This week or next week im going to be pulling my 305 and putting in a 350 that i had rebuilt out of a corvette c3, i just was wondering how long my tranny would last before i would blow the tranny or need to rebuild it. Im already planning on rebuilding the tranny and clutch in the future but just wanted to see how long i could run my motor with the tranny how it is. It is a 700r4 manual tranny dont exactly know the shape of it but i dont think its that good of shape

 

700r4=automatic

 

Well then i dont know which tranny it would be

 

Well, is your transmission a 700-R4, or is it a manual? That'd be a great place to start.

Next, what kind of a car are we working on here?

 

Its an 86 firebird, manual transmission

 

Then it's a T-5. Not a 700-R4.

You can tear up a T-5 with a 6-cyl. You can also make one last A LONG TIME behind a 400. It's all in how you drive it. And of course, with a used one, how much it's already been wore out.

Look at the front of the trans. You'll see a round shiny part about 2" dia partially covered by a much larger round part. The smaller one is the front countergear bearing. Look carefully at the area below it.



The top trans in this pic is the same as yours. Observe the stain below that part. That stain is from fluid leaking out around that bearing. If yours is like that, it is already toast. That's why that trans was sitting on my JUNK shelf that day instead of driving around in a car.

Don't "rebuild" your transmission. Odds are very poor that you'll make ANY improvement in it, especially not in any way that actually addresses its likely failure modes. Just put it in and run it if it doesn't leak too bad from the place I just pointed out.

You don't "rebuild" clutches. You just replace em.

Don't forget to put a pilot bearing or bushing into the crank, and make sure you put the throwout bearing onto the fork correctly.

Here's a crank with a pilot bearing installed in it.



Here's how to (and NOT to) assemble the throwout to the fork.



Your existing flywheel won't work. You'll need a new one. Just get the one for a 83-85 Camaro/Firebird w V8 & T-5. Don't bother with a bunch of "will this one fit"; it won't, unless it's the flywheel for 83-85 Camaro/Firebird w V8 & T-5. You'll find there are 2: one is for the L69 and weighs about 16 lbs, and the other is for the grocery-cart LG4 and weighs about 22 lbs. You'll probably prefer the former.

Get a clutch for the same application. Except that, the same clutch fits all the way up to 92. Camaro/Firebird V8 w T-5, 83-92.

 

So id be better just buying a whole new tranny rather than rebuilding the one i got

 

Does your existing one leak?

 

Im not able to get underneath it right now, but im taking it to a buddy who owns a tranny shop. Hes gunna swap the motors and was gunna get him to rebuild my tranny

 

Don't "rebuild" the transmission. No benefit to it unless something is KNOWN TO BE messed up.

If it leaks, it's USELESS to try to rebuild it anyway, because the thing that gets destroyed that makes it leak - the case - isn't fixed by a "rebuild".

If it leaks, replace it. If it doesn't leak, leave it alone and re-use it, just make sure to keep it full of fluid.

Find out if it leaks, by LOOKING AT IT, before taking it ANYWHERE to ANYBODY for ANY REASON. That's the one single most important, in fact the ONLY important, thing you need to know. No excuses: just DO IT.