Hey all i recently bought a 85 z28 with a 350 ci motor and it's a 5 speed. i am going to be rebuilding a 350 i have laying around. my goal is about 500 horses and i want to put in a th400 trans with all the goodies (maual valve body, reverse pattern, maybe a trans brake.) what is involed in swapping from manual to automatic?

thanks

 

Hey if anyone knows i wanna know too. I am having the same problem too. ihave a 83 firebird for my g/f and it has a 4-speed manual and i wanna convertit to a automatic so she can drive it. I tried to convice and tech her but no way no how. She just wants to put the carin gear and drive.

 

I dont know a whole lot about this, and am planning the opposite of this swap. I think you'll need an automatic pedal cluster - the whole thing, not just pedals, a new driveshaft..or cut your current one, and possibly new tranny mounts or crossmember. Why not just go for the 700R4 instead if youre gonna build it up like that? That way you have overdrive for those high speed highway cruises. Then you can sell me your manual tranny, since you wont need it anymore.
Matt

 

Sphoon makes a crossmember, as for the shifter... It would probably be easier and sweeeeeter to just buy a universal aftermarket ratcheting type deal and fit it into the console somehow. Weld/pop-rivet some steel over your tunnel hole. For the TH400 you need to find some way to mount an electric kickdown switch either on the peddles or on the throttle body. Probably need to change driveshaft length, but I believe the splines count is the same. The TC will bolt up no prob.