Jon87Z28

Hey Everyone,

I have an 87 Z28 305 A4. I am considering a swap to a T5. I saw on the Hawks website a refurbished T5 for $1200. I was wondering if anyone has a ball park figure for a professional install/swap or if you have had a mechanic/professional do the swap for you. How much would this typically cost?

Thanks.

Jon87Z28

I am going to print out the steps involved in converting the A4 to T5 to see how much a local transmission shop will charge.

I do have some external engine mods and when the engine gets rebuilt in the future I will focus on internals. Now I'm reading about the T56 and don't know what to do.

On the Hawks website, they have T5's for $1200...not sure how good of a deal this is, but considering a rebuild of my current A4 (certainly not dead yet, just slower shifting under the gun) it may be worth the swap money-wise.

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

I would not spend $1200 on a T-5. For that money, you can easily get a T-56.

I would also not have a transmission shop do that swap (or the T-56 swap either). That's a VERY BAD plan, because they don't know any more about what has to be done that you do, they don't know where to get parts, what fits and what doesn't, where to cut the floor for the shifter and the clutch master cyl, etc. etc. etc. Transmission shops work on AUTOMATIC transmissions, and in general (there may be exceptions but don't bet on it) don't touch manuals. They're no better equipped to deal with it than you are. Do it yourself. It's easy.

Jon87Z28

Thanks for the input.

A couple problems though. I'm certainly not mechanically inclined (enough) and probably don't have the tools or the time to do it on my own. What alternatives are there? Unless someone on here wants to go for hire haha. This is certainly a mod that I WANT done for sure.

I do know a shop that specializes in Camaro and Corvettes only. Maybe that's the place to go.

The option for me to do it is definitely NOT a choice for me at this time.

Street Lethal

iTrader: (16)

Have to agree with sofakingdom here, $1200.00 is way too much for a measly T-5 transmission that will probably break after a couple of hard launches. I've seen salvaged car's (entire car's, mind you) over here selling for about the same money (w/manual tranny, along with everything else you would need to swap over). If you feel the job is to big for you, why not reach out to some of our sponsors for installation help. Your not going to find the help that you need through your local transmission shop, it'll just sit there for weeks while they "try" to figure it out, when there's time for them to even look at it, of course....

We're doing the exact same thing as you though. The automatic transmission on my '91 Formula crapped out on us once the 454 was installed. Figured as much, but decided to go with a manual instead, as I plan on road racing this beast. If you decide to do the swap yourself, know that we'll be doing the very same thing within a matter of days too, and if you have any questions, just shoot us a PM....

-Rob

Jon87Z28

Hey Rob,

Thanks for the reply. Have you ever heard of camaroheaven(.com)? I checked there inventory and they have T5's available for $500 and with the other components needed for the swap.

Pilot Bushing (N)
Flywheel (S)
Clutch Disc (N)
Pressure Plate (N)
Release Bearing (N)
Bellhousing W/Release fork from an F-body (S)
Transmission from an F-body (S)
Either Hydraulic or manual release mechanism (S)
Clutch/Brake pedal assembly, entire assy, not just pedals (S)
Shifter (S)
Lower shift boot (S)
Upper console swap with upper shift boot (The console is cut for the shifter throw) (S)

I'm assuming all of these parts labeled with (S) I can purchase off of another car, but those marked with (N) should be 'new'?

You mentioned that one of this forum's sponsors may be able to assist with the installation. Do you know which in particular?

I appreciate the help. I'm sure I have alot to learn before I go ahead with this.

Thanks,
Jon

Street Lethal

iTrader: (16)

Jon, what area are you in.....?

Jon87Z28

Actually, I just realized how close you are...I'm in Hudson County.

88TPI406GTA

Just for fun...I checked out the Camaro Heaven site.

The catalog they have is from 2005...and they don't specify whether the trans is WC or non-WC...

Did you call them to see if they have a WC T-5 for $500?

Pat Hall

iTrader: (31)

Oh man. Before you get totally ripped by Hawks, Camaro Heaven, etc., just click on the classifieds section here on the site. There's about 3 or 4 WC-T5 swaps for sale as I type this, and all of them are a lot cheaper than $1200. Your best bet on finding someone to do it for you would probably be to go to a regular old repair shop, especially the "mom and pop" type ones. They're usually knowledgeable enough to do a tranny swap easily as long as you supply all the conversion parts. Usually any shop that claims they "specialize" in Corvettes, Camaros, etc. just charges you a ton more money to do the same work that the greasy, three-toothed guy at the mom and pop repair shop can do. Not trying to rip on you, just giving you some real world advice. I also agree that taking it to a "transmission" shop would probably be an even bigger mistake than the specialty shop. I had a muncie 4-speed rebuilt by Aamco when I was 16 years old and extremely naiive. I think it lasted about a week. Sofa's right, they know NOTHING about manual transmissions. I can rebuild one myself these days damn near blindfolded. I also used to work at one of those mom and pop garages. I had a guy bring in a vehicle missing the tranny. The tranny, clutch, bellhousing, linkage, misc. bolts, etc., was all thrown in a box. Wasn't really that hard to put it all back together. Just like a big jigsaw puzzle. I guess my point is that any competent garage mechanic should be able to help you out on swapping the manual in.

Jon87Z28

Thanks for the good advice.

Just to clarify, the transmission garage that I was mentioning wasn't an Aamco or any 'chain' garage. It's a local shop in town that only deals with transmissions. A friend of mine got 2 700R4's rebuild there and swears by the place, but I don't know anything about them in regards to a manual rebuild or a swap.

I guess if I find a WC T-5 on here I can purchase a rebuilt kit and have it installed. My budget is certainly a concern too. I'm going to have to price everything from a used T-5, all parts needed, rebuild kit, price of being rebuilt, price of swap = ? I'll have to stop at that trans shop at least to get a figure to play around with.

redliterunner

First thing you should do is GET mechanically inclined, and start scrounging parts. It ain't rocket science. Anybody can do it, just get some basic tools and ask lots of questions on Thirdgen. These guys can help with ANYTHING.

Pat Hall

iTrader: (31)

I'm pretty sure every WC-T5 that's listed in the classifeds right now are all in working condition. I wouldn't even worry about rebuilding it until something actually goes bad on whatever one you get. With an auto trans, it's a good idea to have them rebuilt sometimes just to freshen everything up, but that's not the case with a manual trans. In other words, why fix something that ain't broke? As far as rounding up all the parts, a couple of the ones listed include all the stuff needed to swap. You definitely ought to try and get as complete of a swap as you can. If you only get a trans, you waste a lot of time trying to get all the other stuff, not to mention it nickel and dimes you to death that way. I've put together a couple of T5 swaps piece by piece, and I would've saved money both times if I had just bought everything from one person. Sounds like the trans shop you were talking about probably has a good chance of actually knowing what to do with a manual setup. We were just making sure to warn you away from the franchised automatic places. Most of those shops can't even do a decent job on the autos, let alone a manual. The one area you'll want to consider paying good money on something new is the clutch. I'd recommend either a Ram Powergrip or a Centerforce Dual Friction unit. If you get a used flywheel, make sure to have it resurfaced so you have a nice, clean surface for the new clutch to wear into. If your new clutch doesn't include a pilot bushing, make sure to get one of those too. Since you have an auto right now, you'll need to drive a pilot bushing or bearing into the back of the crankshaft anyways. I recommend getting the bearing instead of the bushing. They have less friction and usually work better than the solid bushings do.