Hey, I own a 89 305 auto IROC, just got it on the first of feb, and already have problems, bought it off a first owner, the body is in great condition and the interior is basically new, so im really not wanting to have to let this thing go.

Alright, so got back from Vancouver Tranmission.
I found out my flywheel or ringgear or w/e is screwed, has a **** load of teeth missing around it. i also have a leak coming from the trans pump seal or w/e that seal is right by the flywheel.
i was quoted to get the seal and the gear fixed, looking at $800-$900...
I wanted to swap in a 5spd when i had the money, but i think i should do it now. look at it this way. my tranny has 220 000 on it, so if i pay all this now for it to get fixed, thats 900 bucks. then whenever my tranny goes. im goin to be paying a good chunk of money for a replacement + labour AGAIN.

im thinking. i should just do the swap now, that way i dont pay soo much god dam labour two times, i just pay once, and ill have a new strong tranny and a 5spd... but to do that, ill have to take a loan out, i already owe my parents 1100 from the camaro, and soon to be another 900 if i have to get this done..

but if i get a 5spd in, i want to make sure its goin to be done right. i dont want to get a swap, and then find out in 1,2,3 years that its falling apart. Can a swap be done as if it was ALWAYS a 5spd? will it fit.

What would u guys do? help me out cause im stuck on what to do, pay 800 labour now, and then another **** load when my tranny starts to go in a year or so. its high kms remember, so who knows when its goin to go. ive had bad luck with vehicles, i just wanna make sure if i do this, it will fit in perfectly and nothing will go wrong. if im getting a new tranny, clutch, and all the works, i shouldnt have a problems for a few years or so.

help me out, and give me your opinion guys. id appreciate it, thanks.
what would u guys do? pay for the repair, and pay again when the tranny needs replaced. or save the labour and do it all now. and swap it for a 5spd.. OR should i just forget the 5spd idea, and when the tranny needs replaced, just keep the car auto

 

Unfortunately, there's really no direct answer to your question. It's no problem to put a 5 speed in the car in such a way that it looks like it's always been in there. It's a pretty simple swap to do, and the parts are pretty easy to round up as well. I also think they're a lot more fun to drive with a manual. The main problem with that whole idea is the fact that you're looking for reliability, and with the stock 5 speed trans, that depends hugely on how you drive it. If you can drive it without hammering on it constantly, it should be fine, especially since you only have the 305 motor. Power shifting or high rpm clutch drops will kill one in short order, but driving it normally, they hold up fairly well. If you wanted a bulletproof 5 speed, you'd have to go with a Tremec TKO trans. They'll take anything your motor can throw at it, and it's quite easy to swap in, but it'll run you about $2000 just for the trans. Since you have an auto right now, you'd also have to round up a clutch, flywheel, bellhousing, pedals, hydraulic assembly, and if you choose the TKO, the special crossmember required for the swap. So you'd be looking at $2500-$3000 to put the TKO in, not including labor if you have a shop do it. If you decided to go with a stock T5 trans, you can usually get a complete swapover with all the parts for about $500-$800, plus labor if you can't manage the swap yourself. Putting a rebuilt 700r4 in would actually be your cheapest option in all honesty, but a manual is so much more fun! If you go with the auto, just make sure to choose your tranny rebuilder wisely. There's more guys out there than I can count who claim they know how to rebuild one right, but very few of them actually know what they're doing. My recommendation would be to get one from Dana at Pro Built Automatics. He's a member here, and really knows how to build a great 700r4. A great working, durable trans isn't cheap, but you really can't go wrong with a TKO or a Pro Built 700r4. Just my .02.

 

thanks alot Pat, that gave me alot of choices. i might do the cheap stock swap now, and then put bulletproof tranny in later, when i have money. i just dont see why i should pay 900 into my tranny, when its old and ready to go anyway. thanks again, really helped me out!

 

Yeah no problem. I drew on my own personal experience when replying to your post since I've been contemplating the exact same options for my car. I can't seem to make up my mind on my car at the moment. I've got my original 700r4 still in it right now with 230K on it, and it's starting to have some funny quirks. I didn't want to spend a fortune on it though since I'm switching to a manual sometime down the road here, so I just bought a shift kit, corvette servo, and a .500 boost valve to throw in it for now. It doesn't slip at all, so I'm guessing the clutch packs are still fine. I've also got a complete WC T5 setup, and a TKO sitting on the garage floor, so I've definitely got choices, it's just deciding which one to go with! I've heard so much about the stock T5's breaking, but I'm thinking I'll try to run that tranny first and see how it does. If it ends up breaking in short order, then I'll go ahead and put the TKO in at that point. But yeah, if you're on a budget right now, the T5 swap will be a lot cheaper than the TKO. I'm gonna be dropping a healthy 350 in mine as soon as the weather warms up enough, and I have a feeling the old 700r4 will probably go AWOL not long after I put that new motor in. Lol. So once it gives up the ghost, I'll go ahead and put the manual tranny in at that point. I may even put the manual in earlier if I do the above mentioned upgrades to the automatic, and still don't like the way it shifts. I'm probably gonna try tackling the automatic upgrades this coming weekend hopefully.