351 V6 with 5spd questions

[dthela]

Just bought a 351 with 5spd was going to put tranny in my 62 GMC burb. Got the **** thing home and it's a manual throw out setup, not hydraulic???? So anyway will this tranny bolt up to my 305 with hydraulic clutch? the 5spd is a "new process" have to remove power takeoff also. Anyone in the northeast need a 351? came out of a 74 6000.

[BarryGMC]

It won't bolt up to the bellhousing. The bearing retainers are different size. But you probably can mount the slave cylinder to the later bellhousing. There is a lot of meat to work with to drill and tap. Also the clutches are the same manual linkage or hydraulic. BTW did you get one of the OD trans. They are pretty cool.

[David R Leifheit]

Originally Posted by dthela

Just bought a 351 with 5spd was going to put tranny in my 62 GMC burb. Got the **** thing home and it's a manual throw out setup, not hydraulic???? So anyway will this tranny bolt up to my 305 with hydraulic clutch? the 5spd is a "new process" have to remove power takeoff also. Anyone in the northeast need a 351? came out of a 74 6000.

Originally Posted by BarryGMC

It won't bolt up to the bellhousing. The bearing retainers are different size. But you probably can mount the slave cylinder to the later bellhousing. There is a lot of meat to work with to drill and tap. Also the clutches are the same manual linkage or hydraulic. BTW did you get one of the OD trans. They are pretty cool.

Hm.
As far as I knew there were only two bell housings used, one for the hydraulic clutch (fork/cylinder on passenger side) and one for the manual clutch (fork/linkage on driver's side) so I wonder if there will really be a problem with the size of the hole for the bearing retainer. If it bolts to the later housing, it should also bolt to the earlier.

As far as I know, there is no easy way to use the manual clutch bell housing with the hydraulic setup. You'd have to make brackets for the slave cylinder, and plumb the whole assembly... a lot of fun (almost been there done that).

I'd try the transmission in the '62 bell housing to see if the bearing retainer is a problem before attempting any modifications to the clutch setup. Take measurements of the openings on both bell housings and compare the sizes.

[raycow]

The bearing retainer changed to 5-1/8" around 1968. Any machine shop can bore out the center hole in the earlier bellhousings to accept the later transmissions. I have done this myself on Chevys.

Ray

[dthela]

I have a 62 305 V6 hydraulic clutch. I thought the 5 speed would give me an overdrive.

[BarryGMC]

There are a few versions of the new process 540 and most are not the od type. the od ones are 540-O

[dthela]

Oh well!!!!!! Gotta sell it then. Too much **** piling up in the yard!