Hi guys. I have an 88 trans am, 305 tpi automatic. I'm very keen to swap to manual. I have an 84 manual donor car, will I be able to swap with no major hassles ? My main concerns are with the 88 being tpi with computer and the 84 being a carbed model. I know very little about the 84 trans am and it's running gear. Any help is appreciated.

 

Anyone ??

 

The computer does not care what transmission the car has. The only issue you will have is the 84 transmission will have a cable driven speedometer and the car will require an electronic Vehicle Speed Sensor for the factory speedometer to function correctly.

 

Thanks Formula, I've been trying to find more info on this but coming up short. I've managed to find mention of 'adapters' to overcome this problem, is that what I'll need?

 

I believe there are different adapters available, I'm not sure what the best way is to make this work, as my trans was out of an 88 and went into my 90, so it was already an electronic VSS transmission.

Try searching the site for something. I'm sure its been discussed before. Something may even be mentioned in the "T-5 FAQ" thread up at the top of the "Transmissions and Drivetrain" page in the sticky section

 

I think making the hole for clutch master cylinder and cutting the tunnel for the stick will be your most concern...center console on these cars is a little pain to pull out also where u mount clutch slave is critical

 

The holes for the clutch master are outline in the insulation under the carpet. Punch out the holes in the insulation & use that as a template to cut the firewall. It's pretty easy

 

Actually it won't be a problem the cable runs to the dash where the vss is so you just plug the cable into your new 84 trans and you are good to go. Your current one should work fine.

 

I've never heard of a cable driven VSS in the dash. The T-5 currently in my car was out of an 88, and had an electronic VSS in the tail housing, no cables at all.

 

Mines been converted to rhd so the holes will be on the wrong side!

 

I believe you may be correct as I have just finished stripping out the interior of the 84 and there was no speedo cable at the back of the cluster, all electric so it should go in with no issues or need for any type of mechanical to electric converter.

 

If it's really an 84 donor car, then something is up...
Firebirds didn't get an electric driven speedometer until 1986, Camaros didn't until 1990. So your 84 transmission should have a cable speedometer drive and you need an electric drive for your 88 T/A.

The 84 clutch setup should be hydraulic, same as an 88 would be, except that the design of the pedals and switches in 84 is different than 88. You should be able to make it work with the 84 parts, but it'd be "off" in the sense that it wouldn't be what would have come in the car if it were originally a 5spd.

1984 V8s are 2pc rear main seal engines, your 88 should be a 1pc rear main seal, so the flywheel from the 84 isn't going to bolt to the 88 crankshaft.

1984 T5s are the older non-world class spec, they're really not worth messing with.

I wouldn't do that swap. The only parts that would really be 'correct' for an 88 would be the bellhousing, clutch fork, torque arm mount, and a few other small parts that aren't important.

 

I was wrong about the speedo, it is cable.
Let's say I was able to find a wc t5, there is no chance in hell I'd find it as a full kit/ donor car here in Australia so what parts can I use from this 84 that are compatible ? Pedals etc as I'm not interested in buying pieces here and there from the US. Cheers.

 

You could hack the 84 transmission into the car and make it work, you would just have to convert the cable speedo drive to the electric VSS, and get a later 5spd flywheel. Aside from the transmission itself the WC T5 uses mostly the same related small parts. The pedals could be made to work, they'll bolt in and splice in as well as later pedals, they're just slightly different. It's just a ton of work to put a weak transmission in the car.

 

Thanks for the info. I'm not fussed with the t5's rep for being weak as the car will never see a track, be raced or be abused in any way or driven by untrustworthy people. This is purely for weekend cruising and car shows. The switch to manual is because my auto , although it doesn't slip or anything, really needs a rebuild, the car wasn't mistreated by the po, just a little neglected, and this 84 wreck came up on ebay with a lot of other parts I wanted, and I enjoy manual shifting 😃

 

I was wondering if anyone can list for me, all the parts I will need to take off my manual wreck for the conversion ? Or post a link to a thread if there is one that list everything, a search didn't help me.

 

THINGS YOU WILL NEED
-Pedals and all switches attached.
-All the hydraulics for the clutch.
-Transmission w/ all sensors.
-Shifter
-bellhousing
-clutch/pressureplate/flywheel if you don't plan on buying all those parts new
-upper center console
-shift boot
-torque arm/exhaust mount*** (the automatic mounts are different & won't line up w/ the T-5

THINGS YOU WON'T NEED
-cross member
-driveshaft
-torque arm
ALL THESE PIECES ARE THE SHARED BETWEEN 700r4/T-5

 

You are awesome Formula, thanks bud.

 

for a proper swap you also need the reverse light connector and clutch starter kill switch