1964 CHEVROLET CORVETTE transmission

Starting the Engine
IGNITION SWITCH
•
The five-position ignition switch allows full control of the electrical systems of your Corvette. To start engine turn the switch to START and release as soon as the engine starts. The switch will r eturn to the ON position and all electrical circuits will be ready for use. Use OFF, LOCK and ACC positio ns to stop the engi ne. The ACC position will anow you to use all accessories without e n ergizi ng the ignition system.
NOTE, /(ey cannot
be ,emoved from the ignition ..... itch . ';f;;;.#fi';;'..;;a.;:" i;h~'i4i;C't:;o:N:' accidentally leaving IWifeh OFF but IlOl ladeed. /(fl' 111(" b. nollllOVed 11 position and the switch may be moved between
STARTING
PROCEDURES
Place the transmission selector lever in neutral or park position and, on manual transmission equipped models, push the clutch pedal down while starting engine.
Depress the accelerator pedal to the floor and fully release. Turn the ignition switch to START and hold until the engine starts. During temperatures of 0 ° F, and below, and when the engine is hot, the acce lerator pedal should be held part way down while starting. Start a "flooded" engine by holding accelerator pedal to the floor while o'anking engine. CAUTION: Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas produced by the engine of any ca?'. It is odorless
so you cannot detect its presence. B e safe. Never Sial"t or run YOW" C01"Velte in a closed garage or park with the windows closed and engine operating.

Driving with the Powerg lide Transmission
The optional Powerglide is a completely automatic transmission which replaces the standard clutch and transmission. After starting the engine with the seIce-
P-PARK R-REVERSE N-NEUTRAL
D - DRIVE
L-LOW
tor !ever in "N" (Neutral) or "P" (Park) position, merely select the range desired and depress the accel­erator. The transmission will do the rest.
Use only
when car is stopped. Car parked
For backing car-from stop.
For
standing-brakes applied. Normal
For
all forward driving -step hard driving
on
accelerator for extra accelera-range
lion below 45 mph.
For
hard pulling at low speeds and Sand, snow, climbing or descending sleep mud and grades. Shift to L
only
below
steep grades 40 mph. ~I_, ~
POWERGLIDE DRIVING CAUTIONS
• Do not accelerate engine in L, D , or R with the brakes engaged. This can cause damage by over­heating transmission.
•
Do not hold car on an upgrade by accelerating engine. Use brakes. •
Do not use Low position except for hard pulls at low
speed or down-hill braking at speeds below
40 MPH.
• Do not shift inw Reverse or Park before coming to a complete stop .
• Always engage
parking brake when parked.
I
J

IDriving with the Manual Transmission-s
Both Corvette
manual transmissions are controlled slowing down, shift into the next lower gear before
by the shift lever located on top of the Hoor tunnel. the engine
"lugs" or labors.
You will find the shift pattern for your transmission Do not "ride" the dutch. Depress the pedal only pictured on a plate just behind the shift lever. Dur- when actually shifting the transmission and then ing acceleration, always shift into the next higher clear to the Hoar. Use your brakes rather than the
gear before the engine
begins to oVeISeeed; and ,;h_e_n~ __ cl_u_ tch_ pedal to hold your Corvette on a hill.
THREE-SPEED •
TRANSMISSION
The optional fouf4speed manual transmISSIOn pro­vides four forward speeds. The closely spaced ratios
make it possible for you to accelerate with a mini­
mum loss of engine rpm at the shift points. You will
en joy the performance and feel of a direct connecte d
engi ne. Since all forward speeds afe synchronized
the transmission can be used to assist in deceleration
by downshifting in the third-second-first sequence.
The Corvette three-speed manual transmission is de­signed to provide high performance under ordinary
driving conditions as well as during high speed opera­
tion. Gear ratios were selected to keep the engine
operating in its high output range as consistently as possible and permit upshifting and downshifting
between second and third speed at high speeds.
• FOUR-SPEED
TRANSMISSION

Downshifting with
Manual Transmission
If you wish to shift from one gear to the one imme ­
di ately lower in ratio, avoid dangerous ly overspeed­
ing the engine by downshifting as follows:
I.
Watch the Tachometer-If your tach is orange­
zoned at 5000 to 5300 rpm, you may downshift to
the next lower gear when it indicates 4000 to 4100
rpm. If your tach is red-zoned at 6300 to 6500 rpm, you may downshift to the next lower gear at 4700 to 4900 rpm.
2. Double-clutching reduces strain on engines and transmissions. The usual method of double ­
clutching is:
Let up on the throttle, disengage the clutch, shift
into neutral, and engage the clutch. Almost si­multaneously, speed up the engine, disengage the
clutch, shift into the next lower gear and re­engage the clutch while depressing the throttle.
With practice , this procedure becomes alm ost
second nature.
Driving with Positraction
The positraction rear axle will give you constant
driving force on both rear wheels, especially helpful in the winter and during other slippery driving con­
ditions which might stop a conventionally equipped vehicle. During turns , the positraction axle applies
the major driving force to the inside rear wheel thus
improving stability and cornering. Normal light throttle application will supply maximum traction.
When starting with one rear wheel on an excessive ly
slippery surface, slight application of the
parking brake may be necessary momentarily to gai n maxi­
mum traction.
Driving with
Metallic Brake Linings
If your Corvette is equipped with optional metallic
brake linings, you will find that somewhat mor e than
normal pedal pressure will be required to stop the car
until you have made several stops to warm up the
linings .

10
Pushing and Towing Tips
PUSHING CAR TO START
Should it ever beco me necessary to start the engine by
pu shing the car (towing to start is not recommended as car being towed may accelerate into tow car), pro­
ceed as fo llows: Turn off all e lect rical loads su ch as radio, heater
and, if possible, lights until the engine st arts.
MANUAL TRANSMISSION - T
urn ignition switch
to "on." Place shift leve r in high (3rd on 3-spee d
transmissions, 4th on four-speed) and depress clutch. When car reaches 25-30 miles per hour, slowly re­
l ease clutch to sta rt e ng ine.
POWERGLlDE TRANSMISSION -
Turn ignit io n
switch to "on" and place sel ector lever in "N." W h e n
car reac hes a spee d of 25-30 mph, place th e selecto r
l ever in l ever in uD." TOWING
A DISABLED CAR
If your Corvette must be towed, the following pre­
cautions must be observed:
MANUAL TRANSMISSION
-Release parking brake
and place shift lever in neutral.
POWERGLIDE TRANSMISSION -Release
parking brake and place selector lever in "N." DO NOT TOW IN EXCESS OF 30 MPH. II the transmission is inoperative, or not operating properly, the pro­peller shaft must b e d isconnected or car must be
towe d with rear wheels off the ground.
TOWING WITH REAR WHEELS
RAISED-When a
vehicle is being towed on its front wheels, the steer­
ing whee l shou ld be secured to maintain a straight
forward position.
Do
not use tire chains on the rear wheels of your Corvette . Clearance between
USE OF TIRE CHAINS
AND SNOW TIRES
• tire and wheelhouse is insufficient to permit operation with chains insta!led.
Many [ire manufa cturers market tires for the Corvette which have specialized
tread designs for mud and snow use.

AUTO JACK PLACEMENT
CHANGING
YOUR
CORVETTE'S
WHEELS
1. Remove the hub cap by prying off with the finger provided on the end of the jacking wrench. 2. Using the jacking wrench, loosen the wheel nuts about one half turn. 3. Set the parking brake and block diago­
nally opposite wheel.
With Powerglide transmission place se­lector lever in PARK position. With manual transmission place the
shift lever in:
FIRST when jacking front wheels. REVERSE when jacking back wheels. 4.
Position the jack under the car
as shown
in the illustration above. Be sure that
the
load rest of the jack contacts the frame as shown. 5. Raise car using the jack until the tire
clears the ground. 6. Remove the wheel nuts and wheel, place spare wheel on studs and replace all
whee l nuts. Tighten moderately. 7. Lower car until the tire just touches ground, then tighten nuts fully. 8. Lower the car fully , replace hub caps
and res-tow tire. jack and handl e .
Using the mallet supplied with vehicl e knock
off locking nut and remove wheel. Left whee l
nuts are removed in a counterclockwise direction. Right wheel nuts are removed in a clockwise direction.

38
TRANSMISSION
3-Speed and 4-Speed-Every 6,000 miles-Check at operating temperature and fill as nec essary to level
of filler plug hole with lubricant specified in Note 2, page 39.
Powerglide-Every 6,000 miles-Check fluid level on dipstick with engine idling, selector lever in neutral
"N" position, parking brake set and transmission at
operat ing temp erature. Add Automa tic Transm ission
fluid
"Type A" bearing the mark AQ-ATF, followed
by a number and suffix letter "A" to "full" mark on dipstick. DO NOT OVERFILL.
Lubricate shift linkage with lubricant specifie d in Note I , page 39.
WHEEL BEARINGS
Every 36,000
miles-Clean and repack front and rear bearings with a high melting point wheel bearing lubricant.
REAR
AXLE Eve ry 6,000 miles-Check and keep filled to level of
filler plug hole with lubricant specified in Note 2, page 39.
With Positrac-tion, use only the special Positrac tion
Rear Axle Lubrica nt available from your Chevrolet
Dea ler.
CLUTCH CROSS
SHAFT Periodic lubricatio n of the clutdl cross-shaft i s not required. At 36,000 miles or sooner, if necessary,
remove plug, install lubrication fitting and lubricate
with lubricant specified in NOTE I Page 39.
ENGINE TUNE-UP
Every 12,000 miles
have engine tune-up operations performed for maximum engine performance.

Engine Timing and Idle Speeds:
250 H.P. Engine 4°
BUDC @500' rpm 300 H.P. Engine 8° BUDC @ 500' rpm 365 H.P. Engine (Solid Lifter
Camshaft Engine) 10° BUDC @ 700 rpm ·475 rpm for Powerglide
NOTE. The abo¥. ~nf1S mu" be III!lde with lhe vacuum Ii"" disconnected and ~.
Valve Specifications: SOLID LIFTERS: Intake Exhaust
HYDRAULIC LIFTERS:
.030" Clearance .030" Clearance
With engine idling. back off adjusting screw until tappet begins to click lightly; then tum screw down one full turn at both intake and exhaust.
CARBURETORS: 250 H.P. Engine-Carter WCFB 4.Barrel Downdraft with Integral Automatic Choke. 300 H.P. Engine-Carter A.F.B. 4·Barrel Downdraft carburetor with Integral Automatic Choke. 365 H.P. Engine-Holley special 4-Barrel Downdraft carburetor with integral automatic choke. Three
Speed RATIOS:
TRANSMISSIONS
First
Speed Forward Second Speed Forward Third Speed Forward Reverse
Four
Speed RATIOS: First Speed Forward Second Speed Forward Third Speed Forward Fourth Speed Forward Reverse
Powerglide
RATIOS: Maximum Torque Converter Maximum Overall
Low
Reverse
REAR AXLE RATIOS: Three speed Four speed (Regular)
(Optional) 2.58:1
1.48: I
1:1
2.58:1
Reg- Close
ular Ratio
2.56:1
1.91:1
1.48:1
1:1
2.64:1 2.
2: I 1.64:1
1.28:1
1:1
2. 27:1
2.20:1 3.70:1
3.70 to 1.76: 1
3
.70 to 1.76: 1
3.36
:1 3.36:1 3.08:1
45