Okay guys, don't flame me too bad for this.

I really want to get the damn 700R4 out from behind my V6, especially since the torque convertor won't stay locked. I have a lead on a T5 that's currently in a wrecked 85 Camaro in my local F-Body junkyard.
Now, as I understand it, I will have to swap the VSS in the T5 for mine since the 87 has an electronic speedometer and the 85 does not. However, since the final gear ratios are different, do I need to swap the VSS gears over also?
Second, am I better off using a mechanical or hydraulic clutch assembly?
Third, does anyone have a template or something of where the hole in the driveshaft tunnel the shifter hole is located? I have to have the guy who runs the yard pull the trans for me since the car has to be moved and raised up to get the trans out, and I'm sure he won't tell me where the shifter hole is.

 

For the speedo swap everything. Take the drive gear off the shaft, and use the sender from the 700R4, gear and all. It should all bolt right in. I think you have to change the PROM to compensate for the different rear gears.

Hydraulic is certainly easier. The T5 car will have a hydraulic linkage. I'd just use that setup as long as it's good.

Bolt the trans up with the shifter base only. Then punch some test holes in the tunnel around the shifter to see how big and exactly where to cut the hole. That's what I did with my 700R4 to T56 swap. A jigsaw works great for cutting the hole.

 

I hope that the 85 donor car was a V6 because I'm sure the bellhousing on a V8 won't fit your V6, also I think the thirdgen V6's use a different input shaft from the V8's. I'm not certain that the VSS will swap over either. the VSS on my T5 and 700R4 are completely different including the size of the gear. I can't say this for sure in every situation, but I know it was the case in mine. Good luck. Oh, BTW the V6 trannies also had different gear ratios than V8's the first was like 4.0X as compared to like 2.9X.

 

Yeah, the V6 T5s all use a different input shaft with 14 splines as compared to 26 in a V8. This is the same regardless of wether it's a WC or NWC trans.

Bellhousings are different, but the trans case is the same on 3rd gen T5s between V6 and V8 cars. I'd never recommend it, but guys are runing NWC V6 T5s behind V8s. They have a special clutch disk made and use a V8 bellhousing, pressure plate, and flywheel.

4th gen V6s use WC T5s but the case is totally different and won't bolt to 3rd gen V6 bellhousings or V8 bellhousings.

The gear ratios are the different between V8 and V6 and WC and NWC, but with the V6 you'd want V6 ratios for extra grunt.

I must have missed that you were trying to use the 700R4 VSS stuff in the T5. It won't work. The parts are different. You can use T5 VSS parts to convert a mechanical drive T5 to a VSS, and vice versa, but not from an auto to a manual.

 

I'm pretty sure it's a carbed V6. If it turns out it isn't (the car was in a front end wreck and the engine is rather difficult to see), then there is a 4 cyl Camaro I can take the trans from.

Just hold on one second. In the tech article on the swap, there is no mention of swapping the VSS over from the auto trans to the stick trans, nor the gears. Do I need to spend the extra cash on a VSS because I DON'T have the mechanical speedo?

 

If your car has an electronic speedo you need to run a VSS. If your car is fuel injected you need to run a VSS. If you want your cruise control to work, you need to run a VSS. Actually, even mechanical speedo cars have a VSS. It's built into the speedometer. It sends infor to the cruise module and the ECM. Without a VSS signal the engien will run poorly. I must confess that I know this from experience. This was one area where the majority of the websites didn't have any information. I learned about this the hard way when I did my T56 swap.

 

Okay. The way I understand this is:

I either need to pick up a later model V6 T5 from a Camaro, a trans mounted VSS from the like, or I need to pick up a T5 from a Firebird since I have the later model speedo W/O the speedo cable.

Is this correct?

 

Okay, I know this isn't exactly on topic, but I thought I should post this here due to the fact that if I can't get going again, I'm swapping in the T5 to save some headache.

Just for ***** and giggles, I decided to change the ATF and filter in the 700R4, to see if that might help matters a little. While poking around in there, I noticed that the 4th gear switch connector was loose, so I tightened it on the post. Now, I put the pan back on and put a gallon of ATF down the dip tube. I drove a few miles and barely made it home due to the fact that the trans started to not shift out of 2nd gear. I put another 2 quarts of ATF in (4 pints) and drove back out of the driveway, only to find that I can no longer shift out of 1st. I will check the ATF fluid level in the morning, but in the meantime, is there any other possible causes for this that anyone can mention? I am not running a stock style filter--this filter is supposedly a newer style part with the fluid intake on the bottom instead of the top, a different filter element (not paper but felt of sorts), and a bit bigger to boot. Should I try switching to a stock filter? The part number is ATC FK171 if anyone needs to know...

 

Situation 1: Yes, get a T5 from a Firebird or from a later model Camaro that has an electronic speedo. Alternately you can get the VSS and gear and swap it in to an earlier model box. Just keep in mind that you need a T5 from a 3rd gen.

Situation 2: Sounds like the trans is blown. As long as the filter works you shouldn't have a problem. Changing the fluid by dropping the pan probably only drains a gallon and a half or so. Dry a 700R4 will take nearly 3 gallons of fluid, but you can't drain the converter, or the cooler and lines, plus the internals of the trans hide a lot. If you put back 6-7 quarts you probably filled it. Is it reading in the right spot of the dipstick (keep in mind that the engine has to be running when you check it so the pump is spinning)?

 

Okay. That's what I figured, the whole VSS thing.

Second, I figure that I overfilled the trans. I let a lot of fluid out, and now it works, except that I'm back to square one in terms of the whole TCC locking crap. I'll have to get a hold of an oil pressure gauge and take a pressure reading.