Hey guys im new to this site and would like some opinions in this 1986 z28 of mine. It has a automatic 305 in it and i was wondering what else i could put in it such as maybe a 350 manual tranny. How much do you think it would cost to do a auto to manual tranny conversion? Im new at basically everything when it comes to engines and cars, I can always ask my Dad who lives 3 hours away to help me drop a motor in, hes the only one with a cherrypicker i know haha.

Thanks for you time, Zach.

 

It takes a lot more work to go from automatic to a manual then manual to automatic.

When you say 350 manual tranny are you meaning you want to swap to a 350 and a manual transmission?

If you are wanting to swap to a 350, then that opens a new can of worms. The T5 transmission that came in 3rd gen camaros is weak. They didnt even put them behind the 350 from the factory.

What are you doing with the car? Why do you want to swap?

Answer some of these questions and that will get the ball rolling.

Also go check out www.thirdgen.org Huge site for just the 82-92 Camaros/Firebirds.

 

I've done the whole deal; I converted my 1984 Trans Am from a 305 automatic to a custom port fuel injected, TPIS minirammed, T56 6-speed equipped car including a custom rear suspension and a 12-bolt moser axle.

I won't, however, begin to be able to tell you in one simple message "how to do it", since the whole project started in 1999 and I didn't get it done until 2007. I did it in stages.

So, let me try and boil it down for you with bullet statements

1) Conversion from an automatic to manual will cost you about $2200, assuming you do it on the cheap with a used T56 from an LT1 application. You'll need, first of all, pedals from a manual transmission car. I used my original accelerator with brake/clutch pedals from a 1994. You will have to cut the proper hole in the firewall for the clutch slave cylinder, which pokes through, and then you'll need a mounting bracket up by the vacuum resovoir to hold the slave cylinder resovoir. You'll also need a modified 5-speed bezel for your center console. You'll need to cut the hole in the transmission tunnel. You'll have to figure out the electronics which are necessary to convert the tail shaft speed signal into a signal that's compatable with the electronic speedometer, which you will find and purchase from a later model Camaro. You'll need a custom crossmember, like the ones sold by Andris Skulte at Skulte Performance products. You'll need a custom flywheel and a Mcleod extended pilot shaft bushing. The flywheel you buy will depend on what engine you get.

That's the cliff's notes version.

 

It can be done, but if it were me, I think I would sell the auto car and go buy a manual one. It would be cheaper and no work involved. If you read the post above it sounds like a lot of work and time.

 

Don't get me wrong, the T56 conversion is quite doable, with sawzall, metal hole saw, and hand tools. In fact, it's been done hundreds of times by members of thirdgen.org ! The T56 6-speed conversion is great for fuel mileage, and even with my thirsty minirammed 385, I can still knock 23 MPG with 3.73 gearing on the way to the track where I can make 114 MPH quarter-mile passes. (I get 0.75 MPG on the drag strip and 6 MPG on the road course)

Some guys I know are getting 32 MPG out of their TPI Camaros with a T56.

The hardest part is getting the electronics figured out, but even that is probably covered by someone somewhere these days. I have a Dakota Digital SGI-5 decoder in conjunction with a VSS module from a 1987 Firebird that converts my speedometer signals, and I used a 1989 speedometer cluster. It all worked fine, once I relocated 19 wires within the dash and spliced a couple.

It's doable, so long as you get your plan together. You can even put in the transmission with a stock LT1 flywheel & clutch to save money, if you choose to install a 1986 or newer 350 engine with one piece rear main seal. That'll save you quite a bit of change.

Me, I have a 1969 engine block: It's a "388" high-nickel 4-bolt main block from a '69 Chevy Nova SS 4-speed car. Because it's all internally balanced, and a two-piece rear main application, and I wanted a lightweight "road race" flywheel, I got me an aluminum Fidanza flywheel and a Spec stage 3 clutch. That's probably why my transmission retrofit cost so much.

If you can find a junked 6-speed 4-th gen car and grab the goodies, you can probably do the swap for much cheaper, with tall jack stands, hand tools, and the saws I mentioned earlier.