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5 Speeds!

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chevyorange

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I need info on 5 speeds!

Makes, manufacturers and any info pertaining to swapping into a 4 speed C3 car.

It will need to handle 400 ft/lbs. of torque, 350HP.

I would like to do it without hacking the interior (i.e. console) too much, if at all.

Thanks!

Adam
 
The Richmond 5-speed comes to mind, which is based on the old Doug Nash unit. If you have the coarse-spline clutch disc, you have to switch to the fine-spline disc. A M-22 rear tranny yoke can be reused if you have one, otherwise you'll have to make the change. A Hurst 4+1 shifter is supposed to be a no-mod fit. Depending on budget, if you have the welded in crossmember, either switch to an aftermarket removable unit or a Corvette automatic crossmember. I'll search the web and see if I can find a documented conversion.

--Bullitt
 
Thanks for the info!!

Bullitt,

thanks for the tips! I'm filing away all of this info. I want to have as few hurdles as possible before I tare into everything... I wanna be driving!

If you come up with anything, much appreciated!

Adam
 
TRANNY: Don't forget the factory transmission was not designed to handle 400 ft-lb of torque. The factory 4-speed in 1981 was rated at 300 ft-lb. A Richmond 5-speed will bolt right in without cutting the floorboard or changing the driveshaft. You will need a custom crossmember. They're rated at 450 ft-lb. The 3.28 first gear will give you great launches, while the 1:1 5th gear will leave you with good gas mileage, with your factory rearend gears. The 3.28 first gear combined with the factory 2.72 rearend is like a Muncie close-ratio with 4.05:1 rearend gears.

You'll need Acrobat Reader to view the first link properly. http://www.corvettefaq.com/redir.asp?site=370
http://www.corvettefaq.com/tranny.asp
http://www.ecklers.com/dept.asp?dept_id=1876
http://temp.corvetteforum.net/c3/gwhite75/
http://www.pro-touring.com/featured_cars/joni_kiurunen_69_corvette/joni_kiurunen_69_corvette.htm

Well, that's what I found. The information sounds fairly good, but maybe you want to conatct that guy from Finland.

--Bullitt
 
Thanks, man.... the point of my 5 speed desire is lower cruising RPM's and a little better mileage. Do you know if Richmond or Tremec or someone builds one with a 5th OD??
 
My fave and probably my choice is:

http://www.gearvendors.com/index.html

This is perfect for my application. Multiplies torque well, overdrive between all gears and makes 4th/over.

The unit bolts on to the tailshaft and the greatest thing is that it can be remove if/when you want to sell your rig and they have a trade in policy.

Not my final choice, but after going to the page, it is VERY interesting.....

Adam
 
Tremec vs. Richmond

One of the member's here by the name of Redmist has the Gear Vendor's unit. I'm sure he is willing to share his experience. Here's a link about Tremec's vs. Richmond's 5-speed: http://www.tremectransmissions.com/faq.html

Q: How does the Tremec TR-3550 5 speed compare to a Richmond 5 speed?
A: Following are some comparisons:

The Tremec is a true overdrive transmission, where the Richmond has lower 2nd, 3rd, and 4th gears. All Richmonds have a 1.00 5th gear ratio, which suggests that you need a higher (numerically smaller) rear-end gear to achieve better fuel economy. Conversely, the Tremec offers a 0.62 or 0.83 ratio 5th gear ratio. Both transmissions offer basically the same 1st gear ratio, but the Tremec has a much broader range of gears. The Tremec’s 5th gear ratio suggests that you have a lower (numerically higher) rear-end gear.

This link makes the comparison even further: http://www.tremectransmissions.com/5sp_comparison.html Just keep in mind that this is from a site that has interest in selling Tremecs. I guess it all depends on your specific needs.

--Bullitt

p.s. I fixed the link to the 6-speed swap.
 

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