Well, I have been looking for a good camaro for about 3 months now. In a perfect world it would be a 350 with a manaul transmition and T-tops. Not all that hard to find, untill you take into acount my budget. $500 OR LESS.

I dont mind doing some work. I dont care if the paint is falling off and there are some dings, I can fix that. I dont care if the radiator, the desitributor, and the rear differential, AND the tires all need replaced, thats find, but I want to be able to park it on my driveway till I can get to these fixes

I have found an 84 z28 with an automatic. I dont want an a automatic, I plan on racing this car and I dont think that racing an automatic takes much (if any) skill at all, in fact, you could train a chimp to push a peddel when a light turns green! (No offence to you automatic guys out there)

So, I know you can 'manual' an automatic, but I like the clutch. I like to be able to kick the clutch and break traction, stuff like that. Can a clutch be installed on an automatic trans?

My grandfather works at a transmition shop, so I can get trannys pretty cheap, would I be better off doing a conversion and steeling all the clutch linkage and everything else out of a car that was factory manual? Im 16, my time isnt worth much and Im decent with a wrench.

Should I keep looking and saving or do I jujmop on this offer while it is here?
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http://seattle.craigslist.org/kit/car/247100858.html

Thats the car

 

I'd move on. A push-button ignition usually is a big red flag for electrical hacking. NOT FUN!

I can appreciate your budget, but I'd try to find a car somebody hasn't "modified". Usually a moronic previous owner 'modifies' the car till it's worth more as scrap metal, and then tries to off it on someone as 'custom features' instead of the more truthful 'irrepairable damage'.

A clutched automatic??

Umm...theoretically, yeah. If the input shaft on the tranny and such would cooperate, I don't see why you couldn't.
Practical, especially with your current budget, is a big resounding no.

If you have access to an actual shop, buying a decent body with no motor sounds like an option. If you don't mind wrenching, like you say.

I bought a 305 w/T-5 manual. The 305 isn't as much a slouch as most here may tell you. Besides, then you could just swap the motor and be happy, instead of creating some frankenstein of a drivetrain.

If you want serious power, 350+ HP, you shouldn't rely on a stock-style T-5 trans anyway.

I hate to be your buzz-kill, but the following statement has no exception:

"Fast, reliable, cheap. Pick two."

You could replace 'reliable' with 'fun' to be more applicable, but I think the fun comes in the 'fast'.

 

Ya, I hear what your saying. I may have found a better option after all, but all the available cars around here are Automatics. Ickkkkk.

This is my second car, and my first is a 72 dastsun pickup. It puts out 80hp.

350 horsepower i think would result in one more dead 16 year old. lol.

"frankenstein of a drivetrain." I like that

 

Yeah the 350/5-speed combo is noted for being a bad idea, as the stock 5-speeds won't handle much of a 305, none-the-less a decent 350. Thats why a 350/5-speed was never factory. If driven decently and not beat to hard, they can last, but if beat on very much, it'll find its way out in pieces.

- As pizza_guy said, fast, reliable (fun), and cheap are the holy grail of performance cars. The three don't go/come together, except for 5-finger discount cars, which also come as short-term......

If you're set on a manual trans and decent power, you'll need some $ to keep it alive. I'm a stick fan through and thru, but there's a point where you have to do what makes sense.....or so they keep stelling me about this 2000hp outlaw car they say I can't run a Liberty in.....

 

thats really too bad.... oh well, my truck is a manual, i suppose i can handle an auto trans am/camaro

 

just for note:
Back in the early days of racing, there were guys running clutch T400's.
- The trick part is you have to spin the input shaft and the front pump, and the front pump needs to spin any time the motor is running to work properly. Not an easy task.....very close to impossible.

 

Well, if your only looking for cheap fun, the t-5/305 is the ticket. Find a rusty one for cheap that you won't feel so bad(or we won't anyway) tearing up on and having a good time.

A long term vehicle project should place priority on body condition and one that's not too 'modified'.

Powertrains are easy to replace. Rusted/damaged body pieces are not.