I have a numbers matching car that I'm putting together. It has a three speed manual transmission. It is painted blue and it has some markings that look like they could be factory. I thought manual transmissions came natural (unpainted) does anybody know if blue is a factory color for a 70 cuda 340? or ever seen one painted.

I had an A230 E body 3 sp and it was natural

I thought they were all unpainted, too.

My 34,000 original mile `cuda340 hard top 3-speed was/is natural, unpainted. It was original and not rebuit when I purchased it from the original owner.
The main case has a couple of factory markings in white and yellow also.

Thanks for the reply's. It looks like natural wins. Does anybody reproduce a 3spd shifter boot,knob and trim ring. I have all the other parts.

I have a #'s matching '71 340 Challenger 3sp stick. Just pulled it to put a 4sp in. The 3sp in natural.

Astrobuf

the boot/ring and knob do come up occasionally as NOS here and on ebay. I believe the boot was or still may be available from the dealer - but honestly the NOS boots/rings I have seen for sale in the past few years look like crap.

Dang, a 3 sp on a 340? I thought the only 3 sp manual ever made was on my moms old 71 Duster 6. Never seen or heard of them since. Seems the 4 is just a tad more popular...I remember rowing that 3 speed when I was only 5, sitting between my parents on the bench seat..good times!

There were quite a few 340 3sp'd E-bodies. One way to avoid the "high power" insurance premium back in the day was to spec a 3sp. Magically, they often got replaced without notification of the insurance company.

My car is amongst the earliest '71 production car's, a Dealer Promo car, and came with rear window louvers and wide nose chrome and a 3sp manual! Go figure.

Astrobuf

about 12 years ago i bought a 70 challenger convert B5 blue, white interior, 340 3 speed with a pistol grip shifter. the 340 was replaced with a 318 4 speed pistol grip when i bought it. the 3 speed trans with the shifter was in the trunk.
when i re did the car i traded the 318 4 speed trans for a built 360 motor and some cash and used the 3 speed trans. the guy who bought it said he never saw a 3 speed car with a pistol grip shifter.
one of the few cars i flipped that i wish i never sold.

Mine's even stranger 340 3spd convertible. No power steering. Manual drum brakes, manual top, steel wheels and a rally dash. Somebody ordered it that way. I think if you were going to go with the rally dash you would have spent the money for a 4spd or power steering.

mine also had a manual top, brakes and steering with a rally dash. it also had 15" rally wheels, 3.23 sure grip rear end, dual exhaust with tips with and a am radio.
bought it from ed briggs from colorado the last year the nats were in indy.
sold it to a guy in minnesota the first year the nats moved back to columbus from indy.