gsoco
gsoco
Hello all. I am seeing a lot of bad press on the early 60s manual 3 speed for slant 6s. As I am in the middle of a resto, is it a good idea to change the transmission? If so what does it entail (both effort and cost)? Thanks!
1962 Valiant 3 speed manual transmission
- Thread starter gsoco
- Start date
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slantsixdan
=..=
What kind of "bad press" are you seeing? There's no synchro on 1st gear, and the steering column shifter tends to get loose(r), vague(r) and sloppy when it gets old, but the transmission itself isn't weak or faulty or anything.
Would you rather have some other kind of transmission? Automatic? 4-on-the-floor?
Would you rather have some other kind of transmission? Automatic? 4-on-the-floor?
Dartnut
Don't hate me because i'm beautiful
Agreed 100%.
These transmissions worked for many years and thousands of miles trouble free if you took care of them and didn't drive it like an animal.
They are fine used as they are designed. As long as everything is in good shape, the shifter linkage has good bushings and such, it will work fine.
The so called bad press comes from people doing stupid things with them like putting a V8 in front of them.
The so called bad press comes from people doing stupid things with them like putting a V8 in front of them.
gsoco
gsoco
Hi - 1.) There is the no syncro in first thing, but I am used to that having grown up on these cars, but I have been reading that the early 3 speeds had weak gears / teeth that broke off under normal driving conditions.
2.) Yes I would rather have a 4 speed, but if I can easily move the shifter to the floor, and the 3 speed transmission (which seems fine to me) has no significant design faults, I am happy with a 3 speed. Thanks again for your insights!
2.) Yes I would rather have a 4 speed, but if I can easily move the shifter to the floor, and the 3 speed transmission (which seems fine to me) has no significant design faults, I am happy with a 3 speed. Thanks again for your insights!
gsoco
gsoco
Good to know. Thanks!
gsoco
gsoco
Roger. Thanks!
hemi446
Well-Known Member
I HAVE A THREE SPEED OUT OF A 63 VALIANT IF YOU NEEDED ONE ALONG WITH THE DRIVE SHAFT
gsoco
gsoco
OK. Thanks anyway. Good to know. I think mine is fine. Only 23K on the car. I guess I was misinformed that these transmissions were poor and was thinking of replacing it with a better design. But after the great support for these transmissions I will stick with it.
slantsixdan
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No, they're not weak. No, they don't tend to strip the gears. If yours is a low-miles unit (so was/is my '62 Lancer), just drain out the old oil and run in a fill of premium-quality pref synthetic oil of the correct grade and type. Regular parts store brands are fine, Valvoline/Pennzoil/etc, no need to waste money on overhyped boutique brands.
gsoco
gsoco
Thanks!!
gsoco
gsoco
Couple of questions....1.) how much do you want for the under dash A/C unit and
2.) Do you know of a good shifter column to floor kit?
slantsixdan
=..=
Send me a PM about the A/C unit.
I don't know that there is any such a thing as a good floorshift conversion kit. Back when these cars were recent there were probably one or two decent ones. I'm guessing that if you can find one now, it's a cheap Chinese trinket. I think if I were bound and determined to have 3-on-the-floor in a '62 I'd hunt up a '60-'61 "charmed snake" shifter and linkage and floorpan section. But then again, if I were really rabid to have floorshift in a '62 and I were going to the trouble, I'd go ahead and put in an overdrive 4-speed transmission! Feature creep, don'tchyaknow.
I don't know that there is any such a thing as a good floorshift conversion kit. Back when these cars were recent there were probably one or two decent ones. I'm guessing that if you can find one now, it's a cheap Chinese trinket. I think if I were bound and determined to have 3-on-the-floor in a '62 I'd hunt up a '60-'61 "charmed snake" shifter and linkage and floorpan section. But then again, if I were really rabid to have floorshift in a '62 and I were going to the trouble, I'd go ahead and put in an overdrive 4-speed transmission! Feature creep, don'tchyaknow.
gsoco
gsoco
OK. Thanks. We'll see. If I did go with a 4 spd what fits best? Thanks for all your advice.
Jason
Jason
396 Signet
Well-Known Member
Just another 2 cents-
If you have a 23k original Valiant, do NOT hack the floor for a floor shifter. The column shift has a certain nostalgia factor & if set up properly works pretty smooth. Any 4-speed setup from an early A should work (with some fabrication) but your investment in time & expense will be fairly significant. There are various internal differences between the 3-speeds, V8's & some HD slant apps had beefed up bearings & gear sliders. A's has a short tailshaft, same as 4-speeds. From personal experience the 3-speeds can be quite rugged, I've seen some live after getting the snot beat out behind a small block, big torque will break them though. With any manual one key to making them live is gear oil changes. I've seen old gear boxes where the old oil really petrifies.
If you have a 23k original Valiant, do NOT hack the floor for a floor shifter. The column shift has a certain nostalgia factor & if set up properly works pretty smooth. Any 4-speed setup from an early A should work (with some fabrication) but your investment in time & expense will be fairly significant. There are various internal differences between the 3-speeds, V8's & some HD slant apps had beefed up bearings & gear sliders. A's has a short tailshaft, same as 4-speeds. From personal experience the 3-speeds can be quite rugged, I've seen some live after getting the snot beat out behind a small block, big torque will break them though. With any manual one key to making them live is gear oil changes. I've seen old gear boxes where the old oil really petrifies.
gsoco
gsoco
Thanks for the advice. We'll see. It is getting a bit pricey as I do all the various upgrades. The transmission seems fine and I understand the value of the original design. Cheers,
Jason
Jason
gsoco
gsoco
Can you tell how to PM? Never done that before...
Maybe theres an easier way, but I click on the person I want to talk to, and then find a button on their profile that says 'start a conversation'
Ditto with not changing the floor shift, unless there's a compelling reason you're changing a lot of other things. Three on the tree is a wonderful period thing which, like pushbutton automatics, they just don't make them like that any more. Yes, when they get high mileage you get issues to maintain, but not any more than any other part of the car.
For comparison - I did install a 4-speed in my 65 Barracuda, because the original drivetrain was all gone and numerous other parts had been changed, so I was not breaking an otherwise original intact combination.
I used a 4-speed and shifter from a 66 Barracuda, cut a hole in the floor and mounted a hump cut from an early A, and mounted the bezel and rubber next to the carpet with no console. It's simple and pretty close to original for the car.
What I didn't do yet is change the steering column for a floor shift car, one of those things to get done someday. Most people don't even notice that the car has a column -and- a floor shifter! But another reason why this changeover is more involved than meets the eye. On the plus side, all the pedals and clutch linkage stuff from the 3-speed is ready to connect to a 4-speed, so it's easier than converting from automatic.
All of which is to say, there are so many cars out there in almost-running condition which are good candidates for what you're considering. If yours is original and running - or complete undergoing resto - leave it the way it is! Enjoy driving it while you work on a project car.
For comparison - I did install a 4-speed in my 65 Barracuda, because the original drivetrain was all gone and numerous other parts had been changed, so I was not breaking an otherwise original intact combination.
I used a 4-speed and shifter from a 66 Barracuda, cut a hole in the floor and mounted a hump cut from an early A, and mounted the bezel and rubber next to the carpet with no console. It's simple and pretty close to original for the car.
What I didn't do yet is change the steering column for a floor shift car, one of those things to get done someday. Most people don't even notice that the car has a column -and- a floor shifter! But another reason why this changeover is more involved than meets the eye. On the plus side, all the pedals and clutch linkage stuff from the 3-speed is ready to connect to a 4-speed, so it's easier than converting from automatic.
All of which is to say, there are so many cars out there in almost-running condition which are good candidates for what you're considering. If yours is original and running - or complete undergoing resto - leave it the way it is! Enjoy driving it while you work on a project car.
btw - the difficult thing to piece together in a 4-speed swap is the bellhousing/clutch/transmission combination. If you can get those together, it's much better to do so. One from an early A-body would be closest.
gsoco
gsoco
Thanks for all. Thinking I will stick with the column shifter...
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