Hi,

I have an '85 with a tempermental 4+3 transmission. It has started making an odd noise (goes away when the OD comes on) and it will pop out of third gear sometimes. It still works normally most of the time and as this is a daily driver that is a good thing. However, I am assuming that I will need to rebuild it or replace it soon. My question is whether I should rebuild it or replace it (with a five- or six- speed aftermarket)? I do not want to convert to an automatic as suggested by a local vette mechanic (never used him, most maintenance has been done by my husband and myself). Since this is a rather expensive maintenance item, I was hoping for some suggestions from some people who have had this same problem.

Thanks.

 

Hmm... usually they like to pop out of 2nd. That's odd to hear it's popping out of 3rd cause the 3-4 slider's usually the tough one :confused:
The most common replacements for the 4+3 (other than an auto, and I'm with you on not converting to auto ;)) are either the ZF6 or the Richmond 6-speed. Neither of these are a complete bolt-in replacement, though it seems that the Richmond conversion is the easier of the 2. They are both pretty pricey though. The Richmond kit costs $4,000 (yes, four-thousand dollars) from Ecklers...and then you have to put it in :eek: There are other good candidates, however the problem is that they do not have provisions to accept the C-beam that holds the tranny in place so you'd have a bit of fabricating and engineering to do :(

The most cost effective route would probably be to rebuild the 4+3. The rebuild kit for the 4-speed unit is <$300 and I'm unsure about the OD kit (though I'll be able to tell you pretty soon here :)). If you buy the kits to rebuild the 4+3, then be sure to know what the kits consist of. I remember one of the Eckler's "rebuild" kits was soft parts only :rolleyes:

Built correctly, the 4+3 is supposed to be a pretty tough unit. They used it in the Callaway TT cars, but those were '87 and '88 when the 4+3 had all the upgrades in design plus a little tougher building of the OD by Callaway...

Hope that helps. :seeya:

 

JEGS ( http://www.jegs.com/cgi-bin/ncommerc...741&prmenbr=76 ) has the 6 speed for our vettes listed at $3199.99. Not exactly cheap but better than four thousand.

 

the 4+3 is a neat tranny and kind of rare. It will be cheaper to rebuild and just keep up with the maintnance, like changing the ATF annually.

 

Yeah, but it looks like that is just the tranny and not the kit like Eckler's sells...

 

Rebuild.

 

Thanks for the input, rebuild wins. Hopefully when it is done, the OD will be less tempermental. Now to find a reputable place to do it (our shop lacks the specialty tools for transmission work, can do just about everything else though). I am in south Florida if anyone has a suggestion.

Thanks,
Miss Melba