Mark thanks for your input. a couple people have said my shifter linkage and bracket are wrong and wont clear my tunnel. <1>do you know if that is correct? this pic below is a shifter, linkage & bracket that I am told is what I need to have to work right. <2>is this correct? I have to buy a starter, clutch kit & flywheel any way, so the only difference is buying a bellhousing or not. is there any reason to buy another bellhousing other than to have a bigger clutch? <3>will doing so or not cause or solve any other problems? I dont know if the drive shaft is from the orig auto or something the previous owner bought to do this change. its 29.5" from cup to cup. <4>will it work? thanks

 

well while i'm waiting for more oppinions and advise to come in i'll get this question out there. if i go big or small with the clutch/bellhousing..are there different starters needed for each? what vehicle application would i give to get the right starter for either?
also if anybody has any other advice for anything posted earlier that was skipped over, please ad it in there. i keep re-reading this trying to get this mess straight.. my 454 is setting in the floor of my shop ready to go! and thanks again to everybody, i own and run two goodyear shops and have been doing full service auto repairs for 20 years so i hope i'll be able to pitch in here and help somebody else sometime. the only old vette business we ever get in is mostly just brakes, front end and alignments.. they are different vehicles in a lot of ways but i am learning a ton from this forum while putting my project together. after the motor and trans is in and lined out i am gutting the interior and changing to black.

 

I might just sell the whole shebang and get the right stuff. It would probably be cheaper in the long run.

I can't tell you if that GM shifter will work or not as I don't have experience with it. It might not even be the right one for your car. I can tell you that you will have a difficult time with any shifter based on the shifter shaft mix and match that is installed now. This makes it hard to put together with any assurance that it will fit the console or even work at all.

As for the bellhousing - The only thing I can see is that you can build it as it was sold originaly and all the catalog parts will fit OR you use the bellhousing you have and none of the catalog parts will fit. The one you have now will cause you (or the next guy) to have a difficult time from that point on with any service parts you need. Future frustration in the making.

If you are dead set on installing this mutt tranny - I would swap the 1-2 and 3-4 shifter shafts and maybe even the side cover back to the '68 and older setup. Those parts are easy to swap and relatively inexpensive. Then get a Hurst Competition Plus shifter and install kit for the '68 Vette that will fit the tranny and the console.

The bellhousing could honestly go either way but I would probably go with the "621" bellhousing and large clutch setup. It would be correct for the car. Less trips back to the parts store because the stuff will fit right. Just make sure the disk has the right spline count before you leave the store.

The driveshaft situation can be fixed at the driveshaft shop if needed.

Hope this helps,

-Mark.

 

does anybody know what the difference is between a auto and manual driveshaft? the one I have is 29.5 from cup to cup. I dont know if its the original auto shaft or a manual shaft that was bought with all these other mix and match pieces. I have a drive shaft shop near one of my shops that can fix it up if I need. just trying to find out if its right or wrong now.

 

Manual and automatic are the same driveshaft. I have a Corvette Hurst Competition plus complete with all new bushings and clips for $200 plus shipping. Have the chrome indy handle but no t handle or ball

 

hey thanks for that good news, glad 1 piece i got will work.. lol

 

Just a few quick thoughts.

The yoke will be fine if it fits the trans. Look closely at it for wear as it appears to have had a u-joint beating around in it a little as evidenced by the metal removed around a couple of the strap holes.

That shifter looks OK. Is it a Competition Plus? I can't read the writing on it. The rods look right and they aren't Super Shifter style with the added sleeves. It's been a while since I messed with a C-3 and a Hurst though...so could be wrong. I wouldn't worry much about the various arms. They are what they are and if it works leave it alone. The Hurst arms for the bolt type have a hole drilled in the middle of the slot to allow bolt to pass. Those arms will fit fine on the stud type...but not the other way around.

You've got a 454. Unless it's had some serious engine changes internally with mallory metal added to crankshaft..it's still externally balanced and the only flywheel you will find to work is an 11" one unless you buy trick racing stuff which isn't needed. You have to have flywheel with the counterweight on it and make sure you index it properly on the crank or it will vibrate you out of the car. There are 6 bolt holes and an *extra* hole in flywheel and crank. Align the extra hole (it might even have a dowel pin it..but not guranteed).

I would seriously look at a scattershield for any 4 speed car. No it's not orginal.....but it will save you feet if something happens. Millions have run stockers and I have too...but my comfort level goes up exponentially with a scattershield. I've personally seen what happens when you don't use one.

That driveshaft thing doesn't make sense. Yes, they would be the same on a car that originally had a 4 speed or a T-350 or a PG. That would work...but the T-400 is about 2" longer than those others and the engine is in the same place. Camaro's, Chevelle's, Nova's etc all take shorter with a T-400...why wouldn't Vette? Someone here will be able to verify length of correct shaft for sure.

You will be best to use the Vette linkage. They are right on that one. Cobbled linkage CAN work....but you better be good at it. Stock stuff works perfect on clutch so I'd put it together. Or maybe look at Speed Direct here on the Forum. They have some real nice heim jointed link arms to smooth out the linkage.

You can use any starter with the *staggered* bolt pattern on the big flywheel. The end housings can be changed in about 10 seconds between straight and staggered housings. You will want the heavy duty starter with the copper spacer between the solenoid and the ground strap. Or you can just get one of the universal mini starters from Summit. They work great, fit everything and can be adjusted to move them around for less heat soak issues and help hot start issues.

Good luck.

JIM

 

Thanks Jim.. the hurst shifter is a compitition plus and seems to work right the way it is hooked up but the problem I see is it fitting in the car right. When I hold the 4-speed console shift plate over the trans and centered up with the trans, I can see right now that the shifter is off to the left too far, 3 or 4 inches maybe. I'm told the shifter is suppose to bolt to a bracket on the crossmember and not bolt to the trans. The pic I posted earlier of shifter laying on a bench outside in the grass is what somebody offered me and claims will work right and match up to the console correctly. One of my shops parts suppliers says they have the 11" flywheel, clutch kit and starter in stock for my application. He said he had to go back a couple years to get a 11" clutch with 10 spines but says everthing should work right. I'm on ebay looking for a bellhousing right now. and if I can get somebody to say that used shifter that I posted a pic of will work, I will get that. theres a long list of "little pieces" that I still need but I am seeing them available easy enough. thanks to "vettesbydesign" for posting the long list for me. What did I get into? my 66 chevy II and 79 Z-28 are so much easier.. I had to pay $200.00 for a stock water pump pulley. WTF??? lol I love this car though and despite the problems know we are going to love taking it to the cruise-ins this summer.

 

Good catch on that 454 externaly balanced thing. He has to go with the bigger bellhousing setup.

-Mark

 

This is the bellhousing I used. If you want a 621 check with Keisler.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NEW-M...spagenameZWDVW

 

I am finding used originals for $50-$150 on ebay. But I'm also finding conflicting info on there.. do you know if 697, 621, 444 are all the same? and will work for what I need? are there any other #s I can use for 11" clutch/flywheel? is any one better than another?

 

I changed my factory shifter out for a Hurst Competition Plus and for the early C3 Muncie transmission they come with a flat bracket that mounts to the side of the transmission then the shifter mounts to the bracket. It does not bolt to the cross member. But you have to have a Corvette bracket not a Camaro or Chevelle bracket. They come with the installation kit.

I bought mine from Summit Racing under part numbers HUU-3917992 for the shifter and HUU-3738611 for the installation kit. The Summit Racing kit part number for the two together is SUM-CHUU146.

cc

 

hmmmm mine has a flat bracket and mounts to the side, and that puts the shifter off to the left of the trans. the opening in the console plate is more to the left side but not near as much as my shifter. I am assuming when the shifter console plate is installed in the car that it is centered over the trans. I'll look those bracket numbers up and see if I can see what they look like. but it seems like they would have to move the shifter in closer to center of the trans to line up. did your original shifter bolt to the trans or a bracket to the crossmember? Anybody else know what I am talking about? maybe I am just looking at it all wrong or something?

 

Hey bud. Dump that fuel filter!!! They should lock up the people who still sell those. I thought they were taken off the market but I guess not. Another disaster waiting to happen. Also recomend solid tubing from pump to carb. Excellent workmanship on that engine!!!

 

Hey thanks, I'm waiting to see if my a/c compressor is any good before I put my new sticker on it.. it runs good sittin in the floor but soon as I get this trans problem lined out, they are both goin in the car! whats wrong with the fuel filter? it was in a box of parts that came with the car, had a box of replacement elements with it also, so I stuck it on there..

 

Advise you just go with the right Hurst Comp Plus shifter, as IMHO the "correct" factory shifter for the C3, which mounts to the frame, is a PoS. If stock appearance is an issue, you can get faux stick for the Hurst.

 

You assume the transmission sits centered in the tunnel. All I can tell you is with the correct bracket and shifter, it goes right through the center of the hole in the tunnel. Granted, the stick that comes with the C3s shifter is bent toward the right side of the car but I replaced that with a curved stick that comes straight up out of the floor and it fits fine.

Here is a picture of the shifter:



cc

 

ok great thanks, I dont care what the shifter looks like as long as it fits the console like yours does. do you remember if your shift levers on your trans have bolts going in or stud and nuts?

 

Bolts.

cc

 

Regarding the glass fuel filter. The end caps screw out easily with vibration and heat. End seals are cheap and degrade quickly. Fire hazard. I know they seem like a good idea with a see-through filter.