what are my realistic manual transmission swap options?

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firechicken

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Hi all, let me first say that i am new to this forum and this is my first post. I have been reading through the 4-speed section and this looks like a forum full of friendly and helpful folks!

But i digress,
I just purchased a 69 barracuda /6 904 auto. The thing is rough and my plans are to leave it that way and have an awesome old mopar ratrod. Reverse is out in the 904 so i need a swap anyway and a manual transmission is a must for me, as is an eventual small block v8 swap, but i want to do the transmission first so i can at least start driving it. I want to do a tranny swap that will meet up with a small block mopar engine as well as the current /6. I know some of the old mopars came with a "3 on the tree" set up, will this tranny work and can it be converted to floor shift? I know it requires a lot of parts to do a 4speed swap but i'm willing to put in the work, i read on another forum that a T5 will work as well as a 5speed from an old supra, do conversion kits exist for these transmissions?... because i haven't found one...and what about a 5-speed from a 90s 2wd v8 dakota or ram, i am willing to get a custom driveshaft if needed, i'm just worried about it fitting up to an old engine. So obviously i am new at this, but i have a ton of good tools and elbow grease and i'm ready to dive in. so these are the trannys i'm considering

1)column shift 3-speed
2)4-speed
3)dodge truck 5-speed
4)supra 5-speed
5)T5

So what is possible and what is nearly impossible? i just want to reliably cruise around and do the occasional burnout, i'm not building a drag car. All info will be deeply considered and appreciated.

thanks,
-Calvin
 
I would go go with the 4 speed or 4 speed OD since all of the factory humps, shifters, linkage, pedals, bellhousings and clutches are available. I'd go A body(Duster Dart) or F body (Aspen Volare) since it is simpler. The only difference between /6 and small block would then be bellhousing, flywheel and clutch. A parts car would be the best since you could get almost everything you need in one package. I have no experience with the others.
 
Last week I saw a 96-ish Dakota in a JY.

Had a 5.2 and a 5 speed with hydro clutch.

Price was $175 complete.

I even asked specifically about clutch, flywheel, hydro setup, etc.


I understand these are not the best for racing, due to gear spread, but you got a /6 cruiser.

It might get 35 MPG like that!
 
To get driving, I would rebuild the 904 (fairly simple) or install another (known-good) slant 904. They are cheap to free. Do the V-8 swap once you have everything (including new rear, disk brakes, wheels, ...). Mopar 4-spds are rare, expensive, and heavy so maybe consider a more modern T5. There are adapter plates ($$$$). But wait until you can afford the dream. The Dakota option above sounds smart. If it can move a truck fast, think what it would do in your little A.
 
I would go the over drive 833 route as stated above look for a donner car could be in a truck or van also. If you use a truck or van just shorten the shifter handle. If you go the 5 speed route the stock floor humps in the wrong place so you would need to modify the hump before installation.
 
BTW- the shifter in the factory 833 o/d truck I just bought is nearly identical to A/E and "rear mount" B shifters.
 
YY1 said:
Last week I saw a 96-ish Dakota in a JY.

Had a 5.2 and a 5 speed with hydro clutch.

Price was $175 complete.

I even asked specifically about clutch, flywheel, hydro setup, etc.


I understand these are not the best for racing, due to gear spread, but you got a /6 cruiser.

It might get 35 MPG like that!
Click to expand...

not without major floor surgery it won't!
 
thank you for all of your replies, lots of useful info here. After reading through your responses and doing some other research i think its worth $200 or so to replace the 904 with an identical column shift unit for the time being. I can't express how ok i would be with hacking into my firewall and floorpan, this thing is rotten! but it sounds like way more trouble and money than its worth for me to try to attach a 5speed to a 360 in my $1000 car. it needs the repair anyway so i might as well fix it how i want it. Since a small bock and /6 have different bellhousings i don't even want to mess with it until i am ready for the v8 swap. With my space to work and mechanical skills i would rather just go with a 4speed and a small block so everything meets up nice and easy. or maybe in time i will do a fuel injected 5-speed swap from a ram or dakota (my dream). either way, i thank you all for your input and i will update on how my slow project is going.
 
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