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Ok guys (and gals) I have a question! I am mostly a lurker here but am getting along with a project of mine, a 77 that needs some major cosmetic love. Now, the car is pretty sound, it needs the seals redone and thats really it. BUT I hate the auto transmission.... Has anyone on here done a conversion? Any tips? Should I just get it done at a shop? Attached are some pictures of what me, my dad, and my boyfriend have been working on!
I've done the switch from auto to manual and I love it. I went with the Tremec 5spd but a Good 4spd would have worked just as well. I really didn't think it was all difficult to do but then again this wasn't my first time. if you want to pay the premium prices you can find everything that you need in new condition but I would suggest searching for items like the peddle assembly and Z-bar from some swapmeets or other used suppliers
Thanks a bunch! I am going for a 5 speed, and I have never done anything like it before. My mother has, she did a conversion on an AMC if I remember right...
Good show kid, My '72 was a 4 speed Muncie, but when moving to Florida I needed an OD, and 21 years ago, stick shift trans with O/D were running 5 grand or so, even used....needed it for the 80 mph cruising speeds on freeways here.....
So I built a 200 4r auto, and kept my small brake pedal just to mystify the car shows......
Ok guys (and gals) I have a question! I am mostly a lurker here but am getting along with a project of mine, a 77 that needs some major cosmetic love. Now, the car is pretty sound, it needs the seals redone and thats really it. BUT I hate the auto transmission.... Has anyone on here done a conversion? Any tips? Should I just get it done at a shop? Attached are some pictures of what me, my dad, and my boyfriend have been working on!
I am in PA, I've had the car almost a year, but with a lot of things going on I havent had time until recently to do anything with it. Thanks everyone for the help, I'll be checking those notes out!
Last edited by Grave's_Girl; Feb 13, 2016 at 02:40 PM.
I have done this to approximately 8 C3 corvettes. The toughest part of the job is the pedals. You will need to find or buy a set of 4 speed pedals and swap in the pedal box to the car. The steering column and dash will need to come out. Not really a big deal. The rest of the swap is easily done once you get all the parts. There are a few vendors here that sell the whole kit which makes it very easy and all the parts are there and new. Little pricey but in my working with these it is well worth it. If you run into any problems many here can help you through the install. Not a weekend install for the first timer but by no means an all winter project.
Gee! Thanks everyone!!! I hope to get this going within the next few weeks (or months curse you bitter cold) I just wanted to start gathering all the information that I could and this helped a lot. I'll be looking into a kit so I dont miss anything, and I hope to get this beauty on the road by summer!
I have the following if you or anyone else is interested (the pedals shown are for an 80-82, I have an equally nice set that will fit a 68-79....send a PM if you or anyone else is interested.
Yeah the clear is gone on it. I am thinking black with gunmetal stripes, and ghosted flames (realistic ones) with skulls hiding in the fire. I am hoping I can do the paint myself, I have never done a car but I am very artistic.
I researched this swap for my 79 for about a year. You may find complete donors from time to time, but you will also have to accept that its either partly or all used, you may not know if the components were abused, and you could end up with repairs or fixes aside from just doing the swap.
Or you can go to a vendor like SST or similar - after my 700r4 let go, I decided an SST TKP 600 kit was the best route for me.
It will cost more up front that sourcing parts from a donor car, but you get everything you need, and you don't have to worry about parts matching. It is an involved process to do this swap, but anyone with moderate mechanical skills can do it - just takes time and patience.
I also managed to do it all by myself - although I will admit that an extra hand would have been useful at times. I would do it again.
Good luck whatever route you go.
Last edited by cooper9811; Feb 17, 2016 at 05:34 PM.
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