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auto to 4 speed swap question

2K views 5 replies 4 participants last post by  theelcaminofactory 
#1 ·
hi. i have the opertunity to get a compleat set up to swap out my th350 for a 4 speed. anyone who has done this have any input ? was it a pain or what ? what do i need from the doner car besides the tranny clutch, shifter pedels assy.? thanks carl the doner is a 80 e/c. thanks
 
#2 · (Edited)
You will also need the bellhousing. Should bolt right up to your engine block. Not sure about the length difference between the TH350 and your 4 speed, but you might need to use the donor car's crossmember and driveshaft. Because the G body came from the factory with the 4 speed option for some years (78-81), the swap will not be too painful. Lots of detailed conversions on the web. Check out the following. It goes through installing a 5 speed into a Monte Carlo, but the idea is the same.

http://www.garage-scene.com/t5-into-ag-body/
 
#3 ·
You will need the pilot bushing to tap into the crankshaft on your engine for the trans input shaft. Do you know the rear end ratio of the donor car? If the trans is a CLOSE RATIO box, and the rear on your car has a low numerical ratio, low gear may not be "low" enough, and you may have clutch wear from "feathering" it when getting going in a normal start.

Would be great if you could also get the rear end from the donor car if yours is too low a ratio. If your is like a 2.69 or lower ratio, which is normal with an auto trans, I believe you will have problems. A 3.23 would likely be OK.
 
#4 · (Edited)
Pedal assembly with neutral safety switch and wiring, pedal to Z bar rod, rubber firewall boot, Z bar, Z bar to fork rod, clutch fork, bellhousing, bellhousing inspection cover, bellhousing rubber boot for clutch fork, flywheel (resurface it), trans, shifter with shift rods, shifter floor tunnel and boot, forget the clutch disc, pressure plate, throw out bearing and input shaft pilot bearing and use new parts (unless you like dropping transmissions when used worn out parts go bad) forget the trans crossmember if you have a 350THD (yours is the same) Length of a 350THD is the same as the manual trans with the bellhousing, driveshaft is same length. Now to avoid problems with the steering wheel lock you will also need the steering column, it's a not tilt column and that's all they came with, but it has the key release button (paint it to match your interior, also the shift indicator block off plate because you don't have PRNDL anymore...I don't think I missed anything...now go get it! Oh yeah...don't forget your nuts...and bolts too. The trans unless it was changed is a Saginaw...ok for a daily driver but not a good performance trans by any means. If you switch over to a Muncie or Borg Warner the shifter will come through the floor farther back (closer to you)...so before you cut the hole in that flloor for the shifter, make sure you decide if you want to use that Saginaw or not. Of course if the shifter is closer to you it will interfere with the bench seat. If you decide to use a Muncie M22 or a Borg Warner/Richmond Super T-10 you'll need the more stuff concerning trans yoke, bigger universals, driveshaft, and pinion yoke. Now that since you decided to change out the center of the driveline...how long you think it's gonna be before you wanna change out what's in front of the bellhousing and what's behind the driveshaft...just kidding...or am I?:dontknow:

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#5 ·
maybe i should think about this some more. time,money ambition,energy im short on right now. thanks for all your input guys, i am going to go check out the 80 e/c tonight & see whats up. if any one else is interested in it let me know.
 
#6 ·
Keep in mind just about all the parts can be bought...EXCEPT the OEM bellhousing, steering column and clutch fork...they are discontinued by GM and no one currently makes them, they are getting harder to find and the price is going up. If your getting the whole car at a decent price, you could probably part it out and make your money back. I paid about $125 just for a mint condition bellhousing 4 years ago, and the price is twice that now...and I still wouldn't sell it if someone offered that much.

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