which would be better a rebuild or swap in a turbo 350 or 400 then put in an aftermarket overdrive unit. Later when the motor gives up the ghost, I was thinking of an engine & trans swap

 

If it were mine I would probably rebuild the original engine and replace the slimjim transmission which I'm not a fan of. You might give Tony a call(Ross Racing Engines) 330-544-4466 and see what he recommends as far as transmission adapters he knows his stuff ..... Tedd

 

Tony has the whole kit including the T350 or T400 that is supposed to be a bolt in. I don't know how you get the shift indicator to work. I think the whole thing is about $2,800 plus shipping. Not cheap but consider that to rebuild you slimjim will probably be $2,000. I thought about putting a turbo 350 in my 54. It would really drive a lot better but it is too original and the old hydramatic is just part of the character of the car. Tedd is correct in that Tony really does know his stuff.

 

I know of a guy in Northern Mich that rebuilds trans on the side and does good work. was going to call him and see what he thinks about it. Locally there is a couple of racers that have done tranny rebuilds in the past but have not heard of them working on them anymore. Will give Tony a call after my I call and take it out in the spring. I can only do body work while in storage do to where it is parked. Not enough room to pull engine and or trans,

 

A friend suggested a 700R4 for the overdrive. Was thinking of a floor shift location but the indicator should still work just reverse would be in the PRNDL spot instead of the end spot.