VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND NEWER 1949-1954 4 speed in a 50 Chev

I am replacing my 216 with a '54 235 and am thinking about putting a four speed behind it. I have a rear end out of a '77 Nova I could use. Any idea what transmision would work and if there are adapters available? Thanks.

Check with Patricks in Arizona, he is a proponent of the 4 speeds in the 49-54 Chevrolets, and can supply you with the info or any adapters needed.

a muncie or a t-10 4 spped will bolt to a 55 up 235 bellhousing. no need to buy expensive adaptors. mike

trans. a saginaw 4 speed works great . i put one in my 48 p.u. with a56,235 and a 57 posi with 3.55 gears . contact patricks hes the guru on the subject. they are great to deal with and give you all the help you need . tom langdon of the inliners international is also helpful. i heard s-10 4 spd with overdrive is a good choice . im going to look into this one myself .kozy

Thanks MrMack, I just emailed Patricks. Thanks Mike. Is '55 the first year of the open drive shafts? What do you think about the Nova rearend?

55 was first year of open drive in chevy pass cars(vetes got em in 53) the nova rear wil almost certainly hold up to the torque/hp of the 54 235 ci engine you've picked.i'm not too fond of the saginaw 4 speeds as they don't shift as quickly as the muncie or t-10. don't know if s-10 4 or 5 spped trannys will bolt up to the 55 up chev pass car bellhousing. they are nice ss trannys and the 5 speed will give you the overdrive mode in 5th gear. mike

A early T-5 warner 5-speed from a early S-10 truck would be the best choice. The early ones had a mechanical speedometer drive, the later ones were electric. The S-10 rear end and driveshaft is also worth looking at.

Thanks guys...as the man said, what do we need a moderator for, anyway!

"Counting the flowers on the wall don't bother me at all...watching Captain Kangaroo.....Now don't tell me I have nothing to do!!!!"

Thanks everybody. I'll let you know how it goes.