Okay, I don't know much about F bodies other than the fact that 3rd gens look cool and I have always lusted over an IROC Z28. I'm in the market for a fast car and its between the IROC that I've wanted since I was very young or a 97-99 Eclipse GSX. Obviously the IROC would save me some cash, but the problem is this: The 350 engine in the IROC was not offered with a manual transmission. I refuse to drive an auto and I also refuse to drive a 305. So, my question for you experts is this: How hard (and expensive) would it be to put a GOOD 5 or 6 speed manual tranny in the IROC? What transmission would I use? How much would the whole swap cost? Is it even possible? Is it worth it? Sorry if this is a stupid question, like I said I don't know jack about F bodies.

 

welcome aboard,

its entirely possible to put a T-5, the factory 5 speed in 3rd gen f-bodies, or a T-56, the six-speed offer in 93 and up V-8 f-bodies. the T-56 swap would cost more, but they are also a much stronger transmission. as for cost it all depends on which tranny you get, whether or not you do it yourself and money you will need for the assorted other things you need to complete the swap.

 

Okay, first let me say that if I do go the IROC route I am going to spray it with a 150 shot. Will the factory 5 speed T5 hold all that torque? Because I heard that the reason the 5 speed wasn't offered with the 350 was because it was kinda weak, ya know? And for that matter, will the 4th gen 6 spd be up to the job? And if so, do you think I could complete this entire swap, parts, labor, and all, for $3000? I can not swap transmissions myself, I have neither the tools or experience to do so. So this will all be done professionally by a reputable shop with F body experience.

 

as for the T-5, special World Class (T-5 WCs) units were available that were stronger. as for holding up to the 150 shot, i dont know...some people have had T-5 stand up to alot of power, some havent. as for the T-56, they are stronger and would more than likely be able to handle it, i think. i dont know much about T-56s. the other thing you need to consider is driveshaft length. know i believe the driveshaft for the T-5 is the same length as driveshaft for the 700r4 (please correct me if i am wrong fellas), the auto tranny in your 5.7L IROC. as for the length of the driveshaft for the T-56, i dont know.

cost wise, you might be able to do it for 3000, depending on which tranny you get and whether it is new or used nad how much the shop charges for labour. i think a saw a post on here recently where a fella bought a new T-56 and it was well over 2000 for the tranny alone.

 

me and a friend did the auto to t56 swap. not hard at all

do it, youll love it!!
mine is out of a 1996 trans am

you will probably have to regear in the rear afterwards, but most people plan on doing so anyways (i know i did)

~matt

 

3 grand will cover it, you can get a tremec tko kit from fortes parts connection delivered to your door for 2300 plus you will need a flywheel, clutch, master/slave cylinder, and bellhousing.

if i were you i would get a complete T56 and accessories from a junk yard. but then a gain if i were you i wouldn't consider the eclipse with out a gun to my head or rather i would be dead. you should just stay with the 700 until it blows its well matched to the 350 which is very torquey and doesn't need to rev to make power. Once you have the car if you still want the stick you can take your time shoparound and maybe do it yourself to save the cash

 

Why? I had a 97 Eclipse GS-T and I swear every girl I met wet her pants and drooled all over it when they saw it. It is a sexy looking machine. And they run 15 flat stock! Correct me if I'm wrong but I beleive I'll have to do some engine work/weight reduction to get an IROC to run a 15 flat. The only reason I sold my GS-T was because the front wheel drive really sucked for traction. So if I go the Eclipse or Talon route I will get the AWD model. But they're so damn expensive. On the other hand, it sounds like the IROC could get kind of expensive after I deal with all this driveshaft-shortening and tranny swap bullsh*t, ya know? I just can't make up my mind. I do like the way the V-8's sound, but I like the way the Eclipses look. I would like the respect you get from driving a bad-*** muscle car like the IROC, but i liked the attention from females when driving the Eclipse, too. I just don't know what to do.

 

correct me if im wrong, but i was always under the impression that a 350 auto as well as a 305 stick tpi would easily run mid to high 14's stock.

 

a 5.7 TPI car will run mid 14's stock, in fact there not that far from 13's. If you plan on "running" the car, i'm willing to bet that a V8 RWD platform like the IROC will be more durable and cheaper in the long run than any FWD/AWD import. You don't need a Stick in a 5.7 TPI car, i would dare to say it would be quicker with the auto for 95% of the people who drive them. You are right the eclipse is more expensive ( too expensive in my opinion) but it is a much newer car. I would save the cash and get the IROC if you want a fast car. If you just want to drive around and impress little bimbo's the eclipse is probably better (I don't think there's anything wrong with impressing bimbo's, and i think its a sad commentary on the youth of america, that they would be more impressed with an imported car that will be forgotten in a few years than with a muscle car that will be a classic in a few years). Me personally, i don't do things to impress people. I do what makes me happy, as far as cars go. I think the eclipse is an ugly uninspired bland piece of junk that is suited for nothing more than an ignorant kid who wants to "LOOK" the part but really knows nothing about cars and doesn't have the desire to really get into there ride. Before the inevitable backlash comes, i know there are some really fast imports, but in my opinion i don't care for them, they all look the same to me and will quickly fade away.
You have to decide what your priorities and needs are, this is just my opinion.

 

For what your going to spend on the Eclipse you could have an IROC in the low 13's to mid 12's and hold most of your value.

T-56 swap, $1800 in parts.
Supercharger instead of NOS, $1500(?)
Traction enhancements, $ (how much do you have?)
THe feeling from handing a $20,000 car his azz....

Absolutly priceless.

 

You won't have to shorten the drive shaft, it's the same length. If you go to a TH350 or 400, then you'll have to shorten it. I would go with the IROC. Even if you get a 305tpi/5spd, it's a 14 sec car with a good driver.

 

--almost wet his pants laughing due to the factor of his mostly stock 92 rs with a flippin tbi whoppin eclipses azz's every single day-- so you choose, you want a car that LOOKS fast, or a car that IS fast.....did i mention cheaper, easier to work on, dirt cheap aftermarket prices, and the look on the faces of people who have a souped up 4 banger getting their azz's waxed by a stock 305/350 .....its just pure orgasmic

 

Okay, it seems we have an Eclipse vs. Camaro war here, so first let me clear a few things up in defense of the Eclipse. Although Mitsubishi is a Japanese brand, the Eclipse and Talon were built in the Diamond Star Motors factory in Normal, Illinois, therefore neither of them are "imports." Also, I'm not buying a car simply to impress anyone, I want a project car to work on and take to the drag strip. I do not just want to "look the part" like those riceboy Honduh owners who think their wrong-wheel-drive-nitrous-sniffing-slammed Civics can run tens all day with a huge spoiler and a B16A or whatever they're calling their stupid torqueless engine swaps these days. Give credit where credit is due; the Eclipse GSX is a fast car in stock trim and can be made to run 12's very cheaply on the factory forged internals. Another thing that makes me lean toward the Eclipse is the fact that I have already owned one and I know how to work on them, how to maintain them, etc. With a Camaro I would basically have to learn about my machine from scratch all over again. I don't know which car I will buy yet. I am six feet tall and the Eclipse interior was always a little cramped for me. The IROC would save me thousands of dollars. But the Eclipse GSX would have an advantage at the drag strip because of its all-wheel-drive. Hmmph. Still undecided.

 

Two seemingly conflicting statements. Oh well, you want easy to work on, a small block chevy is dirt cheap. And the IROC is fast. But the turbo is easy to mod too, just you hit a cei9ling of max performance that is much lower than the IROC's. A high boost car may run 12's, but a blown 383 can easily be in the low end of 11's and be driveable.

 

spend a day at the dragstrip flogging an AWD car and tell me if its better than RWD. You will Frag the crappy stock drivetrain, wait until you have to fix that! Oh and what upgrades are available for a 12 second AWD Drivetrain? that 9 bolt is looking mighty good about now!

 

It's a whole lot easier to swap a 350 into a 305 stick car than it is to swap a stick into a 350 auto car. I'd look for a 350 5-speed IROC that needs motor work, and do the motor work to a 350 instead of the 305. The $$$ difference are negligible; to go from the "free" or at least "paid for" 305 to a ourchased junk 350, and rebuilding either one, the total cash difference will be less than 10%, and the power output difference will be close to 20%. Very favorable HP/$$$$ ratio.

 

i don't think so...

 

I agree, the much larger Chevy engine has more potential. I will be satisfied with low/mid twelves no matter which car I choose, though. That is why the Eclipse is still a contender. After all, most supercars costing upwards of $100,000 only run 12's. Acura's NSX would be lucky to run a low 13. I have also considered the fact that the AWD DSM's like to break trannies under repeated hard running. This is true. But if I decide to buy an Eclipse, I will deal with the reliability issues as they arise; you won't be able to say I didn't know what I was getting into when I bought the car.

 

There is a company called Road Race Engineering that makes beefed-up trannies for DSM's. There's also a company called Team Rip Engineering that makes upgraded transmission parts for the DSM's. But you are correct about them not being cheap.

 

By the way guys, I'm a big fan of lowered suspensions. I don't see many third gens lowered though. Does anyone make lowering springs for these cars? And if so, why do Camaro owners seldom lower their cars? Sorry to get off-topic, and thanks for all the help!

 

There's probably more than half a dozen decent lowering spring manufacturers. Eibach is the one that springs to mind (no pun intended).

Just a note for your comfort, since your 6' tall get a T-top 305/5 speed car and swap in a 350 or 383. It seems that taller people are more comfortable in T-top cars and on nice days you can remove the tops and sit up as tall as you like.

 

im 6'3 and had no problems when i didnt have t tops, but i slouch low as hell anyways.....i think everyone is prone to "pimp" a camaro lol

 

ROFL , well Im glad Im getting a t top car Im 6' 5".

 

my brother is 6'8" he bought his 84 new with T-tops, they help.

 

I hope your not saying that because I was laughing, I was laughing because he said he pimped the camaro. I know the t tops help.

 

lol c'mon, you all know you pimp your camaro too lmao