Will any old chevy tranny fit in my camaro? I know it will bolt onto the engine but the tranny brackets and such are they different? Sorry if this is too vague of a question. its a 1987

I just am pretty sure i need a transmission so I'm wondering what will fit? I have a few friends with older spare motors and transmissions sitting around like early 80's grand prix with shift kit.

Any help is appreciated

 

No "HO" that year.

What have you REALLY got?

Auto or stick?

As far as "fit", for any transmission to "fit", it must have the torque arm mount. No chassis other than F body has that.

No Grand Prix transmission will "fit", directly. Might be possible to take the one you have now and whatever that one is and MAKE it "fit", but even that is doubtful. Will depend heavily on what you ACTUALLY have (which is NOT "HO") and what the foreign one is.

 

Sorry my mistake it's a 1985. And also it's an auto. So what would have to be changed to make one fit?

This car I bought as a parts car paid next to nothing for it. The floors are in rough shape so that's why I'm asking what can fit because I don't want to invest much into this car as I'm going just gonna drive it for the summer. Then by a camaro thats in better shape next year.

 

No "HO" with auto in 85 either.

What have you REALLY got? (8th digit of VIN would be a great place to start)

As far as transmission fitment, 85 is no different from 87. Only trans that will "fit" without significant modifications is one out of a F body. The auto in all of these cars from about 83 up was the 700-R4 aka 4L60 (not 4L60E) in the later years... the trans was the same, they just changed the name.

If you can come up with a 700 out of any other chassis (Caprice, truck) it can be made to fit easily enough by swapping your tailhousing onto it.

 

Alright. I know it came stock with the 305 ho but I'm guessing the guy who owned it must have done an engine swap at some point then. So now likr you said I need to find out what is in it for an engine and transmission.

 

Many transmissions can fit and work but the only direct bolt on would be a 700r4/4L60 from a 1983-92 camaro or firebird V8 engine car

Like sofa said, you can use any V8 700r4 from other trucks and cars but you will have to swap the tailshaft housing.

You can fit a th-350, th-400, 200 4r, etc but you will need to buy a torque arm conversion kit and/or crossmember or an aftermarket crossmember mounted torque arm, and maybe a driveshaft change

You can make a B.O.P trans (buick, Olds, Pontiac) trans fit with the use of an adapter plate (speedway motors has the best price on those) but will still need to deal with the torque arm

 

No it didn't.

There WAS NO "HO" auto combo in 85.

What have you REALLY get? (8th digit of VIN will tell what it came with, casting number of block and heads will offer a clue as to what it is now)

One thing is certain, it is NOT a "HO". Please lay off of that and become truthful. Remember, you are on the Camaro/Firebird board, where we KNOW stuff like that, and CANNOT be fooled by random buzzword claims.

We cannot provide accurate, straight-to-the-point help, if you insist on lying to us about what you've got.

 

Alright thanks for the input. I'm hoping the transmission can fixed but I doubt it it's slipping pretty bad. If not I'll see if I can find another third Generation camaro around for the transmission

 

I'm not trying to lie here. I'm taking for granted that the guy who owned it swapped the motor and transmission and put an automatic in the car. Or else I guess he could have swapped the rear bumper with the 5.0 ho engraved into it. It's night here I will look at the vin number tomorrow

 

My vin number 1G1FP87H7FN147212

 

H is the non-HO 305 LG4 Engine. A useful V8.

Ideally, you'd find an 88-92 F-body 700-R4. A truck or Caprice / fleetwood / roadmaster one would work, but need your tailhousing (and speedometer gears) swapped over.

For "just a summer," the same models, but earlier years would work.

Good luck, and make sure the TV cable is set correctly once things are installed.

 

Thanks for the help. Is it an easy swap to swap the transmission through the bottom of the car?

 

Yeah a trans swap is not that hard. I done many laying on my back in a dirt yard. Biggest thing is getting the car up as high as you can.

I always used 4 drive on 'oil change' yellow metal ramps.. Jack front of car up and put the ramps under the front tires, jack rear of car up and place ramps under tires.

After that I would say the hardest part would be getting the top 2 trans to engine bolts out. Hard to reach. Use of U joint, socket, extension combo needed.. I have air tools so alittle easier for me but always seems like a 4 foot long 3/8" drive extension, 9/16" U joint socket and a small 3/8" air impact worked the best. Go from behind the trans (at tailshaft) and up, over top of trans.

Put a square pc. of plywood on top of your floor jack, and place that under the trans pan. Maybe even a ratchet strap around trans and jack arm to keep trans stable better as you lower/lift it.

You will need 7/16", 9/16", 15mm tools for sure and of course a few other basic hand tools.

A good lazy Saturday and you should have it removed and installed...

BTW... NEVER TRUST THE PERSON SELLING THE CAR. If you want to know the facts, check for your self..

Case in point. I went to buy a '87 firebird the other week. The guy 100% believed it was a 350 engine swapped into the car because that was what the seller told him years ago when he bought it.. It looked too "factory" to me to be a swap, and I told him that and asked if I could remove the alt and decode the block. He said sure thing, in fact he was eager to learn how to decode one.

Looked up the suffix code and what do you think it came back as?
1987 305 LG4, used in camaro/firebird....
The stock engine for that car.

The guy owned the car for like 8 years and thought it was a 350 the whole time because he asked does it have a 350 engine, really want one with a 350 when he was checking it out to buy and the seller told him, yeah you know it does, I swapped a 350 into it not too long ago.

I don't care what the bumper, dash, ground effects, seller, etc says... The only truth is the stamped, embossed, cast'ed in numbers on the vin plate, engine block, cylinder heads, crankshaft, etc etc.

Learn how to decode those things and you will never be "suckered" into believing, BS.

Like Sofa said, in '85 the only 305 HO camaro was in the Iroc with 5 speed manual trans.

Your vin code H shows the car was factory with the LG4 305, which had a 155 HP, and car will have a 3.08 rear gear

Now could the engine have been swapped out... SURE. but to tell you would need to get the suffix code of the front pass side of block, on pad in front of head, and casting number off the driver side rear of block, on top of flange that trans bolts to

 

So if he swapped the rear bumper I'm now wondering if I actually have a z28. It has all the z28 decals and even on the dash but it all could have been swapped

 

Do you have the SPId sticker under the console box lid ? It should tell you all you need to know...if it matches the VIN of your car.

 

Alright thanks

 

Post a pic of the car, and of the place on the rear bumper with the "HO" badging, and someone here who is familiar in detail with these cars might be able to tell you what parts it's built up out of.

Your VIN tells that the car is plainly a non-HO car; 8th digit is H, which is the one for the LG4, the plain base-model low-perf 305 4-bbl. The other V8s avalaible that year were the TPI 305, VIN code F; and TPI 350, VIN code 8. If there had been any HO cars that year, they probably would have continued using G as the code for that, as had been used in prior years except for 83 when it was 7. It was built in Norwood OH, and that plant was closed after that year's production, so it's one of the last cars built there.

So yes, the mark on the bumper cover is unrelated to the car; whether the whole bumper cover was swapped, or somebody just stuck on a sticker, or carved in it with a pocketknife, or whatever. It's not true. There's a word in our language for things people say that aren't true... unfortunately you appear to have been cheated.

 

Well the guy I bought the car from knew nothing about it himself he bought it as a project and then needed shoulder surgery so sold it two weeks later. I bought it because I was looking at another camaro and figured this would make a good parts car I didn't even expect it to run as it was parked for 3 years so that was A bonus in itself. I only paid 450$ so now the only stuff I know about the car is the random info I got looking around the car and what you guys are telling me

 

 

Pretty typical... the guy stuck ONE HO emblem on it. Out of the 4 that belong.

Looks cool, eh? meaningless; but, cool?

Not sure what that is in the turn signal light holes either.

But hey, for $450, that looks, from here at least, like an OK car. I've seen AHELLUVALOT worse for AHELLUVALOT more.

 

Ya the guy who last drove in was a bit if an idiot from what I hear and he painted chevy signs in the signal light holes. Looks dumb imo. He was asking 3500$ for it a couple of years ago

 

Don't worry about if it's a z28 or not, or an H.O or not, not at that price lol... You got a good deal. Heck I would buy that car all day long, as many as you could get me for $450.

In fact I'm buy third gens to part out. You know make money to fund my projects and help out other third gen'ers by supplying needed parts at a cheap than the big name guys.. I'm paying more than $450 for a lot less car than that. I bought an '85 z28 for close to that price with NO engine, heater box, AC parts, rad, transmission, exhaust or driveshaft