I am looking at buying an 84 Z28 with a 305/TH-350 combo. The tranny is shot and I was wondering if I should rebuild the TH-350, or get a different used tranny?

I was also wondering if it matters what tranny I put in it.
Would a 700r4 drop right in place of a TH-350, or any other automatic tranny for that matter?
Also, how much work would it take to convert it to a 5-speed?

And what would costs be to build up a th-350, or extra costs to put a 5 speed in?

 

The TH700R4 will drop right in, obviously because that was the only auto that came in these. (other than the first few which came with metric 200s)

Doing a manual swap isnt a huge deal but its not exactly a walk around the park. Your best bet here would be to find an old 3rd gen to rob all the components off of.

 

Any idea what parts you need besides the T-5 Manual transmissiong itself? How difficult and how pricey is it to come by a complete t-5 set up?

Also, do the splines matter? Are there different splines or what? This is for sure a weak part for me!!!

 

Well you are going to need.

Trans
bellhousing with the proper 17* canter
Shifter
clutch assy
flywheel
clutch pedal assy
Console piece for stick shift

and probably a lot of other things i have forgotten.


I believe the X-member from the auto can be used or modded for use on the manuals.


See what i mean your better off getting a wrecked manual car for doing a swap?

Check around the classifieds section, i have seen a few complete swap kits in there for around $1000 +-

 

So do the axle splines or whatever matter? Or what does all that mean?

 

This is another thing where a parts car would come in help. Your driveshaft will either need to be rebuilt or get a used one with the right length/spline yolk.

 

See, I am looking to spend as little money as possible to get this car running if i buy it (very tight budget).

So there is a possibility that I could get an auto tranny that doesnt go with my driveshaft?

So this could potentially get expensive to put a different tranny in?

How much would it cost to rebuild the th-350, and is that a decent tranny?

 

The th350s are quite a bit stronger than the 700R4 in stock form. the only thing that sucks about them is if you drive the highway alot. the th350 only has a 1:1 top gear versus the 700R4s OD .70 top gear.

If you want something that will plunk right in grab another th350 or rebuild the one thats in it. You can probably pick up a junkyard th350 for 1/4 the price of rebuuilding one but you may or may not get a decent trans.

 

How much would it cost to rebuild one?

Is it more expensive to rebuild a TH-350 or a 700r4?

 

350 is the cheapest

 

Any idea on how much it would cost to rebuild one?

Any prices on either?

How about prices on rebuilding a T-5?

 

It cost me about 50.00 to do a 350, but my friend owns a tranny shop. Retail on the 350 installed is about 700.00 and the 700 is about 1200.00. alot depends on what you want done to them. My 350s I have them put in an extra 1st gear clutch. and just a shift kit. I have never done a 700, to weak and to many horror stories with them. T5 i dont have a clue. but you should be able to get a good one that doesnt need to be rebuilt.

 

Here's one relatively low cost option:

Summit Racing SUM-700300

 

That link went to some AN wrenches for me.

 

Yeah the link is screwed up. See my edit above.

 

Are you saying to have a 350 rebuilt and installed by a shop it costs $700, or it costs $700 to rebuild it and install it on your own?

 

If your looking to do a joe blow rebuild its alot cheaper ($150 +-), if you want to build up the trans to handle more HP/TQ your probably looking at the $700 range.

 

Well, what would you recomend if I will be sticking with a stock 305 for a long time?

I just want to get this back on the road and be reliable, and go the cheapest route.

When I do have cash to waste, I will drop a 6 speed in and a new 350 and a new rear end, but that wont happen for probably another 5 to 6 years.

Suggestions on which rebuild?

Also, does it matter what is wrong with the tranny?

 

If you want cheap and reliable i would have to say stick with the th350 and rebuild it if your up to the task. The th350 should last a long time behind any 305, my junkyard th350C has been behind my 350 for about 10years and it has been driven hard and is still working perfect.

I wouldnt reccomend a junkyard trans if your looking for reliability unless they are willing to give you some sort of warranty on it, this would be the cheapest route though.

It does matter to an extent what is wrong with the trans, you may only need a basic rebuild kit or you may need to get more in depth on the rebuild. so if something decided to jump through the case and come up through the console dont bother rebuilding

 

It does depend on whats wrong with it. If there are what they call hard parts that are bad, Hard parts are parts that dont wear out normally like sprags ect. If that is a problem then it will cost more. wont know till you tear into it. 700.00 is for pulling out , rebuilding and installing, depends on where you live. Look around you might find a good used one also. I know enough people that i can always find a good used one. sometimes you can find someone selling that still has it in the car so you can drive it. Thats what i am doing with the 350 in my car that im selling.

 

Fair enough.
So basically you can’t determine the true problem with it until you get it apart?
I was hoping I could either rebuild it, or find a decent used one for around $300 total.
This would include getting it into my car. I would do it myself with the help of my friend and cousin.
Is $300 possible?

Also, what would worst case scenario price wise be for rebuilding if I do it myself?
Assuming nothing is shot through the tranny lol

 

You could be in the $400 +- range if your in need of some hard parts that arent included in just the basic rebuild kit.

check this kit out http://www.700r4l60e.com/store/custo...&cat=21&page=1

That should be pretty much anything you need to do the rebuild for $318

 

I have pulled them apart and there isnt anything to replace. could be a converter thats bad. you should replace the converter when you rebuild. they run around 100.00. the price to do it your self isnt much at all. but you should know what your doing, or have someone around that does. here is a rebuild kit on Ebay. has about everything you need.rebuild kit

 

Thanks guys, I will look into both of those.
If I have more questions I will post them.

Again, thanks alot!!!!!

 

No problem bud

If your not pressed for time pull the trans apart and make a list of what you need before you go and buy any kit, it could save you alot of money!

If your looking to do this as a weekend type job i would order the kit that i linked to above, that should pretty much CYA when your rebuilding it.

 

Well if I get this car, the tranny wouldnt be a weekend job, it would be as time permits, no rush.

So if I do get it, I will take it apart first and see what is wrong with it.

 

When I decided to swap to a TH350 I found a old school hot rodder local rebuilder that did rebuilds out of his garage, got a fresh TH350 w/ 0 miles for $275 w/ torque converter included. Add in the cost of the torque arm bracket and crossmember (trans was longtail so stock 700R4 driveshaft was reused), total cost was well under $500 doing the install in my garage. Since you dont need that conversion stuff, I think its very possible you could get a fresh built 0 mile replacement for under $300 then install it yourself to save $$.