Hey guys..

I've been talking to a few people because i don't know what i will do with the car after the T5 dumps... which could be before the end of summer. Anyway, a few people suggested going with the T10 4-speed tranny from the '82 ('83?) cars because it is substantially stronger than the T5 i have now.

Does anyone else think this is a good idea? I don't mind losing 5th gear for some extra strength too much, since most of the driving is in town anyway. At the moment, i have a pretty mild 350 (~200hp) but will be much more by the end of the summer with the new set of headers and stuff that will be going on during the summer.

Anyway... does anyone else think this is a good idea? Any problems i should know about, like shifter linkage, clutch linkage (i dont have the hydraulic clutch), torque arm mount, etc etc...

Thoughts and suggestions welcome

 

Anyone?

 

I might be intrested in this swap also, but the thought of a 406 with 3.73's and no overdrive...

 

I see we are in the same boat... but you hav 51ci more, so you may need OD more than me, lol

Please, anyone?

 

Well, most of the 60s muscle cars came with that exact combo. I've had a handful of 69 Chevelle SS396s that came that way, some with 4-speeds and 3.73s, and some with Turbo 400s and 3.73s.... I've also had a bunch of Z28s, again, some with 4-speeds and 3.73s, and some with Turbo 350s and 3.73s. I even had one Z28 with a 4-speed and 4.10s. Took quite a few long highway trips in that one in fact.

It used to be pretty common to set a car up like that. I guess people's opinions of such things change, even when the underlying facts remain the same. What was acceptable then - and was even considered inadequate for "real" performance use - is considered too radical now.

And yeah, gasoline was like 30¢ a gallon; but minimum wage was $1.60, and you could buy a 3-bedroom house for about $25,000, and a brand-new car like one of those Chevelles cost about $4000 too. So the price of gas, in comparison to the price of everything else, was not too much different from what it is today.

 

I wouldn't mind it if I only made short trips around town, but I travel almost 60 miles a day mostly highway between school and work. I might have to do it temporarily until I save up for a T56 though, I'm not sure how long my T5 will last (not long for sure, and I don't want to have to replace one just to blow another one up a month later). Does anyone know where I can find them and how much they usually run?

 

The ones you want are found in 94-97 Z28s and Trans Ams. The LS1 version is differnet enugh to be a hassle, and the 93 has different gears.

I would assume that the best place to find one of those cars with its trans available, would be a junkyard.... I don't believe I'd look in mall parking lots for example.

 

Where could I find a T10 and about how much will it be? I don't have the money to do a T56 swap right now so I might go with a T10 temporarily if I can find one cheap enough.

 

I know some of the '82 V8 cars had the T10 4-speed... and from what RB says, they sounds pretty strong...

How do I identify a T10 from the other junk-box 4 speed that the rest of the cars had? And is it a direct swap for the T5 i have now?

 

I was blessed with a T-10, instead of a saginaw in my 82 Z28, not that the saginaw is that bad of a tranny. The swap....... your gonna need a bunch of crap from the doner car, and to be honest, im not sure if your hydralic clutch will work, it might(i don't know because, i have a mechanical clutch) its a great tranny though, i kinda wish i had overdrive at times, but i don't do too much highway driving so its alright. Also keep in mind that 4-speeds don't have the same kinda of shifter as a 5-6-speed's do. They have a shifter that uses 3 rods to connect to the side of the tranny, shift linkage.(for those VW fans, its kinda like a bug) and the stock setup blows, so you might want to look into a hurst setup. either way, take all that crap off the doner car, along with the bellhousing.

to be 100% honest with you, IMO i would definatly just put a t-56 in, in the first place, don't waste your time and effort on the T-10, its a great tranny, but its hard to compete with the t-56, i think it can handle more power, + it has hardcore overdrive.... so

just my thoughts

 

My 82 T/A has a T-10. Easiest way to verify is the shift pattern. Reverse is UP-LEFT where in a Saginaw is apparently DOWN-RIGHT.

T-10's also have a 9 bolt side cover that looks like the letter "D" facing downwards.

Hydraulic clutches didn't appear until 1984, so you might need to get the manual clutch from the 82 as well.

 

My '83 has the mechanical linkage, not hydraulic.

So I would need a new shifter and bellhousing to use the T10 right?

 

The 93 box is a good solid trans, however the G92 version has the same 1st ratio as a T5, and the same ratio 6th as 5th in a V8 T5. There are 1993s with a 3.x first gear, but those are weaker.


Read the new Hot Rod; article on McLeod bellhousing.

 

The T-10 will need a longer driveshaft by about 2.92" and I have no idea on the crossmember. The super T-10 in the 82 might have the larger TH400 style output shaft, so you may need to change slipyokes as well.

The bellhousing you could use to install it with mechanical linkage be a Lakewood 15015. Their fork isn't too pricey; used that too.

If you were going hydraulic (which I prefer...) The 88 Vette bellhousing is hydraulics equipped but I don't know how well that clears the floorboards in a third gen. Also, a Lakewood 15020 would work.

You have email.

Matthew