I'm sure there is info here for me to dig through, but I have limited time for the next few weeks as I'm buried in work.

I have a 1982 Z28 with a carbeurated mildly built 350 swapped in and the factory 4 speed manual transmission (Borg Warner I think). Problem is a piece of the frame rotted out and when I push the clutch pedal to the floor the clutch disc doesn't totally disengage the flywheel, making it impossible to shift gears without grinding them. I can visibly see my frame flexing when the clutch pedal is pushed, as shown in the video in the link at the end of the post.

Welding up this frame section is beyond my skill, and having it done is so expensive I've decided I'm better off buying a less rotten car. But I like the engine and transmission I have. So I'm looking at other cars (running and not) to swap them into, but sadly most of them that I find are automatics (not a fan, I like manual). How difficult is it to convert an automatic into a manual? I can't imagine it being as simple as installing the shifter, linkage, clutch pedal and transmission.

https://youtube.com/shorts/xoR5rz0uI...RdXmNgS9wCqURV

 

You have a bunch of master cylinder movement. Your fire wall is separating from the frame and flexing due to rust. You need to pull out your pedals/master cylinder and clutch linkage and figure out the issue and fix it. As that flex gets worse you gonna have more issues. If you hit the brakes hard at some point the fire wall will fail and you have a pretty scary situation. You're gonna need to repair this either way regardless of the trans you put in. Personally I'd keep the 4 speed and fix the cracks and rust.

 

Pulling your engine/trans and swapping it into a rust-free auto trans 3rd gen?

The job itself is just nuts and bolts, no more difficult than just doing an engine swap. Your big advantage in this task is that you already have the donor car on hand to provide all the manual-trans parts required for the conversion. It is a good bit of work though and would be expensive (probably very expensive) if you're not doing the work yourself and have to farm it out. And that's providing you can even find a shop willing to do the job, in this day and age quite an obstacle based on many posts on this site.

 

nits and bolts I can handle. Even if it proves to be a long term project I do a little at a time.

I'm still trying to hold out and find a manual Z28 so I can just strip it, sand blast, paint, and reassemble with my engine, transmission and such.

I kicked around the idea of fixing this car, but my fabrication skills are severely lacking, and there's a lot of rust. The previous owner hid the rust pretty well, but it's beyond my skill level.

 

Swapping a drive train and all the other parts will be expensive if you're not doing it. Do you have pics of the rust in other spots?

 

If I put the car on jack stands or tear the plastics off the sides and rear I can get them, but the real problems are the stuff I can't just snap a picture of with my crappy phone.

Like just how thick the paint job is, where it eventually cracked and exposed some fiberglass edges and rust is barely visible, but visible.

 

Ouch, that's a rough deal.

 

It really is though. Read up on some threads where people have done it, give yourself time, and have fun!