So, if I want a true 4-speed and not this granny tranny stuff a t19 is the way to go?

No. The T-19 is a granny tranny also. The main differerence between it and the t-18, is the t-19 is synched in all gears including 1st. The t-18 is unsynched in 1st. The t-19's 1st gear is slightly higher than the 1st in the t-18. Not a whole lot though. It's still a granny 1st. MK

 

damn, there goes that.

Well then what other trannys can I get for my FE?

 

it's all good willowbilly

So you wouldn't recommend a T10 in a truck now?

 

when the mechanic finishes my 330xd engine and allison 540 tranny swap is finished i am going to have a three speed brownie put in .it has under direct and overdrive i use my truck for heavy duty towing and hauling you can find the brownie at most big truck salvage yards

 

Ird56, if I want a 3-speed I'll keep my T18. I need a 4 speed that I can shift faster with and that isn't so low as my T18.

 

ceetwarrior, maybe the T-10 is what you need if you want to shift fast and use all the gears. Even better yet would be a Ford toploader, but they are pricey. Expect to pay at least $450 for one and more like $600. They came behind mostly FEs and 351 Clevlands 429s ect. so you shouldn't have any problem finding a bellhousing. They do basically the same thing as a T-10 but are stronger.

 

willowbilly, when I am searching for a new tranny (in a few months, closer to spring) what do I say when I call the local tranny shops? "I'm looking a 4-speed toploader tranny to fit a 390" Or is there a model number?

 

Ceetwarrior, tell us what you want out of your tranny. Sounds like you are looking for faster shifts, and perhaps an overdrive for the highway? Are you looking for race performance, or just a little better mannered truck tranny? NV3500 may be a consideration if you are looking for the latter. Spendy and it will need an adapter, but I'm sure adapters are available.

 

Comet, well basically here's what I got. I'm building my 352 to a 390 w/ cam, headers, 4bbl, etc... and I'm gonna be held back by my granny tranny. I'm not looking to spend a lot of money changing trannys. Maybe around $500 + the custom driveshaft I'll probably have to have made on top of that.

I am just looking for something with shorter throws (if possible, if not its fine) but a true 4 speed (for sure). Something with higer 4th gear highway-type gearing as well. A lot of my driving is on the highway at 65mph.

My main goal is to smoke ricers with a sleeper old truck, yet not having my motor at 3,000-4,000rpm going 65

I also am in need of where to find such a tranny, tranny shop, or junkyard, and what years, model of vehicle it comes from in case I'm asked. What do you have in mind?

 

Considering all that, I think you should look for the overdrive version of the toploader. It was used in early 80s pickups and vans. They can be had for cheap and should already have a shifter that clears your bench seat. I would imagine a good aftermarket shifter like a Mr. Gasket would be available. Now these arent the toughest trannys ever and the spaces between the gear ratios aren't ideal for all out performance. But they are cheap and fairly easy to find so you can keep a spare on hand in case you lunch one. I was at a swap meet in Dallas last year and saw plenty of them for around $100. You may need a 3 speed bellhousing, I am not sure what all bolts to the 4 speed one. You may possibly need one from a passenger car. I will try to find out more about that and let you know, or maybe someone else here knows.

 

Considering all that, I think you should look for the overdrive version of the toploader.

Thats the "clark" 4 speed , if I'm thinking of the same one you are. 4th is OD. Those were pretty common in early 80's trucks. A friend of mine had an 80 with a 300 and the clark 4 speed. I'd probably rather have the 5 speed, but like you say, the clark OD can be had fairly cheap. You won't find too many cheap 5 speeds. MK

 

willowbilly, that sounds good. I can go junkyard shopping with blueovalmaniac and check out some models if I know what years and stuff they came from. Any extra info on that would be great.

 

Hey I don't know how to transfer an address but you need to do an online search for toploader. You will have to search a bunch of junk about some band but #23 on the second page is a good site with alot of info.

 

Which search engine did you use willowbilly?

 

I just type it in the window on my MSN opening page that I get when I open the internet explorer. I am not sure if that is actually a search engine. I don't snoop around much and have only used Yahoo a few times and I think I used Ask Jeeves before, but I spend most of my time at FTE and ebay.