so i found out a few days ago that the tranny i just put in my car was not a 4 speed toploader but a 3. when i was at the junk yard the shifter and all the linkages were really sloppy and it felt like a 4 speed. it's ok because i ended up with every thing i needed to do an automatic to manual swap and it runs great now. had to modify the z-bar and weld the little stud that goes on the shifter back in place (that's the reson it felt like a 4 speed). but i'm just glad i got rid of that automatic. two auto trannys in 4 months isn't good. and it's not my fault they died. the one was going out when i purchased the comet and the other one was used and had who nows how many miles on it.
yes...if it's a street car, the manual trans is the ONLY way to go. Much more fun, even if it is "only" a 3 speed. That opens up the door to more options later on when the budget allows. 4 speed should go right in, as well as a T5 with a couple simple mods.
Look at the bright side. It is a four speed. 3 forward and 1 reverse. Now if I can only figure out if my washer fluid is half full or half empty.
An easy way to tell a 4-speed toploader from a 3-speed is to look at how many shifter shafts the trans has. Three shafts is a 4-speed, two shafts is a 3-speed. Maybe this will help someone...
