iokepakai

The crossmember I rcvd from Bowtie was for an 80-81.It bolted up ok but the parking brake pulley was different and the shift rods hit the crossmember.I had to modify it to make it work.It sure looks good under there though.
Also had a leaky TH350 trans,oil everywhere.Leaking trans fluid from the speedo housing.Used this one [IMG][/IMG] link to part
http://www.transmissioncenter.org/sp...ar_housing.htm
There's an internal oil ring inside the bullet housing that causes oil to leak into the speedo cable. Check your yoke clearance ,some yokes are to long and hit the speedo gear on the Richmond Trans.Your moving right along,vette should be on the road by Sunday!

qwank

thanks for the link to the speedo housing. My trans came with one but I don't know if it's steel or aluminum.I'll check when I get home. I did have to get a 17 tooth speedo gear to work with my 2.87s.
My pilot bushing came in today, it isn't magnetic.
I doubt I'll be done by Sunday. LOL I still have to figure something out with the mount, the '81 crossmember is shaped really wierd and it doesn't look like its going to be easy to weld a bracket on. Plus I have to fix a few "while I'm in heres" before i put the new trans in. haha

iokepakai

Well I hear ya on the while I'm at it....Trans swap turned into a rear main seal,cam change,lifters.pushrods,roller rockers,intake,oil pump.oil pan,ignition,carb,radiator,water pump,fuel pump,& ujoints swap.Also rebuilt the clock and redid all the gauges with new overlays..Only thing I didn't touch were the heads & block.Shoulda just pulled the motor!!

qwank

I'm not planning on getting that extensive with my "while i'm heres". LOL I'm going to reseal and paint the oil pan and replace the rear snubber bushing because the pinion seal leaked all over it. I don't feel comfortable changing the seal at home with no air tools so I'll have to do that at work later on. I also want to clean as much oil off of the bottom of the car as I can.

All that and I haven't received my flywheel yet so who knows how long this is going to take.

iokepakai

Hopefully the flywheel gets to you soon.Did you install a neutral switch on the clutch pedal? That little switch gave me some problems,it's a real pain to get to it.
The close ratio's on the Richmond should work well with your rear end gears.The trans has a nice sound to it in first gear but not as loud as the M22 rock crusher.My wife asks me is it suppose to sound like that?? .....

qwank

My pedal assembly came with a new switch on it, I haven't wired it up yet though. You're the first person I heard say that first gear is a little loud, that's a good thing though, should be nice and strong for my 195hp engine

I called Gforce crossmembers and they told me it will my '81. They did say however, for a Richmond 5 speed, I should use the 700r4 crossmember, which is this one:

http://www.crossmembers.com/shop/pro...roducts_id=113

It does look close. how far off was the mount for your 6 speed with the 700r4 bowtie crossmember? It looks like the 6 speed mount is 1.5" further back then the 5 speed, so that would be 3.75" further back then a TH350.
How far back is the mount for a 700R4 moved back when converting from a TH350? a stock 1982 crossmember looks like it has the mount sitting right in the middle of the crossmember, which would be too far back for the Richmond I think.

iokepakai

That's correct Richmond 6spd mount is 1.50 inches back from the 5spd.I had to trim the pad back about an inch or so and redrill the holes for the trans mount to work on the 6spd with the Bowtie 700r4 xmember.Problem was the shift linkages hit the xmember and had to be modified slightly and relocate the parking brake wheel.No biggie really,a little bit of grinding and a few welds at the shop.I'll post up some pics when I get home.You could mock it all up before you install the trans and check for shifter clearance.[IMG][/IMG]
Xmember kinda arches upward near the mount that's where the problem area is.That Gforce looks to be more level and seems like it would clear the shift linkages.You could return it if it doesn't work.[IMG][/IMG]
The thing that gets me is Bowtie has two different xmember's for the 700r4 and Gforce has just one for all years??Interesting...
Wire up that neutral switch with wires long enough to reach the center console where the neutral switch was on the auto shifter.Easier to do it while you have access to it......Aloha's

qwank

Thanks for that info! if the 6 speed is 1.5" further back then the 5 speed, and you had to cut and redrill an inch or so back from the 700r4 mount, then the 700r4 crossmsmber should be really close for the 5 speed mount. I'm still searching to see how far you move the mount when swapping in a 700r4 from a TH350, so far I've seen anywhere between 1.75"-3"

I did some more measurements to the stock '81 crossmember, it's shaped so weird but I'm going to have my brother in law look at it this weekend. He can weld pretty much anything. It would be nice if I can make it work.

and here's another option, possibly made by Gforce for Summit? Less money though.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-770319/

qwank

So today I decided to mock up the transmission so I could cut the hole for the shifter. I bolted on the bellhousing and then the transmission. I had to install and reinstall the transmission 4 times before I got the hole perfect. I started with a 2.5" hole saw to make the first cut and used a sawzall from there.

Its probably a good thing my flywheel didn't come in yet, because this step would have been a real pain with the clutch installed, considering I had to pull it out so many times.

Getting the trans in place with the shifter on it



I jacked the trans up until it hit the tunnel, then marked that spot as my center, and cut a hole with the hole saw.



after a a little trimming I had success!



a few shots with the console top on to get an Idea of the shifter height. Its shorter then I though, which is good. I think I like it. I may go with stick that is slightly bent back, since the shifter seems a little too close to the front.

iokepakai

Howzit! Lookin good !! here's a pic of the mount:
[IMG][/IMG]
On the shifter I used a stock looking stick from CC and a Richmond shift plate.
[IMG]
Keep us posted on the progress......

qwank

Thanks! I'm considering going with Bowtie's 700R4 crossmember since it looks like its lighter and it's less money then the Gforce unit. for $200 it might be worth it. I'm just worried about your issue with the shifter hitting the crossmember

I cleaned up the hole I cut for the shifter this morning and got the factory shift boot to fit really well. I will have to add a piece of metal to the right side like you did, to seal the rest of the "indent" in the tunnel.

iokepakai

Sent you a PM.

qwank

My flywheel came in today, I was please to see "Made in USA" stamped on it.

I pulled my oil pan off, so until I get it back on and sealed up, I won't be doing anything further on the trans swap for now. I should hopefully have the pan back on by the weekend. I have to bring it to work tomorrow, strip the paint, clean it up and repaint it. The only problem is, it been cold here lately and not looking to warm up for a while. I like to paint things in at least 70* weather, but I don't think that's going to happen.

iokepakai

Some pics of the shift linkage clearance with the modified xmember..hope this helps....
[IMG][/IMG]
[IMG][/IMG]
[IMG][/IMG]
[IMG][/IMG]

qwank

wow, you really had to notch that crossmember more then i thought. I'll definitely sty away from that one then.

I feel that with everyone going TKO, we're the black sheep of the forum for going with Richmond, But I still believe that with a 2.87 rear end, I made the right choice.

And as always, thanks for the pics!!

nate99

The stock rear gear makes it a really good choice. I'm torn though since somewhere down the line I'll probably have to go through the rear end as well. I could always go back with a 3.08.

qwank

If I didn't find the transmission used for a good price, I would have went with the ROD, so I'd have the overdrive incase I wanted to change the rear end in the future

iokepakai

The 3.27 first gear and your 2.87 rear gear should work pretty good.I really like the gear spreads of the Richmond with my 3.08 rear gear.I didn't want the added expense of changing rear gears with the TKO trans.I was lucky as someone here in Hawaii bought a new ROD and decided not to install it in his 70 SS Chevelle.Lucky me!!

qwank

Yeah, you got real lucky for sure. I got an ok deal. Paid $2300 for the trans, Long Shifter, yoke, speedo housing, and driveshaft with new u-joints. I also got a mount that works with C2 Corvettes, maybe even early C3's. (I'll sell it when the swap is done.) I think I saved around $700, give or take.

iokepakai

You did well on that trans.Piece everything together and your over 3K on those parts.Your ok without the 6th gear with your rear gear.
With my 3.08 rear gear and .76 6th gear I turn 1900rpm @ 60 mph
on 255/60/15 tires. If you have the same tires as I do you will turn about 2200 rpm @ 60 mph in 5th gear with your new trans.Your starting off ratio will be much improved from the TH350.Heck your car will feel like a BB off the line!! Well almost......Your gonna luv it. Aloha's