I am in the process of building a bracket bomber for the Saturday night wars and was wondering if you could give me some ideas on tranny choice. The car is a '66 Chevy II, 8-point cage, fully gutted. I have 10-inch Hoosier slicks in a stock-width 9-inch, using the original mono-leaf springs with South-Side Machine lift bars.

The engine is going to be a 360 SBC built to run (hopefully) somewhere in the low 11's. I am looking at a finished weight of around 2800-2900 lbs.

I realize that things like camshaft, rear gears, converter, etc. all come into play here, but I am just curious as to what is the preferred choice for SB applications, Powerglide or a three-speed Turbo 350 or 400?

My thinking is that with the small block, the extra gear of the three-speed may spread the power out over a wider range. Right or wrong? Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Charlie Nichols

Charlie,
For your particular application a nice 350 transmission might be just the thing. However, if in the future you decide you want more horsepower and change motors or step up the horsepower in any way, shape or form, i.e. bigger engine, nitrous, or blower, a Powerglide would be the way to go.

With a Powerglide, reaction times are definitely quicker, such as .4 tree racing. Rear end ratio and torque converter flash become much more important than with a three-speed.

In the meantime, for a .5 tree bracket car, the T-350 would work very well.

Mike

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