Auto to 6-speed?

[Last Ride]

Okay, I am sure this has been discussed ad nausium before, but I was wondering if anyone would be able to give me some pointers on going from an automatic to a 6-speed in a '78. I currently have a 4L60E, and it seems like it will be pretty pricey to get it to handle the kind of power I am dreaming of. If I am going to dump that kind of money into a tranny, I might as well get a 6-speed and do my own shifting! Any pointers? What tranny should I go with? I have heard good things about the T-56 and the Richmond ROD. Any suggestions or comments are welcomed!

 

[M&W's72vette]

Auto to 6-speed

I have been doing a little checking into the same thing for my 72.
In the May edition of Hot Rod there is an article about swapping a Richmond or a T-56 into Early muscle cars. McLeod (the clutch people) are making a modular bellhousing setup to put these transmissions behind chevys, mopars, or fords with either hydraulic or manual clutch. There was also an article in the June Chevy High Performance about a T-56 trans swap. According to that article the viper T-56 trans is the one to use for high horsepower applications and the company that deals in them is D&D performance. The sources in the article are as follows:

www.ddperformance.com
www.anaheimgear.com
www.sallee-chevrolet.com
www.tunedport.com
www.yearone.com

 

[bossvette]

another option you might consider is a Tremec TKO from http://www.fortesparts.com/index.html
The only downside is the shifter location. I have had one in my 76 for 3 years and love it. I had to fabricate a shift plate and modify the trans mount and drive shaft, but other then that it fits fine and is $1000 cheaper then the ROD. the gear splits are great and 2000 rpm is 70+ mph in 5th

 

[Stallion]

You know, I have the '78 with a 4 spd in her, and I wanted to get another Vette (not so nice, and a lot cheaper....a daily driver...the '78 is a show car and I would like to gradually customize a Vette, but not to my #s matching '78 ) and most of the ones you see are autos. So I was thinking, I could pick up an auto and maybe throw a 4 spd or 6 spd in it.

Would this be a good idea?

TR

 

[Last Ride]

You know, I have the '78 with a 4 spd in her, and I wanted to get another Vette (not so nice, and a lot cheaper....a daily driver...the '78 is a show car and I would like to gradually customize a Vette, but not to my #s matching '78 ) and most of the ones you see are autos. So I was thinking, I could pick up an auto and maybe throw a 4 spd or 6 spd in it.

Would this be a good idea?

TR

I think you will have to define "good idea". I can tell you that it's fun modifying a Vette, even a 1978 Silver Anniversary, but it is by no means an investment. Plus, if you are planning a Vette for a daily driver, a modified car might not be the best choice. It takes money, patience, and time to do a custom job right. A lot of times, it's trial and error for finding solutions, so a daily driver like this might be more trouble than it's worth. But hey, anything can be achieved for the right amount of money! Good luck.

 

[billyvette]

manual conversion

there is a company in knoxville, tenn (i think) that does a 5 speed conversion kit for 68 thru 82 cars. they have the entire kit, but you still need to locate a clutch pedal and assembly. They will even do the conversion if you take your car to them. THe kit is about 3000 dollars. Shifter goes in your stock location, car looks like an original 4 spd car when finished.

 

[billyvette]

website

check out www.keislerauto.com for info on their 5 speed conversion