[cbonsall]

i`m starting to redo a 78 trans am thats in real bad shape. but to the question. car originally had a 4 speed but now has an automatic. i would like to put in either a 5 or 6 speed tranny. the car has a 400 and i`m gonna rebuild it. its going to be a mild rebuild with cam,headers , intake and maybe port/ polishing of the heads. where can i find information on , bell housing, clutches etc to accomplish this task. always played with automatics before. so this is all new to me. the reason i`m attempting the tranny so early in the rebuild is i have to replace the floor pans, also i have the chance to get a 6 speed out of a recently totaled vette. since i have to replace floor pans figure i might as well get the cross member moved also. tia

 

[Deuce]

As one of the Moderators here........Let me be the first to WELCOME you here....... :welcome:

I suggest you find a manual shift T/A of the same body style and get the bellhousing, pedals and Z bar from it. All the brake/clutch linkage you can.... The crossmember too.

I have been told that the Corvette 6 speeds lay over a little.(shifter and stuff) .........rumor heard....not certified ...not fact on my part.


.

 

[cbonsall]

i`m by no means an expert at this tranny swapping,but i thought i read somewhere that some of the mid 80`s 5 speeds where tilted to 1 side.
btw thanks for the welcome.

 

[Deuce]

I am NOT either........

Because the Pontiac 400 needs a redo..........why not go ahead and build a BBC ? Easier to get go fast stuff for less $$$ and all the Chevrolet/Corvette stuff would adapt a lot easier.

T56 6 speeds cost around $1000 (with the bellhousing) in my area. That makes the BBC easy to hook to.


.

 

[cbonsall]

since i havent spent any money yet other then buying the car from a kid i want to explore using the 6 speed with the 400. i take it that the bell housing thats on the 6 speed wont bolt directly to the 400. are there any links to info on companies that have equipment for this change.
as for the bbc being less expensive to rebuild, i`ll be checking into that once i get the motor out of the car. i`m going top do most of the rebuild myself except any machine work. So we will see. i have a freind thats going to give me a 455 with a turbo 400. so if need be i might be able to self 1 engine and use funds for other.
Everyone have a Happy and safe holiday season.:thumbup: