the 700r4 just went out in my vette... and while its out i was wondering how hard it would be to swap it for a manual transmission and if anyone out there has ever done it. anyone have any ideas?

 

A lot of Forum members have done it. I know the EM has the conversion kit.

 

know of anyone right off? by EM i take it you mean exotic muscle?

 

It think it is ExoticMuscle.com. They are in Tempe, AZ. Call Merle or Trevor at 480-967-4222. They can give you a price on all of the parts that you will need (warning: Trevor will talk you into the ground).

 

i just got off their website and it has prices next to the trannies but doesnt say if thats the whole kit or not

 

ill call tommorrow

 

I don't think that their website has been updated in years. You really do have to call. Then check around other places because you can probably find cheaper prices.

 

I took my engine out. It was easier than I thought. Its all striaght forward wrenching and tagging. It was esier by taking out the front inner fender wheel wells. I would like to keep my options open for the automatic while everything is apart.

 

I called exotic muscle and merle said he could put me together a complete kit for around 4300 plus shipping...which is a little more than i was expecting but he said that include the tranny, dual mass clutch, all the electronics, pedals, shifter, boot,,,....etc. i think i might see if i can find a used zf6 somewhere and then just buy their installation kit because that is only 1800 while the tranny was like 2600 or somewhere around there. how hard is it to pull the tranny and engine out?

 

Have you considered upgrading to a DANA 44?

Does EM included a kit with ZF and 44?

 

I thought there was an issue on the way the engine was ballanced w/ auto & manual.

 

I'm fairly sure there is. I just did the job to my 94. You have to get the flywheel matched balanced to the flex plate. (At least for the LT motors I’m not sure about the L98s). If there is weights on the flexplate when you take it out you better get the flywheel matched balanced. I know someone will speak up about the L98s, the LTs were balanced at the rear of the motor (via flexplate or flywheel) thus the need for match balancing. I paid about $200 and from what the guy at the shop said it was a GOOD investment because the two were considerable off!!

Here is a paste of another post where I describe my process:

I left the dana 36 in there for the time being (no racing ) It was not hard job at all…pretty much bolt in except for a few things.

The master cyl bolts and master cyl hole have to be drilled out (no big deal at all you can drill from the engine compartment side and you have plenty of room). Also, they are dimpled from the factory so you know exactly where you need to drill!! Also, you will have to cut a hole in the trans tunnel for the zf shifter and make a fiberglass patch panel. VERY easy to make.

I did the swap in a week but I also pulled the motor (completely unnecessary) and did a couple of other things and I really took my time.

The steering column need to be taken out and you need to rig the auto shift cable that runs to the column to stay in the unlocked position so you can take the key out. It’s the feature that only lets the key cyl go into the lock position when you have the shifter in park.

As for the wiring, your computer will have to be tuned for a standard or it will throw codes and the spedo won't work. I ran mine with the auto tuning for 6 weeks with no problems just the occasional check engine light. All wiring connections can be made at the auto shifter console. You have to jumper 2 pins together to make the computer think it is in park or neutral. Also, the reverse lights tap in to this harness.

As for money it cost me 2k plus the cost of the zf. You could do it cheaper… with a different clutch and I had to buy several tools (not special tools just some I needed) and seals for the engine and trans.

List of some (not all) items:

Flywheel (I used fidanaza but would recommend OEM dual mass) $375
Clutch Centerforce dual friction $550
Master cyl
Slave cyl
Castrol TWS 10W60 oil $30
Match balancing the new flywheel and pressure plate to the flexplate $200
I made my own interface to reprogram the computer $15 in parts
I used the free trial version of tunercats VERY GOOD PROGRAM

I bought this stuff from a vette salvage yard:
Bellhousing and clutch fork, shift ****, drive shaft from 6sp car (you only need the yolk unless you are upgrading to the D44), pedals (brake and clutch), Hydraulic line, all related shims (one on either side of the bellhosing), interior trim panel, dust shield for the bellhousing, all fasteners
$570

Plan on the dana 44 in the future. If I forgot anything please chime in. ninetyfivevette has a good website for the swap that he made. I think he has a link to it in his profile.

Good luck!
Jeff

 

i talked to the guy at EM about the dana 44 and he was saying that the stock dana that came with the automatic can hold around 450 hp. I work at a shop where i have access to just about any tools i need but the thing is i cant leave my car there for more than a few days. so the hard part is going to be getting this done in say....a weekend with little to no help. Another question is how tough can the 700r4 be made. I dont drag race so i dont need the hard shift kit associated with that but i drive it rather spirited and do not like when it keeps shifting into and out of overdrive...thats probably why it burned up.

 

The 88 and up 700r4 is a great basis for a performance build. If your car is older than this, I would recommend building an 88 and up unit as a base. Most 87's had the good parts too, but not the early ones.
Any trans builder worth his salt should be able to build a trans to hold up to 400 hp and 400 ft lbs of torque. I have written many posts about these transmissions, both here and on wwwc4guru.com.
Search my name and a ton of posts will come up.:flag

PS:
Alot of money is not needed to acheive this.

 

Call some of the junkyards. do a google search on corvette salvage. I got my 6-speed conversion for $2200 shipped and it came with everything that I needed. It had about 40K on it and worked great.

 

do you know where it came from right off? was it straight from a junkyard or from a company. all the ones i seem to be finding are from companies

 

Give CentralCoaster a call.
He's BTDT.

Larry
code5coupe

 

centralcoastal?

 

Another question is how tough can the 700r4 be made. I dont drag race so i dont need the hard shift kit

In the neighborhood of 600HP. This is a major rebuild of all internals. The actual shifting is no more stifly than stock although I am sure it can be made stiffer.