Re: 1955 400 Manual Transmission Conversion

Posted by Joshua Nelson On 2010/8/3 11:33:57

Wow. Thanks for all the info. I will work on getting my 400 into the registry.
Although I am not SAE certified or anything, I have quite a bit of automotive experience and am not concerned about the swap.
Having seen how the shift linkage works on a Henny ambulance that my grandfather owns (I think it is a 1952 or 53, but I am not sure), I understand why it would wear out. However, I really want to keep it stock, so I will not be installing a floor shifter. Besides that, my grandfather would kill me. He is really insistent on keeping stuff stock/original.
Well, now I have some hope of finding a parts car. I just need to keep looking...
Grandpa was saying something about the driveshafts being different, but I am not sure what. Does anyone know what he was talking about? In many of the cars that I have worked on (VWs, Mazdas, Hondas, etc), the auto and manual transmissions share many of the same components, such as mounts, shafts, etc. In this case, there is no computer to swap out, but what needs to be changed post-tranny?
Also, was there any difference between differential gearings for the 3-speed manual and the Twin-Ultramatic?
Thanks.
Josh