Pretty much what I am thinking as well. I am on the road right now but can send you some more details once I'm home and maybe some pics for reference!

Stay away from a Saginaw 4 speed at all costs....in my opinion $400. is about $400. too much to pay for that POS.....

they are very poor trans and not very well built.

Recently bought a rebuild kit for a Saginaw 4 speed and after disassembly found the 1/2 hub scrunched, 2 nd gear is toast and virtually

impossible to get these part......I now have a Saginaw parts trans and a new rebuild kit that is available.

Called several trans rebuilders and all recommended trashing the Saginaw and getting a Muncie

which I did. One guy in Ohio said he would need to see the parts to 'TRY' and match them up and then said no one is fixing Saginaws.

The gears in the Muncie are larger, stronger and readily available as well as the hub synchronizers.

The Muncie is in the Beaumont now and runs great with no fear of breakage the way I will be driving it.

Just my opinion after a lot of research........hope this helps.

Nothing wrong with a Saginaw 4 speed.Have one in my '67 behind a 327 and its never been out for repairs in the 47 years we've owned the car.Now has 115K on it with a small oil drip from gasket between trans and tailshaft.I'd buy one any time.I wouldn't use it for a big block though.

-- Edited by 1967togo on Sunday 19th of July 2015 11:47:33 AMI wouldn't use it for a big block though.

I think these are good comments when discussing use of a Saginaw 4 speed. I too have researched the pros and cons of each, and have owned and driven each of the three different GM 4 speeds, Muncie, Borg Warner (Super T10), and Saginaw. All served their purpose well in their application and all had issues when abused. GM intended the Saginaw to be used in applications up to 300hp and similar torque. When used at levels exceeding this or higher RPMs they don't do well, and don't hold up to abuse or poor shifting. The real world comments from CP members above confirm this. Used behind 283s and mild 327s in mid size cars they do fine when driven with care the majority of the time. The fact that one survived behind a 396 for 40 years, is a credit to the drivers restraint!! They were not designed by GM for this! The Saginaw 4 speed is basically a 3 speed(a lot of components interchange) with the extra gear crammed in, so the gears are thinner than purpose built 4 speeds thus not as much surface area to handle torque. The mainshaft itself and input bearings are also lighter than other GM 4 speeds.

I too want to swap a four speed into my car and have collected most of the components required, pedals, linkage, steering column, bell housing etc. This has taken some time to find and budget for, and would have been nearly impossible without the members of Canadian Poncho(most is available reproduction, however I question the quality of materials used and have a hard time using imported stuff on my Canadian built car...sorry for the rant!) The last items I need are the big ticket items...Transmission and shifter. So I have been comparing.....cost for a Muncie or Saginaw from the same proven re builder in Washington State $1350US and $500US respectively...used transmissions you can trust....about $900 for Muncie and $200 for Saginaw. Exceptions do exist. If your buddies trans is rebuilt and has receipts $400 is probably reasonable....if it has been sitting under a bench for 20 years probably not. Ratio is another question as indicated by the grooves on the input shaft, GM installed 2.54 first gear ratio Saginaws in 327/275 HP 1967 Chevelles and first gen Camaros with rear end ratios in the 3.08 range. 1966-1967 Chevelles with 283s got the 3.11 first gear. 2.84 first gear Saginaws would likely work in either. The combination of the  torque of a V8 and weight of a Chevelle might lead to early input bearing failure with a 3.50 first gear.

Be aware that the shifter linkage is different and if going with a stock shifter, these can be hard to find and therefore more expensive than its Muncie counterpart. Reproduction linkage and backup switch hardware is not available for Saginaw that I know of. Hurst still offers linkage(install kits) for both transmissions when installed in A body GM cars. I turned down what appeared to be a reasonable used 2.84 first gear Saginaw from a CP member last year as I wanted to go with a stock shifter and the only one I could find was $600US on Ebay. I recently found a complete shifter with backup switch from a used parts store in the US for a reasonable price and it is cleaning up well, so I am on the lookout for a Saginaw to install behind my 283, and think it will be fine for the cruising I do.

Hope this helps, I can provide pictures of the Saginaw specific parts so you know what to look for if you are interested, just PM me your email. I am hoping to start with the swap from Powerglide this winter, and will post my progress.

Ever thought of a 5 speed? You get another gear to play with. Have a WC T-5 behind my 283 with about 325 HP and just love the overdrive when cruising down the highway . 3.73 rear gears 245/60/15 tires around 26" tall, .63 od. I'm about 1700rpm@ 60 mph/100kmh and still have the basement for driving around town. 88-92 Camaro/Firebird came with the World Class trans and can be had for fairly cheep. Just another option



2.95 / 2932 / 23 MPH 1st gear
1.94 / 3018 / 36 MPH 2nd gear
1.34 / 3011 / 52 MPH 3rd gear
1.00 / 2982 / 69 MPH 4th gear
0.63 / 1906 / 70 MPH 5th gear