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None taken. I just didn't want to cut the tunnel in my W-31.
That I can absolutely understand. I was dealing w/ a non numbers match but very nice car. Just a plain old Cutlass S. The kind my parent's drove. I owned 4 of these through the years. Really like the W-31 to the point I put one together.
Me putting the small block in my 68.
Gang,
The ‘66 Stafire, other than the trim is basically a 2 door Olds 88 with a concave back window (shared with the Grand Prix’s from Pontiac).
I’m naively optimistic that these larger cars should have less trouble accommodating a manual transmission - even a 5 speed. They were large to begin with.
Even if manuals back in the day were rare, GM built some that way. I think I’d stop short of cutting up the floor, but a relief cut here or there wouldn’t fuss me much so long as it could weather and sound sealed after what ever mods were done.
Many thanks again for all your thoughts from Muncie, to TKX, to Borg Warner. It’s exactly this kind of discussion which makes this forum so valuable.
Whoops. I was thinking of the mid 70's small body Starfire. I was going to build one of those as a drag car, but just didn't have the means at the time. The 66 is a totally different platform. I would never recommend the T50 for that car. The Tremek is the way!
The T50 may be the only domestic five speed that's weaker than a T5. Olds only put it behind the 260, since anything stronger would have fragged that trans by the time you reached the end of the driveway. And if you have to drive the car with an egg between your foot and the pedal to prevent hurting the trans, why bother with it in the first place?
Anybody have a good article, video or source on basics of mechanical clutches with throwout bearings? And/or maybe something that explains how the hydraulic equivalents work?
I have the general impression that the various ratio gears on a sliding rod which is engaged to the input shaft in whatever gear the driver select until the clutch is depressed and it separates the input shaft from the ratio gears. How a clutch actually disengages the two (and more rods - driver & driven) is a complete mystery.
Seems like something the big 3 might have done some training materials on back in the 50’s-60’s, no?
Since we are talking about a big block Olds 455 as the engine, were there any more than one model bell housing used with 400/425/455’s? I have the impression that there’s just one that fits a big block olds, but I don’t know. I’d hate to buy a small block one and have it not fit…
Bellhousings are same across big and small block. The Lakewood weighs 28lbs and Quick time is 33lbs.
That is correct, I've used the same bellhousing on my Cutlass when it had a 350 and a 455.
I don't now how weak the T50 really is, but it lived in the Cutlass behind my 455 (TRW forged 10.5:1, (Mondello) Engle Cam, HS roller rockers, 800 DP Holley, Torquer intake, and E heads). I have 295-50x15's in the rear, but I can say the car never hooked and I did hold back a bit on harsh shifts. I replaced it with the TKO because of the T-50's reputation.
Last edited by las27563481; May 3, 2025 at 07:29 PM.
Not that I’m worried about weight in a ‘66 Olds big car, but is there a performance or strength difference between the Lakewood and Quick time products?
Not that I’m worried about weight in a ‘66 Olds big car, but is there a performance or strength difference between the Lakewood and Quick time products?
The Quicktime is definitely beefier. It has a plate where the trans mates. The Lakewood is formed.
I recently learned how transmissions are destroyed. The drive shaft in the trans actually flexes when you put a bunch of power to it. This misaligns things in the trans leading to failure. Am I right or no?
