Hey i have a 1984 camaro with a 383 stroker its pretty powerful and i have a 700r4 transmission with a b&m ratchet shifter right now but the trans already went once and i had it rebuilt and i fear it will do it again i was wondering if swapping a manual transmission in is a good idea? please reccomend anything i need some help.

 

Go with an older 4-speed or a T56, because the stock T5 was so weak GM wouldn't even put it behind a 350. If your 383 killed a 700R4, it would kill a T5 even faster.

 

is the process of putting a manual trans into a factory automatic car a difficult process?

 

It can be started Friday night & be easily finished by Sunday night to drive to work Monday morning, if you already know what your in for & have the parts on hand & ready to go.

A Search here on TGO would have given you results like:
https://www.thirdgen.org/manualswap
http://www.skulte.com/T56.html
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/tran...ap-thread.html
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/faq-...questions.html
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/elec...-ecm-auto.html
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/ltx-...333-a4-m6.html

 

I'll answer that question with a question:

Is brain surgery "a difficult process"?

The answer of course is, maybe anything from daily routine, to difficult but manageable, if you're a brain surgeon; but ME, .........,,,,,,,,....,,,,,,,..... I doubt you'd want ME rattling around inside your skull with sharp instruments. Eh??

It's not "difficult" so much as it is tedious. It's a bunch of rotating hardware CCW and then back CW. Lifting heavy things that hurt when they fall on you, in awkward places. A few holes to cut. Wiring. Plumbing. Interior. Lots and lots of minor details to get right. Personally I could probably do 3 engine swaps in the time it would take me to convert one of these cars. It would probably take a full day even, if I had everything lined up, ready to go, all fabrication done, no uncertainty, no "oh s*** I don't have a {fill-in-the-blank} what do I do now" moments, and do it in a non-hackjob way (which is the ONLY way that you'd ever catch ME doing it, such that you couldn't tell that the car didn't come how I left it); and ALOT longer if I discovered right in the middle of totally disabling my car that I had overlooked something. I'd seriously doubt that somebody who would ask questions like that would be able to get it done in a weekend. After you do LOTS of research, like reading ALL THE DOZENS of posts on here about it for example, you might be able to; but of course then you wouldn't be asking questions like that any more, would you?

 

Yes it's difficult, but can be and has been done by lots of members here. Read the swap threads here, both t-5 and t56 swap. They'll both have useful info.

 

I was wanting the T56 info in particular but even for a T5 swap the T56 swap thread (third listed by BlackenedBird) is very informative. I covers info on flywheels, clutchs, pedals, tunnel hole and wiring etc. The specific flywheels listed are for T56 only but most other info can be useful in learning what will need to be done for either the T5 or T56. In addition the pics in that thread are very good. Then you can decide how difficult it is. It depends alot on your abilities and if you have the tools and time. It helps to be meticulous in your parts planning.