Thread: 55 Bel Air

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Go with the '69 tranny, it's full synchro. The '55 is a gear grinder first, and they never were much good.
The '69 will bolt on the '55 (V8) bellhousing if you want to go that route.

I'd check your spindels. You said the front end was droped. If the guy that droped it new anything at all he used drop spindels not different springs. You maybe changing them anyway to add disc brakes.

By the way GOOD LUCK with your project

Thanks for the advice about the tranny, and about the front end, actually the guys friend who had it before him, decided to cut the front springs, not use shorter ones. And he did something to the rear suspension as well, for some odd reason when I had to change out the left rear tire, I seriously had to jack up the rear end, like normal, but then I had to actually jack up the car! The wheel would just not come out, it got stuck between the inner fender well and the brake drum. For all I know it was the wheel, but still it was completely uncomfortable to drive.

I mean if I hit a tiny bump in the road, the car would basically bottom out. And its having this kind of suspension that screwed the front end up completely. Dont get me wrong I thought about keeping it lowered to the ground, just having the dropped spindles and special leaf springs, but honestly I think it would be more cool at its original height.

"I think it would be more cool at its original height"

Finally, some sanity. Thank you, thank you.
Not only cool, but all the geometry will work correctly.

Well the kind of car I may build might not be considered old school, but it will be a one of a kind car that I built and put my creativness into and have something I can pass down to my kids, when I have them, and just something that I can have fun in. Im not much of a serious kind of guy so I do like to goof off a lot, after coming close to death a few times, you learn not to take life to serious, because you can die right after reading this.

Originally Posted by techinspector1

David, it sounds like you really like the column shift. If I were in your position, I'd probably try the later 3-spd truck transmission before I gave up the three-on-the-tree shifter. What do you have to lose? Just the cost of a trans and your labor to change it out if you grenade it. If you think about it, any system is only as strong as its weakest link. What I'm getting at is, if you leave stock street rubber on the rear, you're gonna smoke the hides before you grenade the transmission. Think of the tires like a circuit breaker in an electrical system. I don't know how fast you want to go, but with a healthy 350 in a '55, I could have a lot of fun on skinny street tires.

speedway motors sells rebuilt saginaw 3spds in 1 of there racing books for like $450