3spd to th350

[Gusgus74]

Hi all,
I'm new to this site and new to truck ownership and I wanted to say hello and ask a question.
My son and I bought a 74 Cheyenne super 10 longbed that came with a 3 on the tree and a 350 SBC. The engine is at the machine shop at the moment and will be getting  a Scat 383 stroker kit and a set of Dart Iron Eagle heads with a lunati 233/233 cam as soon as we get it back. My question concerns the  th350 conversion... Do I need a short tail or long tail version to work with the existing driveshaft?

[zieg85]

Short tail would work perfectly with your driveshaft.

[Grim 82]

Welcome from ND.

[Swims350]

you my friend have the exact length driveshaft I need.

You definately want a short 6 inch tailshaft 350, that would work perfect as mentioned with your ddriveshaft, the slip yoke is the correct splines and length and everything. Only thing I aint sure on would be the trans. mount, I know the mount is the same or would work but location of the crossmember or crossmember being different not sure.

I had a 76 3 on the tre, replaced with a saginaw camaro 4 speed, same length and DS, same mount and crossmember, then put that in my monte carlo then swapped it over to a th350 short tail and it fit perfectly, was the same overall length. I never used the 4 speed in the mcss. it was only bolted up.

[snibook7537]

Just curious, how does everyone like this 3 on the tree? I was kinda wondering about a truck down the street from my girlfriends house. It is really rotten but I might have another truck lined up I can swap the entire drive train into. I know they had a few problems with the linkage when they wore out but how about the actual trans. Does it shift faster then a sm465. Also just curious could you ever get a stick ( either 3OTT or 465) with a tilt column from GM?

Thanks Vince

[Grim 82]

Also just curious could you ever get a stick ( either 3OTT or 465) with a tilt column from GM?

My 82 with the 465 came with a tilt column. My 76 K5 with 3 speed column shift does not have a tilt column, but some may have had it, I'm not sure.

[Swims350]

I like the 3 speed but would convert it to floor shift, it's pretty cheap and fixes any linkage issues that the column has or had. I know ours acted up alot on the column but in the floor it was fine. it held up pretty good to some burnouts and chirping gear changes, but got took out from a 6-7k shift from first to 2nd without using clutch, but then again the truck was never right after could have been the rear end, but with the 3 speed it would lock up after going a little ways, then unlock and roll for a bit and lock up again. By lock up I mean the back wheels locked up. slip the clutch some and it's start working again, but we put a saginaw 4 speed in it after and it was like it was stuck in 2 gears you'd have to floor it to get it to move and it eventually burnt the clutch out before we junked it.

[zieg85]

Just curious, how does everyone like this 3 on the tree? I was kinda wondering about a truck down the street from my girlfriends house. It is really rotten but I might have another truck lined up I can swap the entire drive train into. I know they had a few problems with the linkage when they wore out but how about the actual trans. Does it shift faster then a sm465. Also just curious could you ever get a stick ( either 3OTT or 465) with a tilt column from GM?

Thanks Vince

If I could find a replacement column for my 86 I would switch it back.  The previous owner broke the collar, ditched the linkages and put a junk floor shifter in it.  I think it is unique and as far as I know ended with our body style on the trucks.  For now I am switching to the 4 speed OD since I have a hole in the floor already.

[Layne]

I really liked mine. Sometimes I regret my 700. I had wanted to have a floor shifter conversion done, but I got the 700 r4 for free, so that's what I did.