VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND NEWER 1949-1954 MUNCIE 318 Swap

1950 Styleline,3-On-The -Tree, all stock: Plan on a later 235, with open NOVA driveline. If I use a '55-65 'short-tail' Muncie 318 manual transmission, will this hookup OK with my steering column shift linkage? Thanks for any advice. - Mark Axen.

If you're asking if the Muncie will hook up to your std. linkage, without any modification, I have to believe the answer is no. BUT .... I do not know that, as fact.

What I do know, as a fact, is this. My "modified" '51 Chevy has a '61 235, with an open drive line. The tranny is a 1959 stick 3 speed, with functioning overdrive.

The '51 3 on the tree linkage was used, but it sure as heck took some reconfiguration of the linkage to make it work.

If you have the 49-54 Shop Manual, you should be able to see the linkage hook up. I would guess if the reverse/1st and 2nd/3rd forks are located the same as the 51 std trans, the linkage should work. However you may need to lengthen or shorten the shifter rods going from the trans to the shift box on the column if the shifter forks are farther back on the Muncie trans.

That failing (and if you're not committed to using the shifter on the column), National Chevy sells a floor shifter designed to work with the original transmission and bolts directly on. Maybe your Muncie would work with this.

Good luck.

Thanks for the info! Also; Is a Powerglide driveshaft the same length and spline-type as a manual driveshaft? ('49-52)

The swap to a 3:55 PG rear end from a 4:11 stick rear end is common.

Slide out the axles a bit, pull the pumpkin, with the torque tube, and swap her out.

No problems.

Bobg,

This is something I've been contemplating doing for some time now. I've been gathering parts, such as a '58 with O/D, and complete rebuilt 4.11:1 '55 rear and a '54 235. (If you look, you'll find some posts of mine from back in 2003.) Since I'll be using a '54 block, I'll still be able to use the stock '52 -'54 passenger front mounts, and I have later passenger bell housing with the correct bolt pattern and center hole, with further modification by Buffalo Enterprises to put the clutch fork pivot in the correct location for '49 -'54 passenger clutch linkage. Other than the linkage, were there any other particularly troublesome things you tackled that I should beware of?

Thank you,

Scott,

I did not do ANY of the modifications to this '51 I am referring to.

Instead, I purchased this vehicle from my late friends estate.

I bought it in May, it was delivered to me, by his family in Albuquerque, NM.

I had knee surgery in June, so the car has been driven only 40 miles, by me.

The engine is a '61 235 with dual rochesters and a Patricks 3/4 cam and Fenton Headers. Much chrome.

O.D. tranny is from a 1959 Chevy Impala 6 cylinder. So is the bell housing. I do NOT know how the bell housing stabilizer mounts were handled, being that a 1959 bell was used.

I do recall hearing about the linkage modifications that were needed, to make the column shift work smoothly. It does.

Tranny crossmember is from Walton.

Rear end is a Ford 9" with a 3:50 positraction. I think my friend was thinking of a V8, down the road.

All this info is based on the 3 ring notebook of receipts that was given to me.

My friend finished this car, drove it only 229 miles, before passing away from cancer.

If you care for pics, please send your email, via a PM and I'll be happy to share with you what pics I have.

P.S. Restoration on body was done in a shop in Minnesota. There is a plaque on the door, by latch.

The pg shaft is most likely different in length than the manual shaft and the pg trans is longer overall. Rather than swapping out the rear, why not consider Bob1951's suggestion? If the orig closed rear end is in good shape, it's possible to just swap out the gears for the 3:55 pg vs the manual 4:11. You can replace the axle bearings easily. IMHO this is a lot easier than swapping out for the Nova rear. You will have to alter the driveshaft unless the Muncie is the exact same length as your original trans, which is unlikely.

I'm running a 54 235 motor in my 51 with my original 3sp manual, bellhousing, flywheel, clutch, starter motor, and motor mounts. Everything bolts right in with no mods and the car shifts and accelerates real strong.

Good luck. "Less is more." LOL

Here is what I am saying.

In a stock configuration "closed driveline setup", the powerglide rear end (3:55 ratio) will swap with the stick shift (4:11 ratio).

Only take out the center section of the differential, which will include the ring and pinion assembly, WITH the torque tube.

This "swap" is all unbolting and bolting type of work, no resetting or adjusting of ring and pinion gears ..... because gears are being swapped out as a "unit assembly".

There is a 4 bolt flange vs a 6 bolt flange on the leading edge of the torque tube, that MAY NEED TO BE SWAPPED OUT. If so, it is not a problem to do so.

Look at this thread from Chevy Talk, in speaking of this swap. http://www.chevytalk.org/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/296716/

Much easier to do the swap, than converting to an open drive line, with a different tranny and a different rear end, etc.

PM sent to you.

Bob.