Hi, ive been searching for a classic for a few months now and was really hoping to find one with a 3 or 4 speed manual since my eventual goal will be to rebuild the motor to be as quick and fun to drive as possible. Ive noticed that the 65's are more likely to show up in manual but just about every other model year I am having a lot of trouble finding ANY manuals.

My concern is will it be extremely difficult to find a manual car in the sort of condition i am looking for and if so, should i settle for an auto slushbox?? Also, has anyone performed the auto to manual conversion and could provide some input. Im not too excited about the prospect of doing this but if the right auto comes along, it's hard to pass up.

Thanks and sorry for my newbie-restore post.
Paul

 

If you're not concerned about originality than the auto to manual swap is not difficult and should not prevent you from scooping up a solid candidate. Besides, if you are updating the engine it's a good time to build the tranny up to and replace it as a unit.

There are a numbe of clutch types to choose from now... Z-bar, Cable, and Hydraulic are all readily available.

It will be easier to find an auto... no doubt.

 

My car was an auto...briefly

There are more C4 cars out there, and chances are they are in better condition to boot. Don't let the auto scare you away from a good car. The C4-to-stick swap is extremely common, not exotic by any means. Kits are numerous and well thought-out, with several clutch actuation choices. Myself and Cloney on this forum have performed the swap as well, so expert advice (well, expert from Cloney, sorta-functional from me ) is available too
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DIGITAL EASY VAPE

 

The auto-to-manual swap isn't all that difficult to do. The worst part USED to be find the pedal set under the dash, but that's even being repopped now. Plus, you've got several choices on clutch activation - cable, hydraulic bearing, or hydraulic linkage - each of which has advantages over the old Z-bar linkage setup.

My .02 - if you're going to the trouble of swapping transmissions, go ahead and put in a 5-speed. The overdrive completely changes the drivability of the car. In addition, the steeper 1st gear in the 5-speed makes for even more off-the-line "punch".

I did the C4 auto to 5-speed swap on my car last winter. Some additional details here.

I wouldn't let transmission dictate a car-buying decision, especially if you're buying a car to build.

 

Thanks a lot for the replies!! You guys pretty much told me what i wanted to hear since a beautiful 68 coupe automatic just caught my attention. Ill reply again when I get the time.

 

Good answers guys! 3 well thought out posts before I even found the thread. Maybe we should rename the forum: "Jay, LMan and Cloney tell you how it's done".

 

No kidding, these links you guys gave me are priceless.

 

I did a 6 speed swap and hydraulic throw out bearing in my 66. You can look at my swap page for info on the trans swap and the hydraulic T.O. bearing.
Links to each are at the bottom of the page linked below

http://www.2mfffabshop.com/rod.htm