how much will a manual transmission swap cost me?

[jjyiz28]

looking at a 3rd gen camaro, v6 or v8, doesn't matter. hard to find manual transmission cars being sold

 

[Ryan]

Seriously, unless you plan on getting ripped a new hole, just continue your search for true 5-speed.

 

[Walleye]

lol.

you can have my 5 speed camry? it starts with the same 3 letters... ooh, and it's first generation of fuel injection for the camrys...

2000 dolla.

 

[Ryan]

Originally posted by: Walleye
lol. you can have my 5 speed camry? it starts with the same 3 letters... ooh, and it's first generation of fuel injection for the camrys... 2000 dolla.

WTH?!?! :frown:

 

[DanFungus]

reselling it would be interesting having the VIN show it as an automatic, but it being a manual after the swap.

 

[Goosemaster]

Originally posted by: DanFungus
reselling it would be interesting having the VIN show it as an automatic, but it being a manual after the swap.

EDIT: I would pay good money to see the reaction on peoples' faces.....

 

[aircooled]

I know people who have done it in old trucks where cosmetics were not an issue. I would not do it in any modern car.

 

[cavemanmoron]

http://www.f-bodytech.com/forum/

http://www.racingjunk.com/

Text

Price: 3500
This 1982 Trans Am was updated to 89 about 4 yrs ago. Since then it has sat outside so the body could use some tlc as well as some power stering work. It has a 355, MSD 6 AL, frame is tied, strut tower brace, headers emmision leagle, 5 speed trans, & borg warner 9 bolt rear end. I've put about 8000 miles since the update with about 80000 on the car itself. This car is for sale locally so if you are interested act fast
Contact Information:
Kyle Stewart
Romeoville, il
(815) 372-3743

 

[RegaPlanet]

check out:

Thirdgen.org

It's the most populated message board for thirdgens.

I myself own a '91 camaro...

A swap to a T5 will cost you around $1000 if you do the work yourself. V6 T5's are not the same as V8 T5's. They have different spline input shafts.

reselling it would be interesting having the VIN show it as an automatic, but it being a manual after the swap

Nothing more than knowing a different transmission has been swapped in would be interesting. Majority of sports cars are modified with aftermarket parts. So what's the big deal??? Only time something is actually interesting is when you look under a few thirdgens to find twin turbos or in one instance that I've seen a viper v10.

 

[Vette73]

Not worth it. First you have to get all the brackets and cables etc... Tnen get all the cosmatic items to make it look right. But the tough part is the computers are setup for Auto or Manual. You then would have to have the computer reprogrammed. Unl;ess it was carb, but the T5 can't take tha much power, so if you built any real power it wuld kill the trans.

All in all, NOT WORTH IT. Just find what you want and don't jimmy rig it.

 

[GtPrOjEcTX]

Stick one of these body kits on it while you're at it. I think it vastly improves the look

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Nah, go for the Knight Rider - KITT conversion

- M4H

 

[RegaPlanet]

Not worth it. First you have to get all the brackets and cables etc... Tnen get all the cosmatic items to make it look right. But the tough part is the computers are setup for Auto or Manual. You then would have to have the computer reprogrammed. Unl;ess it was carb, but the T5 can't take tha much power, so if you built any real power it wuld kill the trans.

Not true. All you do is pull out the old tranny and stick in the T5. High majorityare sold complete minus the clutch which you should buy new anyway since it's out at the time. There is no computer hookup on the T5 so no worries there. I cant remember right at this moment but you may need a shorter driveshaft or to have yours shortened. As for cosmetics... tons of manual style centre consoles for sale out there. They made hundresd of thousands of thirdgens. There's no probs finding parts for our cars. This is a simple swap. very minimal fab work needed.

 

[GtPrOjEcTX]

Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire
Nah, go for the Knight Rider - KITT conversion

- M4H

I have a black '92 Firebird and have thought about purchasing one of these more than once.

 

[Vette73]

Originally posted by: RegaPlanet

Not worth it. First you have to get all the brackets and cables etc... Tnen get all the cosmatic items to make it look right. But the tough part is the computers are setup for Auto or Manual. You then would have to have the computer reprogrammed. Unl;ess it was carb, but the T5 can't take tha much power, so if you built any real power it wuld kill the trans.

Not true. All you do is pull out the old tranny and stick in the T5. High majorityare sold complete minus the clutch which you should buy new anyway since it's out at the time. There is no computer hookup on the T5 so no worries there. I cant remember right at this moment but you may need a shorter driveshaft or to have yours shortened. As for cosmetics... tons of manual style centre consoles for sale out there. They made hundresd of thousands of thirdgens. There's no probs finding parts for our cars. This is a simple swap. very minimal fab work needed.

I am a mecahnic and my first car was a 85 Firebird so I know what I am talking about. First the AUTO trans car has a computer hookup, so it will freak the computer out if you just pull the plugs and try and slap in a 5 speed.
Second the V6 and V8 have different bolt paterns. The V8 is a SAE and the V6 is a metric, so you can even cross there.
Later 3rd gen F-Bodys were balanced different then early ones, i.e. different balancers and flywheels, can't mix up.
etc, etc, etc..........

Again, it is NOT worth it.

 

[Ladies Man]

Originally posted by: Marlin1975

Originally posted by: RegaPlanet

Not worth it. First you have to get all the brackets and cables etc... Tnen get all the cosmatic items to make it look right. But the tough part is the computers are setup for Auto or Manual. You then would have to have the computer reprogrammed. Unl;ess it was carb, but the T5 can't take tha much power, so if you built any real power it wuld kill the trans.

Not true. All you do is pull out the old tranny and stick in the T5. High majorityare sold complete minus the clutch which you should buy new anyway since it's out at the time. There is no computer hookup on the T5 so no worries there. I cant remember right at this moment but you may need a shorter driveshaft or to have yours shortened. As for cosmetics... tons of manual style centre consoles for sale out there. They made hundresd of thousands of thirdgens. There's no probs finding parts for our cars. This is a simple swap. very minimal fab work needed.

I am a mecahnic and my first car was a 85 Firebird so I know what I am talking about. First the AUTO trans car has a computer hookup, so it will freak the computer out if you just pull the plugs and try and slap in a 5 speed.
Second the V6 and V8 have different bolt paterns. The V8 is a SAE and the V6 is a metric, so you can even cross there.
Later 3rd gen F-Bodys were balanced different then early ones, i.e. different balancers and flywheels, can't mix up.
etc, etc, etc..........

Again, it is NOT worth it.

Computer will not freak... only way it wouldn't work is going from a manual to an automatic.. then there would be problems
Automatic to manual is fine, computer doesn't know the difference

 

[RegaPlanet]

I am a mecahnic and my first car was a 85 Firebird so I know what I am talking about. First the AUTO trans car has a computer hookup, so it will freak the computer out if you just pull the plugs and try and slap in a 5 speed.

INCORRECT

Computer will not freak... only way it wouldn't work is going from a manual to an automatic.. then there would be problems

CORRECT... for the most part.

If we were just talking about a T5 to 700R4 swap then yes the R4 would have some issues but if you swapped to a TH350 or 400 then no computer needed(just like with a T5) so no probs.

Again this is an unfabricated swap. Only issues you may have to deal with might be the driveshaft and tranny mounts. If you want detailed answers from tons of guys who have performed the swap visit www.thirdgen.org and checkout the tranny forum. You'll get better answers.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

I'd guess that the only way the computer would really freak would be if it had an electronic valvebody, a hydraulic valvebody (such as the 700R4 or TH350) shouldn't cause problems. A 4L60e would as the computer needs to control the transmission as well.

As far as swap costs, it largely depends on what you're swapping to. An NV4500 to NV5600 in a Ram is a $4500 swap. And they're both manuals. T-56's seem to be expensive because they're in high demand.

 

[RegaPlanet]

The 700R4's in thirdgens are 4L60's

I'm not totally clear here as im not sure all 700R4's are 4L60's or if a 4L60 is a 4L60e or what...

Maybe I'm just stating the obvious now I dunno. 700R4's will eventually have problems if not computer controlled in thirdgens. The only thing the computer uses the tranny programming(VSS) for other than the tranny is a govenor. So once that tranny is gone the only other thing you lose is that.

 

[RegaPlanet]

oh and as mentioned if you were to swap to a T-56 instead you are looking at much higher costs. Buying from a reputable tranny company you're looking at at least $2300 for the main parts. That'd be for the T-56 from a 4th gen camaro or C5. If you were to goto the T-56 from a viper which has some heavier duty parts yer looking at just under $3000 to start. This would be for a brand new(possibly rebuilt) setup. I dont think these kits include pedals or the clutch however. Got these prices from Chevy HiPerformance a few months back where they performed a T-56 swap for a thirdgen. Different shaft and tranny mount are needed in the swap also. ok thats enough for now bleh

 

[Demon-Xanth]

700R4=4L60, the "e" suffix designates an electronic valvebody compared to the hydraulic valvebody. Oddly enough Dodge uses a similar nomenclature with thier transmissions, like the 47RE. Dodge just swaps the place of the reletive strength number (and only uses one digit) and the direction (using R for Rear vs. L for Longitudinal). If you want some entertainment, look at the applications for the GM 5L30 and notice one of them includes the three series from a well known manufacturer

 

[RegaPlanet]

Thx much for the info Demon-Xanth. As for the 5L30.... checked quickly on google and couldn't come up with anything but would a guess for the BMW 3 series be on the right road?