350 to 1961 trans?

[HOT WRECKS]

Hello everyone
Can you hook up a 350 sbc to a 1961 manual trans? looks like I would have to change the bell housing. if so is there a bell housing will bolt to the 1961 trans & 350 while retaining the hydraulic clutch assembly. or am I SOL!
I'm trying to do this for low $$$ so I guess I should use the turbo 400 that's hooked up to the 350. But that kind of take away the charm of these old trucks.
Thx Shane

[Howard Elliott]

What engine is in it now? My first 61 had a 283 with a 4 speed granny and any sb will fit. So will a bb.

[HOT WRECKS]

Yeah I guess engine size is important for a answer eh!

It's a 235 straight six.

If you had a 283 in yours then there is a bellhousing made for sbc and hydraulic clutch. I guess the trick now is finding one

[Howard Elliott]

Yo Hot Wrecks; Yeah 235 makes a dif. They had the hydraulic clutch in 61 and 62. Kinda rare but around. Good luck. Makes a fun truck too!

Howard

[Captainfab]

There are a couple of ways to do this. One would be to find a V8 bellhousing for a '60-'62 Chevy or '60-'63 GMC truck. Second would be to use a typical '63-'72 Chevy or '64-'72 GMC bellhousing with one of the hydraulic clutch conversions, such as the one offered by Novack Adapters. If you were to use a '68-'72 bellhousing you will also need the adapter ring to adapt the SM420 front bearing retainer to the larger center hole. But that doesn't exactly qualify as a budget part. Third, would be to use a '84-'91 Chevy truck bellhousing. If you were to go that route, you would be best off to upgrade to a SM465 trans, which will have a place for a trans mount. The good news is that the trans crossmember should bolt right into the '80 C30 frame you are using.

[HOT WRECKS]

Hey Thanks for all the great info Captainfab. I think I'm going to search around for a factory 60-62 Chevy or a 60-63 GMC bell housing. not only I'm I trying to keep it cheep I'm also trying to keep it quick and easy. Not turning it in to a major project....Yet. This info I requested is not for my "HOT WRECK" Project. For that one I will be using the stock 454 & Granny 4 spd. I believe it a NP 465. Is that correct Captainfab?
You see I lost focus for a moment. As I often do. LOL! and I bought this


It has a good running 235. But I like V8's, straight pipes, and 4 spd's. My neighbors not so much. But there old! Wait so am I......back to the point of my post. Wait what was the point? Hmmmm......To thank Captainfab, Explain what I'm doing and,........I forget. Hey lets talk about 305 V6 engines. I don't think that motor was an option up here I Canada. I've never seen one other than in pictures and I've been around a lot of old 60-66 trucks. What years, and models did they come in. What bell housing pattern do they have? did they make good power? AKA Torque. Would My neighbors enjoy the sound of them with straight pipes? LOL!
Captainfab your up.

[1963c-10]

HOT WRECKS....here is the hydraulic conversion I did for my big block swap using a 64 frame mounted bellhousing. I used the Novak system and it is very easy to work with. You will need to either use a spacer on one mounting hole or have it machined down (what I opted for), and you will have to file a little off the clutch fork access hole to allow the larger clutch fork to operate smoothly (I did it with a file by hand).

If you have any questions on the conversion, just let me know. I have all the part #'s on my build thread.

[HOT WRECKS]

Thank you very much 1963c-10 that is some good info!!
That gives me some very good ideas of what I can do.

[Captainfab]

Yes, your '80 C30 would have a SM465 behind that 454.

The GMC V6's had a different bellhousing pattern than the '63 and up I6's and the V8's. Some guys really like the GMC V6's. Me, I prefer the V8's.