I know there are plenty of reports on this conversion in various Studes, but thought I'd add mine to the pile.
I got the transmission out of a 1992, 3/4 ton Chevy Van, wrecked with 84,000 miles on it, for $220. It looked and smelled good inside, so I simply freshened it up with new seals, gaskets, filter, rear bushing, and proper speedo gears. While the pan was off, installed a TCI lockup kit for the torque converter. I installed a rebuilt torque converter from AutoZone for $89; OEM style low-stall, per spec for the Chevy van. Reused the original TVC that came with the tranny, and it connected to the General Motors TBI linkage on the car, like it was made for it (it was). The TVC was easy to dial in, after reading the instructions about a dozen times.
After install, the required drive-shaft length measured at 55.5", so I bought a new one off ebay, shipped to my door for $210. (The OEM drive-shaft, with FOM, was 51.75".)
I slipped the motor as far forward as the original, slightly oblong mount holes allowed. Still, to clear the rear of the tranny oil pan, about 1" of the forward edge of the bat-wing was removed, across the entire breadth of the pan. This will also allow removal of the pan without dropping the bat-wing, if ever needed.
An OEM style rear mount fit nicely along the forward edge, of the top of the bat-wing.
The right side exhaust had to be rerouted, away from the pan. I ran it outboard, and up and over the bat-wing, similar to the left side.
I did not have to bend or cut any part of the car floor for clearance. There were a couple of tight spots, i.e. at top of the bell housing on the passenger side, but still enough clearance. I did the swap with the motor in the car.
I reused the original column shift, and shift rod. For linkage I bought a LoKar kit for $55, but only needed the ear on the transmission. It is very adjustable, and allowed for a smooth shift pattern, and spacing is near identical to stock.
I used a shift quadrant from a mid-60s Chevy with PowerGlide. It simply needed to be trimmed to fit. It only shows Park-R-N-D-L, but I like it that way. It is very stock looking, except the 'R' is in a different location.
The conversion kit called for a 6 cylinder car starter, and I was a little skeptical. But it whirls the motor over faster than the OEM starter, and it fires immediately, as it always has with the HFI.
I left the 3.07 rear end in the car, at least for starters and am glad I did, as it seems like a real good match for the 700R. The transmission is smooth as silk. It up-shifts to 2nd under light throttle at around 20 MPH, to 3rd around 30, 4th around 50, and TC lockup shortly after. It kicks down as it should, and I like the smooth, stock-like gear shifts. A manifold vacuum operated switch disconnects the TC clutch when engine vacuum drops low enough, I'd guess around 8 pounds.
Total cost has been a little over $1600, and I think it was well worth it. It is a fairly big job though. Actually more of a project than a job, since it entails quite a bit of re-engineering.
I got the transmission out of a 1992, 3/4 ton Chevy Van, wrecked with 84,000 miles on it, for $220. It looked and smelled good inside, so I simply freshened it up with new seals, gaskets, filter, rear bushing, and proper speedo gears. While the pan was off, installed a TCI lockup kit for the torque converter. I installed a rebuilt torque converter from AutoZone for $89; OEM style low-stall, per spec for the Chevy van. Reused the original TVC that came with the tranny, and it connected to the General Motors TBI linkage on the car, like it was made for it (it was). The TVC was easy to dial in, after reading the instructions about a dozen times.
After install, the required drive-shaft length measured at 55.5", so I bought a new one off ebay, shipped to my door for $210. (The OEM drive-shaft, with FOM, was 51.75".)
I slipped the motor as far forward as the original, slightly oblong mount holes allowed. Still, to clear the rear of the tranny oil pan, about 1" of the forward edge of the bat-wing was removed, across the entire breadth of the pan. This will also allow removal of the pan without dropping the bat-wing, if ever needed.
An OEM style rear mount fit nicely along the forward edge, of the top of the bat-wing.
The right side exhaust had to be rerouted, away from the pan. I ran it outboard, and up and over the bat-wing, similar to the left side.
I did not have to bend or cut any part of the car floor for clearance. There were a couple of tight spots, i.e. at top of the bell housing on the passenger side, but still enough clearance. I did the swap with the motor in the car.
I reused the original column shift, and shift rod. For linkage I bought a LoKar kit for $55, but only needed the ear on the transmission. It is very adjustable, and allowed for a smooth shift pattern, and spacing is near identical to stock.
I used a shift quadrant from a mid-60s Chevy with PowerGlide. It simply needed to be trimmed to fit. It only shows Park-R-N-D-L, but I like it that way. It is very stock looking, except the 'R' is in a different location.
The conversion kit called for a 6 cylinder car starter, and I was a little skeptical. But it whirls the motor over faster than the OEM starter, and it fires immediately, as it always has with the HFI.
I left the 3.07 rear end in the car, at least for starters and am glad I did, as it seems like a real good match for the 700R. The transmission is smooth as silk. It up-shifts to 2nd under light throttle at around 20 MPH, to 3rd around 30, 4th around 50, and TC lockup shortly after. It kicks down as it should, and I like the smooth, stock-like gear shifts. A manifold vacuum operated switch disconnects the TC clutch when engine vacuum drops low enough, I'd guess around 8 pounds.
Total cost has been a little over $1600, and I think it was well worth it. It is a fairly big job though. Actually more of a project than a job, since it entails quite a bit of re-engineering.
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