i have and old 389 in my truck and i wanna get a manuel tranny for it because i hate the hydomatic one, now i know its not ford but its goin in a 56 ford so i thought it would be ok to help me.(o and its only till i get out off college and rebuild a 351w) so i was wonderin what brands the tranny could be what years that sort of theng. Basically i need to know what to look for to get anew tranny, by the way its like a 65 389. i really need the tranny before i can start the body work so what do i do?

 

The 3.03 Ford Toploader 3 speed was used behing the 389 and the 421 +the rest of the GM stable during the mid sixties. If you can find the right bellhousing or an adaptor it's a bolt up.

 

Or if you want an extra gear, both Borg-Warner T-10's and Muncie 4 speeds were normal fare behind GM engines of that period. They're both readily available, but be sure you have plenty of green in your wallet. Neither go cheap.

 

A T56 6-sp is probably cheaper and is stronger. $2k will get you a rebuilt.

 

just wonderin cause my dads friend has a 6o's ford 4 speed that he said i could have is there any way i could use that for the 389 maybe with an adaptor and if so where could i find one or no cause i really cant spend 2k on a tranny

 

If you have the correct bellhousing it's a direct bolt up or you can get an adapter.
GM used the Ford 3 Speed during the Muscle car wars because they didn't have one that would hold up to the power - they had a good 4 speed.
A bunch of people ordered their Muscle cars with Three Speed for insurance reasons - Big $ increase for the extra gear.
You can also convert the 3.03 and the 4 Speed Toploaders into top shifters using older (70/80's) Jeep Tranny shifters (T-150/T-176) that locates the shift lever in the original floor location.

 

Unless I am mistaken, wasn't the 389 the engine that Pontiac put in the GTO's during the mid 60's ?

 

they had the 326/389/&421 The Frod 3.03 3Speed wa only used with the 389.421 packages in the GTO and the Full Body Cars'

Its quite funny when Someone slides onder their numbers Matching Olds 442 and finds FOMOCO stamped on the Tranny - The go into a complete melt down and want to know such evil can exists.

 

Ford Toploaders

4 Speed with Different Tailshafts


3 Speed (65 Ford Truck) w/Short Tail Shaft


4 Speed with Jeep Top Shifter

 

1968 Ford small block 4 speed "Top Loader"

this is one that i might actually buy instead would it work, like if i got an adaptor /bell housing and another thing how do i know what tail shaft to get and what if its the wrong one,(sorry for all the questions)

 

You're in custom fabrication territory no matter what, as far as a rear crossmember. I can't believe there's any way to maintain the Ford bellhousing with rear mounts, with a Poncho engine and a different Ford tranny. Custom clutch linkage most likely, too.

 

If that trans is in good shape, that's a smokin' deal. You'd better scoop it up before someone else does, whether you can use it or not.

For your application, the tailshaft housing doesn't matter too much. The only real difference is where the shifter mounting bosses are, and every model had their own. (ie; you can't use a Torino trans in a Mustang or Falcon without having the correct tailshaft housing.) It's only wrong for you if the shifter won't fit in your truck. The Mustang housing is the farthest back, and that might present an issue. You can always trade it for a different one if you want your shifter farther forward. The Falcon unit was the farthest forward. The top shifter in Dick's post is always an option, but it's not going to be nearly as racy as a Hurst.

 

I don't know about the fitment under these trucks, but I've got a T56 in my 71 Camaro, and that is likely the best single improvement I ever did. It's a dream to shift.