I currently have a 1989 Camaro RS with the 305 TBI stock motor in it. The stock automatic transmission recently went out in it (lost 3rd and 4th gears) so I am going to need to have them replaced. I would very very much prefer a manual transmission. Would a regular T-5 be ok or do i NEED to use the world class. I do like to dust ricers every now and again (who doesnt) and would hate to have to replace in a week. Also i do not have the tools or location to perform the switch myself so i will be taking the transmission and car to a shop to have it done. I plan on getting the transmission from the local pick n pull and need a list of EVERYTHING i need to take him with it for the swap all i can think of are the linkages shifter clutch pedal and transmission itself. Also would i be better off getting the transmission from a 4th gen, or is it even possible to use the 4th gen and if so what adapters/kits do i need. thanks in advance for any info.

 

You can use either the 1st design T-5 which was used from 83 to 87 in these cars; or the 2nd design, the one with the stupid "PIT Team" / TQM / ISO-9000 / whatever other asinine trendy 80s "One-Minute Manager" buzzword name, which was used from 88 up. Doesn't matter, they are identical in fitment, for any given application. Has to be a V8 one.

No it is not possible to use a 4th gen one. Those are all for 6-cyl and won't bolt up to your engine.

I can't BEGIN to imagine paying someone else to do this. That's just crazy talk. If you can't do it yourself, I suggest you abandon this notion for the time being and get your existing trans fixed; you will come out no telling how much $$$$ and time and aggravation ahead that way. When you acquire the ability to do it yourself, re-visit the swap idea.

 

thanks for the quick reply. now i have another question to get mine rebuilt is around 800 plus parts, and the transmission was rebuilt about 8 months ago by the guy i bought it from. so i am thinking that the casing has something wrong with it. to get replaced is 500 plus parts and the guy told me around 1000 plus parts to do the swap. i have a small garage i could use for my three days off work and basic mechanics tools (jack, stands, a couple of ratchet sets, dremel and whatnot) how much trouble would it be to do it myself? i am fairly mechanically inclined and have a chilton book on it for removal and installation i could more than likely figure out how to make the changes to the body (measure once cut twice right ) i have done work with the car such as changing shows coil springs and struts and what not but never anything big. the biggest thing i have done is change the transfer case and front driveshaft in an 85 jeep.

 

t56 would be better then the t5!

 

i understand the t56 is of better quality however my main two issues with that are it would not be anywhere near stock and more importantly i dont have the 1500 to drop on one especially if i am going to pay 1k to have it done

 

If you only have 3 days, pass on the swap - you'll never get it done in 3 days.

 

Yeah after reading all this i think i am just going to buy one that is already standard and transfer some of my stuff over i am going to look at an 83 z28 today the guy says it has the H.O motor in it but im taking a vin printout just in case because it doesnt look like a H.O to me. Thank yall for all the help

 

A 83 HO car will have "7" as the 8th digit of the VIN. If it has "H" it's the LG4.

 

Yeah the guy had no clue what he had it is actually an 85 iroc the motor code is H so that kind of sucks but its still pretty nice will be better after I swap my stock iroc rims into it instead of the crap he has on it lol

 

Well as it turns out i jumped the gun and didnt look over the car as much as i should have. there is an oil leak around the oil pan/filter and there is a coolant leak....somewhere the fan is kind of jerry rigged on there and the engine from underneath looks pretty bad as well as looking like a high school kid wired most of it. however the tranny rear end and body are in really good condition so i have decided to move the engine and interior of my 89 RS into the 85 iIROC. from what i understand the engines are actually pretty much the same excluding the 85 is carb and the 89 is TBI. I havnt decided if i want to switch the fuel tanks or change the TBI to a carb (RS has 1month old fuel pump so im leaning towards swapping the fuel tanks) but i know i will probably use the 89 wiring harness with it. I wanted to ask if anyone has a link to step by step instructions on doing the swap. I'm pretty sure i could figure it out but it would probably save me alot of time. I checked the local shops and they all quoted 2500 or so to switch it. also i want to make sure i am right in thinking that it will be a more or less simple bolt off/bolt on type thing am i correct or is this going to involve any kind of modification. The interior im not worried about i can figure that out later im mostly asking on the engine swap.