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Hello, I just bought a 1987 firebird, 305 5 speed, tranny is cooked, got hot enough to melt the ends of the input and output shafts, and would like to find parts cheap, it's been 20 years since i have been in a man. trans, if too expensive, i will need a used unit,......any help?,or idea's ........thnx,.....Paul
I'll count up the splines tomorrow and let you know.
I bought the thing off ebay, it had lots of end play on the input shaft, so I took it apart and inspected it and it appears that someone rebuilt it but put it back together without the proper shims to set the bearing clearances. I could find no evidence of wear in it whatsoever on the synchros and it was clean inside. It looks like it had been rebuilt and never installed. I bought the shim pack and some speedo gears and never put it back together. It's a world class transmission, has the tapered roller bearings instead of bushings. You sound like you've had transmissions apart before, so you already have more experience than I do. But these are pretty simple, I found a manual for assembly on the net and managed to figure out how everything works. I do lots of things on machines and cars, but never been inside too many transmissions.
If it's got the right spline count, I'll slap it back together and let you have it for a very reasonable deal. When you get it, it's pretty simple to split it and look inside, no special tools or anything. But it looks like new bearings and synchros to me. It seals up with RTV, so I'll put it together without sealant if you want to inspect it yourself before you put it in a car.
If all that's too scary, let me know.
I bought a nice 01 SS Camaro, now the old one is sitting there with a 300HP crate motor and a blown auto trans, and I have most of the parts to convert it to manual sitting in a box. I work so much I just lost interest in the whole project.
I'll get back to you tomorrow on the spline count.
I was hoping to get up north for a four day weekend on the fourth ..... But arrangements can be made one way or another, it would save a bunch of money to not have to ship the darn thing.
I just re-read your post, how'd you like a nice new motor and a spare car to go with it? LOL Otherwise maybe I'll put that motor in my old suburban.
What part of up north are you talking about? I am going to be heading to harrison, MI, For a week or two havn't made up my mind yet, wallet will most likely dictate, it's been 20+ years since i've been in a man. trans....just hoping i can get on that bike again,.....i'll most likely be coming up hwy 27, i grew up in mich, can't wait to get back,.as far as the engine goes i would love to have it, but cash flow and the car i'll be in, i'll be lucky to get the trans in the trunk (2005 GTO) it may have to be disassembled just to get it home.....Paul
I go right past Harrison to 55, then across to Lake City where my place is. I never saw inside a new GTO, so I don't know if it'll fit in the trunk or not. It's not really very big, though. I know it would drop into the trunk of a Camaro.
And like I said, the tranny is VERY simple. I design and build machines, and after looking inside the tranny I was wondering how they make it live with decent power going through it, LOL.
Still haven't been to the plant yet, that's where I have the thing. I'll post back when I get home from work.
So your standard replacement clutch disk oughta work.
And it IS a camaro housing.
I'll tell you what; the thing is apart, it's been sitting awhile, there are a few of the needle rollers from the input shaft scattered somewhere -- and I don't have time to work on it.
(I left it on a bench in my area at work while waiting for the shims I ordered, came back and discovered someone fiddled with it, pulled the input shaft, and scattered the needles. F'en idiots.)
I paid waaaaay to much for the thing off ebay; lesson learned.
Come pick it up, give me $50, I'll give you the thing including the shim pack I bought for it. You can then assemble it, or have it redone, or use it for parts. It is a world class, and if yours is stock '87, it probably isn't. That means they have different part numbers inside. At least you'll have a core that can be worked with for next to nothing. The world class is a much better (and pretty darned expensive) transmission.
Here's what I think it needs: flush it, buy new needle rollers for the input shaft, install input shaft using shim packs to set bearing preload for .001 end play, reassemble, seal it up with gook, install it, and put fluid in it.
I offer it for $50 because the next time I buy a transmission off ebay, that's the MOST I'll give for it, LOL. And because I always got straight deals buying stuff off this site.
Last edited by NinerSevenTango; 06-10-2006 at 01:30 PM.
Well that sounds like a wonderful deal, and i'd like to take you up on it, hopefully between the two tranny's i can come up with one goodone,......how about your name and number, when i head that way i'll give you a call,...where will i be heading to pick up the tranny? Warren or up north,.... thank you very much,....paul
thank you very much,....paul 
