Can someone ID this trans?

I'm hesitant to call on this cl ad. 
https://stgeorge.craigslist.org/pts/d/saint-george-gm-chevy-3-speed-trans/7055274516.html

The idea is to put this in the Funderbird for challenge this year. Have a bellhousing and clutch laying around. It would be bolted to a Chevy 400. If someone knows what it is and if it could handle maybe 300hp/400tq and some abuse? Thanks all. 

I can ID that, its Fred. He was my buddy's college roommate. IIRC, he was pretty shifty. 

pinchvalve said:

I can ID that, its Fred. He was my buddy's college roommate. IIRC, he was pretty shifty. 

Shifty indeed. 

A fresh saginaw 3 speed will survive a season or so behind a 602 crate on a stock car oval.

I'd be concerned with your use of the word "abuse".

In reply to Streetwiseguy :

Abuse that may occur at a drag strip by amateur racers. 

Use an organic clutch with a heavy pressure plate vs a sintered clutch and that will go a long way toward durability.  And real slicks instead of DRs.  

That's not a Saginaw 3 speed. It's a Muncie SM318. You can tell quickly because the Saginaw has keyed shift shafts and the Muncie has round splined shift shafts. It's a poor transmission. Non synchro first gear. Very weak. Typically seen in mid 60s era GM trucks, behind the 230 cu/in straight 6 engine. 

barefootskater said:

In reply to Streetwiseguy :

Abuse that may occur at a drag strip by amateur racers. 

No wheelhop, and it might survive.  Nice soft clutch is also a good plan.

Cousin_Eddie said:

That's not a Saginaw 3 speed. It's a Muncie SM318. You can tell quickly because the Saginaw has keyed shift shafts and the Muncie has round splined shift shafts. It's a poor transmission. Non synchro first gear. Very weak. Typically seen in mid 60s era GM trucks, behind the 230 cu/in straight 6 engine. 

I was gonna say it looked like the one that was behind the straight 6 in the '67 Chevy half ton I used to have.  POS.  Jumped out of 3 gear no matter what.

Not planning to run slicks. But with an intake, cam, and headers I don't think this 400 makes less than 400tq. The th350 we have is totally unknown and while it would probably help in the drags we will also be driving 2200 miles each way and just from a reliability standpoint we would be more at ease with a manual. Also cooling is a concern. But this is challenge, so we have to be cheap. Sitting on a Chevy bellhousing and clutch so this seemed like a good deal even if we have to get a new flywheel. 
 

non synchronized first isn't a big deal since we'll have enough bottom end just to leave it in second. But if it breaks easily that's different. 

Do whatever blows your skirt up, but I have broken those transmissions with an 8:1 compression bone stock GM Goodwrench 350 crate engine in a half ton pickup with an open 3.07 ratio rearend.  And I'm not the kind of guy who tears stuff up.  There's a reason that the Saginaw 3 speed replaced these in later years. The Saginaw is magnitudes better.

In reply to Cousin_Eddie :

I think we're gonna pass on this one. Thanks for the identification though. I can baby a transmission but the goal here is racecar so...

A cheap wc t5 or Saginaw 4 speed should be fairly easy to find if tour not picky about ratios.

So we found a guy with a Saginaw 4 speed that wants to trade for a short tail th350. What a deal! It's even local!

Better jump on that before he catches some sense!