usdsk8er540

hey yall. okay heres my issue. my 84 camaro z28 has a big block swap with the original borg warner 5 speed tranny. the problem is that i have to throw the clutch pedal to the floor to disengage the clutch to shift. what do i have to do to adjust it so i dont have to throw the pedal so far? i will admit that i am a newbie to stick shift (this is the first vehicle that i have driven with a manual trans) so i dont know a whole lot, so please explain it in laymans terms or in great detail. also, i dont want the clutch to end up slipping or tearing up as a result of the adjustment. finally, as a newbie to stick shift, im gonna ask a stupid question that many of you may find irritating. how do you check the tranny fluid on a stick shift since i cant find a dipstick? also, if its low, how do you add fluid and what kind do you add? i have driven automatic all of my 7 years of driving (yes i am 23 if you did the math on your fingers! lol) so i dont have a lot of experience with manual transmissions. plus my dad is in iraq right now (as a civillian contractor) so he cant really help me much with it (got it as a project car for us to work on when he gets home). any help will be greatly appreciated. please dont laugh much at my questions. i would rather ask and look dumb than screw it up and actually be dumb! thanks yall!

UNCLE TOM

iTrader: (1)

the only dumb/stupid question is the one thats not asked . you may have mechanical or hyd. actuated clutch . if you have a hyd. clutch the fluid may be low . near the brake res. will be another smaller res. , that would be for the clutch . work clutch and check for bubbles/leaks along lines . with mech. linkage , it would linkage adjustment . if you have access to a lift would be pretty easy to adjust . if unsure seek help from a friend who knows . fluid used is atf. in a t5 tranny , no dipstick . must be checked from underneath car . best bet would be to buy a chiltons or similar book and read up on subject . good luck .

ParkerTPIz

iTrader: (6)

its an 84 he pry has the mechanical linkage. if it was hydraulic you couldve adjusted the clutch fork; there is a 1/2", or so, a allen head screw near the clutch fork/ slave cylinder. u can screw it in, little by little, until it is adjusted to where u need it.

also to check the fluid; there are 2 plugs in the tranny on the drivers side. usually a 3/8" ratchet will fit in to them and u can remove them with that. use the bottom plug to drain it...and use the top to fill it....u have to use a funnel with a long tube on it....guide it down through the engine bay and slip it into the top plug hole. fill it until it starts to leak out of the top hole (its usually about 4.5 quarts of Dextron 2 automatic transmission fluid.... 9and yes u can use the automatic fluid, make sure its Dextron 2......

usdsk8er540

thanks for the help guys. like i said, i dont know jack about manual trans. as for the reservior that uncle tom mentioned, there is a small one next to the brake reservior but im not sure what it goes to. like i said, it has the big block swap done with a carbed 427 and that was done before i bought it from the guy, so i dont know what all has been added/removed. looks like my dad and i really need to just pull the motor and trans and clean everything up and redo it. ill probably end up shredding the t-5 tranny anyway, but it will be fun in the meantime. hell, maybe it will be fun to just shred the tranny! it will make me feel good to tell people that i shredded the tranny in my camaro because i had too much power! lol all kidding aside, if i put in a new tranny for this 427 beast, what should i be looking for? i want something that will hold up to some punishment since my dad and i are probably going to be beefing up the big block even more (we just cant get enough power!). got any suggestions? something that would be good for street and strip. reliable but good output. thanks again for the help guys. yall are the best!

83Chevy__Camaro

" its an 84 he pry has the mechanical linkage. "

1983 Is the last year for mechanical style linkage, NOT 84.

ParkerTPIz

iTrader: (6)

then how come i have 2 buddies with 1984 TAs that have mechanical linkage? they are both stock....

usdsk8er540

okay. so i am still wondering what sort of tranny i should look for since im pretty sure the t-5 is not gonna hold up to the power of a 427 for long. anyone got some suggestions?

ParkerTPIz

iTrader: (6)

get a T-56 itll hold up for sure...a used one may run your around 1200-1500 for a complete setup (pedals, clutch flywheel...etc...)

usdsk8er540

thanks parker. are you sure the t-56 will hold up to the power of the 427 though? my dad and i are probably going to beef the motor up a bit more so im a little concerned. also, would a t-56 fit up to a BBC 427 and still fit in the car?

ParkerTPIz

iTrader: (6)

im pretty sure it would. youre gonna have to get a different bellhousing though. as i said, im pretty positive itll hold up but im not too sure on how youre going to have to mount it to your big block

dixiebandit69

My T56 experience is with my '79 Ford F150 with a built 460, and yes, it will hold up, and yes, you will like it.
From what I have heard though, those transmissions don't like to be hammered while in overdrive.

stingerssx

Yeah, '83 was the last year that the mechanical clutch was installed. The reason for this is that there was no 5 speed with a mechanical clutch. Only the 4 speeds were mechanical, and they were not offered with a hyd. clutch. '84 was the last year for the 4 speeds.

84 Z-28 350

all 82 and 83 clutches were mechenical, T-5 included, I have a 83 T-5 bellhousing W/ the mechanical linkage W/it sitting in my dad's garage back home in NJ, ALL 84 and later were hyd.

ParkerTPIz

iTrader: (6)

thats incorrect... 2 of my buddies have 84 TA's with 5speeds and they are mechanical linkage...

84 Z-28 350

all the camaros/firebirds I have scavanged from W/ a modle year of 84 or later and my 84 TA, W/ a build date of 9/83 have been hyd. clutch, in 10 years of working on these cars i have yet to see a 84 or later W/ a factory mechanicel set-up, plus all the tech data I have says that all 84's and later came w/ hyd. clutches.

race29

Hi,
Following older threads regardign 1983 mechanical clutch linkage. I have an 83 that needs to have the entire linkage set up replaced. Anyone know where to buy one and if not if and how we can change it over to a hydraulic. The car is a 5 speed but was pieced together when we bought it. It has a 350 motor from a newer IROC.

PoehlmJC

Hi,
i have an issue going on with my 1990 rs that im pretty sure is not too serious but i could really need help. it has a 305 five speed tranny and i just put in a brand new rhino clutch not 15,000 miles ago. Just when i was coming back to college i was having some trouble getting the car in gear and with the clutch all the way down the car rolls. I have a hydraulic clutch and the fluid was low so i filled it but it didnt fix it. i was wondering if i needed to bleed the clutch line like a brake or if i just needed to adjust the clutch fork?. Im kinda a newb at this. If its the clutch fork can someone help tell me in detail where the clutch fork is and how to adjust it. Im open to anything.

lewandom

If you ran it low you will have to bleed it like the brakes. There is a bleeder screw on top of the slave cylender, I did it myself W/ a cut off broom handle and used it to push the pedel down while working the bleeder screw. Also I would try to find the source of the leak, the clutch hyd. system dosen't just go low on it's own.