TH350 with shift kit....or 3speed Saginaw?

81Malibuwagon

Amateur Racer
Dec 5, 2009
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Lloydminster Alberta Canada
i have come to a point in the planning of my car for transmissions for my 383 build. should i go with a Th350 with a shift kit. or put in a factory 1981 malibu 3 speed saginaw transmission from my Iraqi taxi malibu. what should i do and why. please give pros and cons
 

bowtie81

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Mar 28, 2008
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sarnia, ontario canada
Go with the automatic, it will stand up better with the 383 in front of it. And you can put a good working convertor in it to make that 383 come to life.
 

Doober

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Jun 2, 2003
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Catalina, AZ
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At the LEAST I would put in a Super T-10, but if you want to drive it a lot I suggest using one with wider gear spacing. A ST-10 with a 3.42:1 1st gear paired with a highway gear (think 2.14-2.73 with 26-27" tires) will be a great combo for a street 383. I have a similar combo using a Saginaw 4-speed (3.5:1 1st gear) and 2.29s behind my 350, but you'd never know what the rearend had the way it pulls because of the gear spacing. On top of that, it cruises along around 1800rpm at 70mph. My setup is similar to a 2004R (very similar gearing to TH350 plus o/d) with 3.42s. Change the gear to a 2.73 and with that 2004R you've gone from a 3.42 to around a 4.10, comparatively. Gear spacing won't be identical, but it will be somewhat similar and for the street probably won't make a whole lot of difference. Plus manuals are more fun to drive imo :D
 

LS6 Tommy

MalibuRacing Junkie
May 15, 2004
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North Jersey
:roflback: A Saggy 3 speed behind a 383?! Hope you've got friends at the "spare trans store". My first car had a stock Saginaw 3 speed that didn't stand up to a 35 year old woman driving a 305 2 bbl...


Sorry... I don't mean to sound too harsh.

Tommy
 

Doober

Moderator
Jun 2, 2003
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Catalina, AZ
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LS6 Tommy said:
:roflback: A Saggy 3 speed behind a 383?! Hope you've got friends at the "spare trans store". My first car had a stock Saginaw 3 speed that didn't stand up to a 35 year old woman driving a 305 2 bbl...


Sorry... I don't mean to sound too harsh.

Tommy
Hmm... mine lived for a summer of beating behind the 350 before I swapped the 4-speed in... guess I was lucky shrug.gif
 

LS6 Tommy

MalibuRacing Junkie
May 15, 2004
15,847
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North Jersey
Doober said:
LS6 Tommy said:
:roflback: A Saggy 3 speed behind a 383?! Hope you've got friends at the "spare trans store". My first car had a stock Saginaw 3 speed that didn't stand up to a 35 year old woman driving a 305 2 bbl...


Sorry... I don't mean to sound too harsh.

Tommy
Hmm... mine lived for a summer of beating behind the 350 before I swapped the 4-speed in... guess I was lucky shrug.gif


Wellll, as they say "Your mileage may vary". :lol: I got rid of the three speed when I put a Quadrajet on the 305. That's when I installed a Saggy 4 speed. Blew that up in one summer. Then I took out the second one the next year. Took all the best parts from both, threw them togehter & never had another issue. Of course, I learned not to beat on them, too...

Tommy
 

81Malibuwagon

Amateur Racer
Thread starter
Dec 5, 2009
102
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Lloydminster Alberta Canada
LS6 Tommy said:
:roflback: A Saggy 3 speed behind a 383?! Hope you've got friends at the "spare trans store". My first car had a stock Saginaw 3 speed that didn't stand up to a 35 year old woman driving a 305 2 bbl...


Sorry... I don't mean to sound too harsh.

Tommy


LOL man i needed a good laugh. things have been going side ways for me. and it wasnt harsh.
 

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