldtimer]

The later are syncro'd like said above, also the later ones you'll have to modify the shift arms to fit your '60. If you don't care about a syncro'd 1st gear the older ones are almost a direct bolt in (wiring, driveshaft and cable) I have 2 o/d trans, the newer one in my '64 panel truck and the other is an older crashbox that's going in my '60 elco.

Pics are of a later one and an early one, note the shift arms.

[sixinarowjoe]

Todd, as far as gears go , you could go to 3.36 (my green car has them they are a nice crusing gear ) they are still pretty common ,or 3.08 -easy to swap out the pumpkins ,ive done it a few times on my 50 -right in the garage .

[26 roadster]

Had one and couldn't give it away, went to scrap. search r-10 o/d on google, lots of info and wiring diagrams.

[Lobucrod]

Try to find a saginaw OD. Use the same main case as the 4 speed and fully syncro. They are kinda rare and can be pricey at the swap meets. Dont back up if you find one with bad tranny gears. The od unit can be grafted onto the back of a saginaw 4 speed with very little work.

[choprods]

T-M',
Yes that one I mentioned is here about 20 miles from me....It is a 3 speed Saginaw O/d trans- I personally took it out.
It was in a '67 Impala wagon with SBC motor....
I think he wants $350 for the entire deal as I remember....I can get you his phone number if you need it....

Originally Posted by Tugmaster

We're talking 3spd here,correct?

[Bluenoseguy]

It seems the older GM 55-62 ODs seem to run around $200 - typically. i'm looking for a 55-57 (no rear mount) and have found a couple in this price range - shipping is the real issue.

The kickdown switch is rare and worth big $$. Finding a floor mounted shifter is another issue - I managed to find a Hurst vintage 55-57 OD kit (special mounts and shift linkage) but it ain't cheap.

[shemp]

I wired my kickdown solenoid to a Hurst linelock switch. It worked good at the time.

[krooser]

Didn't Chevy use a Ford toploader 3 speed with overdrive in some fuel saver 80's pick-ups? Might be hard to find but a toploader with a chevy bolt pattern would work pretty good...

[gas pumper]

In my experiance the east coast was not a popular place for the OD's.
It cost extra, a lot of small hills, a lot of traffic, noplace to roll fast.

In NJ I never saw one in a junk yard in the 60's-70's. Never saw a car with one at gas station/repair places that I worked at either.

[Lobucrod]

Originally Posted by krooser

Didn't Chevy use a Ford toploader 3 speed with overdrive in some fuel saver 80's pick-ups? Might be hard to find but a toploader with a chevy bolt pattern would work pretty good...

What chevy used was a variation of the chrysler 4 speed. They put an od gear where 3rd was and the one to one gear that was 4th is now 3rd. It used exterior shifting levers and the lever on 3-4 was pointing down instead of up to keep the pattern the same. Tuff tranny but the gear spacing was a little odd.

[davidh73750]

Originally Posted by Lobucrod

What chevy used was a variation of the chrysler 4 speed. They put an od gear where 3rd was and the one to one gear that was 4th is now 3rd. It used exterior shifter forks and the lever on 3-4 was pointing down instead of up so keep the pattern the same. Tuff tranny but the gear spacing was a little odd.

I think that is that A38o or 383??? I know it was used in some light duty pickups (gm) 80up usually behind a 250-6. I'd like one for my old chevy truck for the 292. be a great combo

[mschiffel]

just use a later model all synchro three speed...you can pull it into first without completely stopping...a major bonus in traffic....and you could swap rear gears to something like a 3:36 for effortless highway cruising....those old three speed O/D units are hard to find and are not very strong...the later ones are modified 4speeds and have hokey gear ratio spreads....I use a Mopar A230 all synchro three speed in my 52 Ford F1 pickup and I love it....I'm running a 3:92 rear and will never change it because I stay off of the freeways....just local around town.