How difficult would it be to put a late mofel ZF in my 84'?


Anyone done it ?

 

Corvette Fever did something along those lines - here's a local (coff "pirate" coff) copy of the article, courtesy of Larry Parylla -
http://temp.corvetteforum.net/c4/fro...rvette_one.jpg
http://temp.corvetteforum.net/c4/fro...rvette_two.jpg
http://temp.corvetteforum.net/c4/fro...ette_three.jpg
http://temp.corvetteforum.net/c4/fro...vette_four.jpg

 

I have the zf-3 in my 85 race car and also in my 86 street car. your first problem will be that the crankshaft in the 85 and earlier 350's (2pc main seal) is different and will not bolt up to the flywheel of the ZF if you are using the GM dual mass flywheel that comes with it. You can use a modified 4+3 flywheel that is advertised in several of the major corvette catalogs, but the down side is that with the clutch out and the engine idling there will be a clattering sound. Not too loud, but it can be annoying. I have this setup in the race car, but went for the dual mass flywheel in the street car. You will need several other parts from the donor car besides the tranny including the driveshaft, clutch pedal, slave cylinder, starter, and starter cable. You will need to cut out a hole in the tunnel where your 4+3 gearshift bolts into the body to make room for the ZF's gearshift which is bolted directly to the tranny. You will also need to glass the side of the tunnel because you will be required to cut out a larger hole than you need. Exotic muscle in Tempe, AZ has a premade fiberglass piece that worked nicely on mine. The dash and instrument cluster must come out to change out the clutch pedal. Also, make sure to remove the relays associated with the overdrive on the 4+3 on the pass side of engine compartment near ac blower and take the OD bulb out of the information center dash panel. This transformation is a lot of work, but I LOVE the ZF tranny! You may want to explore other options too, I know Richmond makes a 6-speed replacement tranny for early C4's which may be less work. Good luck.

 

Oh, one more thing: you will need to notch your center console trim plate so the ZF will be able to swing into reverse. I was able to find a '89 manual trans shifter plate in good condition (89 being the only year that the ZF was offered with the early style C4 interior) but now I understand they are like finding the holy grail as far as C4 parts go. I don't know how pretty it would look to notch the trimplate, maybe someone else can shed some light on that.


[Modified by vetracer, 11:12 PM 8/7/2002]


[Modified by vetracer, 11:14 PM 8/7/2002]


[Modified by vetracer, 11:15 PM 8/7/2002]