i know a guy where i can get a 3-speed transmission out of a 69 chevrolet. However, the car im putting it in is a 96 camaro with an LT1 and 3:73 gears.
my questions are: are 3 speeds 'efficient'? what will the top speed of the car be? are they more for top end and less torque? what if i used s 3 speed and 4:11/4:10 gears?

 

i dnt think ud want that trans in your car the gears are pretty far apart ive driven them in some of the trucks we've had

 

yeah ive come to realize its more of an old truck trans instead of a late model muscle car... i'd like to come across a T-56 or a muncie that would be sweet.. good match

 

Haven't driven one in over 30 years. But Chevy 3 speed boxes came with several different ratios. A popular one for hot rodders was the close ratio one with a 2.2/something first gear. This required a 4.11 or 4.56 rear end ratio to motivate the car off the line, but kept the revs up between shifts and the engine in the power range. None of these boxes had an overdrive, so those big rear end gears got pretty annoying on the highway. Also, first speed is not synchronized, which requires double clutching in order to shift down into first. Shift linkage may be another problem as most of them were used with column shift, although Hurst used to sell a floor shift kit.

 

makes sense. i think im gunne pass on this trans. id be better off with the 700r4 i got.. but i'd still like to use a standard shift if i could find one.. t56