Best 4 speed manual transmission for chevy 350

Not all manual transmissions are created equally, so you need to know some info before choosing one for your ride.

Automatic transmissions have come a long way from the non-overdrive, slow-shifting slushboxes of the past, and while we can appreciate how good they are, these days many of us still prefer a manual transmission. Why? Why do we desperately cling to what some call antiquated? For the same reason Porsche dropped manual transmissions and then brought them back for many of their higher-performance models, because manual transmissions are more fun. Yep, it's true. Automatics are great for the daily driver, or even a cruiser, but for high-performance driving, off track or on, nothing beats the feeling of rowing gears and trying to nail that perfect heel-toe downshift. With a manual transmission you become more integrated with the car. And we don't care if you show us data showing how a modern automatic can do it better, so don't bother.

Convinced you? Well then, now that you've come over to the three-pedal side of the aisle you're going to need to figure out which manual transmission is best to swap into your project. No, they're not all about the same. Just stop that crazy talk. Picking the wrong manual transmission will suck the joy out of your life faster than choosing the wrong stall converter on your automatic transmission. To help you pick the right manual trans for your swap, here are some basic things to keep in mind.

Let's start with the most popular manuals we see swapped into cars today: the Tremec T-56 (top), Magnum (middle), and Magnum XL (bottom). All three are six-speed gearboxes with a double-overdrive setup, but there are some big differences. The T-56 has been around for decades and came as the box of choice in cars such as the fourth-gen Camaro and Firebird. It's a solid transmission, and there's tons of them out there on the used market for a good deal, plus they can be upgraded to handle big power. If you find a T-56 with a Dodge Viper snake head logo near the shifter, then it's your lucky day since those T-56s are stronger internally. The Tremec Magnum was the next generation of the T-56, and while some people call it a T-56 Magnum, that's not really accurate since the Magnum is a completely new design. With more synchros, stronger parts, smoother shifting, and just better in nearly every metric, it's the current go-to transmission for pro-touring and other builds. The Magnum XL is a longer version of the Magnum and comes from the Ford side of the ledger. For some swaps the shifter position just works better. These are currently the most popular six-speed choices, but let's look at what else is out there.

The T-5 first hit the scene in the early 1980s from Borg-Warner and is now manufactured by Tremec. Everyone ran this five-speed transmission from AMC to the uber-popular 5.0 Mustangs. Over its 35 years of service it's seen many upgrades, and today it's still a popular trans for swaps, especially in street rods. Why? Because it gives a ton of bang for the buck. The size makes grafting one into your project easier, and compared to other choices, it's pretty affordable.

The T-5 is nice and compact with and overall length of 31.6 inches from the end of the tail casting to the rear face of the block. The shifter sits 26.4 inches from the back of the block, and the overall size keeps trans tunnel mods to a minimum. The biggest downside is how much power the T-5 can (or can't, if you're a pessimist) handle. The early ones, with a rating of just 265 lb-ft, couldn't handle much, and even later factory and aftermarket units were only rated at 300, 330, or 350 lb-ft. So, if you're making lots of power, this one shouldn't be on your list. This trans is still on the market, and it's perfect for a swap so long as you follow the above advice regarding what it can handle. Pro tip: Even if your engine make less than the torque rating of a transmission, keep in mind that sticky tires and hard launches can "torque shock" the trans into oblivion.

The Tremec TKO was introduced as a more robust alternative to the T-5. Like the T-5 the TKO is a five-speed transmission with fifth gear being the overdrive. Here you have two flavors to choose from: the TKO-500 and the TKO-600. As the names imply, the main differences between the two are torque ratings, with the number after TKO being that model's torque rating. These became very popular with the 5-liter Mustang crowd as replacements for their shattered T-5s. The TKO is a very versatile five-speed with multiple shifter locations, gearing options, and both mechanical and electric speedometer pickups.

Here you have two applications, Ford and Chevy. But they are very close to each other dimensionally (see tables at end of story). The overall length is around 31 inches, and there are three shifter positions ranging from about 19 inches all the way to almost 26 inches from the engine block to the shifter. This makes it perfect for a wide array of vehicles and swaps. Now for the bad news: The TKO doesn't like shifting at high rpm. This means it's a terrible choice behind a newer LS, LT, Coyote, or modern Hemi mill. You can shell cash to a trans company like Bowler Performance to make it shift above 6,200 rpm, but at that point it would be smarter to just get a Magnum. This is a great trans behind a more traditional small-block or big-block, though.

There's a new kid in town, and it's called the Tremec TKX. This five-speed was introduced in late 2020 (one of the few good things that year), and going by the specs it's everything the TKO was and a whole lot more. This new trans has the 600-lb-ft rating of the TKO, and it can easily shift up to 7,500 rpm! The TKX was designed from the ground up to be an aftermarket offering, so it was made as compact as possible to facilitate swaps even easier than the TKO. It's a blending of the smooth high-rpm shifting of the Magnum and the compact size of the TKO. This trans uses all the same mounting points as the TKO, so there's a ton of swap parts on the market. Like the TKO it has three shifter locations. If you're at 600 lb-ft or less, then this seems to be a no-brainer. This would also be a great choice for someone that stuffed a TKO, to save money, behind and LS7 and has been hating life ever since.

Meet the king of the hill: the Tremec Magnum. Aside from the rich folk running sequential gearboxes, this is the six-speed transmission you'll find in nearly every pro-touring car on the planet. The Magnum is Tremec's aftermarket version of the factory TR-6060 found in modern Camaros, Mustangs, and the like. It easily sucks up 700 lb-ft, shifts like it's filled with butter, and is rated at 7,800 rpm!

The Magnum was introduced around 2009 as an aftermarket answer to the then discontinued T-56 six-speed. All those extra synchros and stronger parts meant it was a bit bigger than the T-56 (top) and a touch longer, but if you've ever shifted both of them then you know the extra size is worth it. Unlike the TKO, massaging the trans tunnel is almost a guarantee. Three shifter positions and several gear ratio options are available. Trans shops like Bowler Performance can work these over with one of their Stage II kits to handle even more power.

The Magnum, compared to the TKX and TKO transmissions, are a bit bigger in every dimension. Not a lot, but enough to make installing one a little more work. The overall length (depending on which one you get) is just under 34 inches, and the shifter can be placed around 18.9, 23, or 26.6 inches from the back of the block. It's been on the market for over 10 years, so there's a ton of aftermarket support. If you need the extra power handling, or the sixth gear, then this is what you want. If you're under 600 lb-ft and are cool with a single overdrive gear, then look at the TKX and save 400 to 500 bucks.

Sometimes the best trans for your project will come down to what fits. This is especially true if you're running a center console. The newer transmissions have multiple shifter locations, and transmission dealers like Bowler also offer replacement shifters that are designed to get the shifter in the right spot to fit your factory console. This means you can get a manual trans that will work well behind your engine without sacrificing shifter position.

When Tremec designed the TR-6060 six-speed for Chevy and Ford, they designed in an internal fluid pump to help keep track temps down. But for whatever reason, the aftermarket Magnums didn't get the love. Instead there are just the bumps on the front of the case to tease us with what could have been.

However, Bowler Performance can retrofit the Magnum, Magnum XL, and Magnum-F (fourth-gen F-body replacement unit) to have the integrated fluid pump! If you plan on long track sessions and hard driving, then it's an upgrade that's worth the price of admission.

Here you can see a T-56 on top, a Magnum in the middle, and a Magnum-XL on the bottom. The XL was developed for the Ford market, but we know of a 1969 Camaro running one behind an LS7, and the shifter was in a great, driver-friendly spot. Think of the XL as a Magnum with a longer tail housing, since that's exactly what it is. The XL is also a popular swap for those with newer Mustangs and Camaros who want to ditch the clumsy "semi-remote" shifter arrangement. And while it's meant for a Mustang, aftermarket transmission companies can make it work in other rides. Pro tip: It takes a different pilot bearing compared to the regular Magnum due to differences in the input shaft. As mentioned, there's also a Magnum-F, which was designed as a direct replacement for the T-56s found in 1998-2002 GM F-bodies. It's also a great choice if you blow up the T-56 in your hot rod.

The Magnum XL has the same basic dimensions as the Magnum, it just has a longer overall length (from the engine block) of 38.3 inches. Also, there's just one shifter position at 34.9 inches. Grab a measuring tape, and you just might find you really like where the shifter ends up in your project car or truck.

Remember how we told you that the Magnum is an aftermarket version of the OE TR-6060? Well, that means there's more than a few out there in salvage yards or attached to pullout engines from Camaros and Mustangs. Guys are pretty happy when they find one since they think they are saving a bunch of cash. Well, bad news, the TR-6060 can be a bad choice for a swap for several reasons. There's no traditional slip yoke, so you need to spend money on an adapter. There's only one shifter location, and it's an OE remote type (hint, they suck). The crossmember mount is problematic at best, there's no option for a mechanical speedometer, and the list goes on. You can make it work, but unless it was a really smokin' deal, the end cost will be close to the aftermarket Magnum.

Bowler Performance does offer a TR-6060 conversion upgrade if you are dead set on running a TR-6060 in your swap project and don't want to cry every time you manipulate the mushy remote shifter. This will fix the shifter and the slip yoke (31-spline) issue, but you'll need to run an electric speedo and you'll have just the two shifter positions. The TR-6060 does have the integrated fluid pump, so that's a plus. But the conversion kit is around $1,500 plus labor, so if you're transmission shopping then buy the aftermarket Magnum.

There you have it, our answer to the very capable yet somewhat boring line of six-, eight-, and ten-speed flappy paddle-shifted automatic transmissions out there these days. And while 21st century automatic transmissions are very capable, manual transmissions are just more fun, and that's the whole point of this exercise, to have fun becoming connected with our cars as only a clutch pedal and shift ball can make it happen. Besides, given how few people know how to drive a manual, it makes a decent theft deterrent.

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