bschiltz Posted July 3, 2006 Share Posted July 3, 2006 Hey guys, First off, let me say I have searched numerous times (Here and Thirdgen.org) but couldn't find what I need. Last week I bought an 85' 305 from a caprice off eBay. From what I've read (and can assume) these cars only had automatic trannies. So, what all do I need to make the engine able to bolt up to a T5? I just found this: http://www.thirdgen.org/f-body-auto-tranny-manual-tranny-swap Is that about right? Would it be easier to find a 700r4? My car has a five speed already, so I think keeping it manual would be easiest, right? I'm swaping this into a 79 280zx, btw. Thanks for any help! Ben Edit: how can I change the typo in the title? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheelman Posted July 3, 2006 Share Posted July 3, 2006 The article you refered to gives you all the correct parts. Obviously you can disregard the mention of the pedal assembly and the console as the Z will be different. The 85 305 should be internally balanced, but do your own checking to make sure. Once you've determined whether it is or not you'll be able to get the correct flywheel. As for ease of install for the manual vs the auto, it's a bit of a toss-up. With the manual you'll have to get the correct clutch master cylinder, mount it to the firewall and install plumbing to the slave. None of the Datsun parts are going to work for this. You also need to make sure the shifter will come up through the shifter hole that's already in the tunnel unless you don't mind cutting the tunnel and possibly the console to make it fit. An auto would make the current clutch pedal irrelevant so you can remove it. You'll have to run tranny cooler lines and will probably have to clearence the tunnel. The shifter can mount in the console although you'll probably have to do some mods to get it to fit right. These items to consider are just the tip of the iceberg when considering an engine swap so do some planning and think hard about what you want to do with the car. Autos are better for drag racing as they can shift faster but a manual is preferable for road or Auto-X, at least in my opinion. Wheelman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bschiltz Posted July 6, 2006 Author Share Posted July 6, 2006 Thanks wheelman. From what I've read, the '85 is internially ballanced, so this :http://www.gmpartsdirect.com/performance_parts/store/catalog/Product.jhtmlPRODID=914&CATID=913.html should work, right? Also, what exactly does internially/ externially ballanced mean? Thanks! Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheelman Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 The description states it's for years 58 to 85 and requires a 2 piece rear main seal. This should be the correct part assuming your engine fits that description. A 1 piece rear main seal will have an aluminum seal retainer that bolts to the back of the engine. A 2 peice has the seal embedded into the rear main bearing cap. Flywheels and flexplates are not swappable between 1 and 2 piece rear main seal engines due to differing bolt patterns. In an internally balanced engine the crank, pistons and rods (rotating assembly) are balanced to eliminate torsional vibration. In an externally balanced engine the flywheel/flexplate has a small amount of weight added in a precise location to eliminate the torsional vibration. Make sure you do enough research into your project to understand the needed parts before starting to make purchases, it'll save you alot of money in the long run. Wheelman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bschiltz Posted August 7, 2006 Author Share Posted August 7, 2006 Aw crap... Turns out the engine is not quite "ready to run" as the guy advertised it. Far from it, really. The dizzy cap was shattered when I got it and it didn't come with a carb or alternator. So I need to buy all three plus the tranny/ bellhousing and starter, etc. I was wondering if I can buy a vac. advance distribuitor and use that so I don't have to mess with the computer? I'm really sorry if this has been covered before. I tried to search, but don't really know what to search for and I'm very frustrated. Thanks for your help Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
280zwitha383 Posted August 7, 2006 Share Posted August 7, 2006 Well, I'm going to throw this out there just FYI. On computer controlled ignition such as on the 305 you can connect two of the wires and bypass the computer, that is on the 4 (maybe 3) wires coming from the distributor you can connect two of the wires but I can't remember which one. Then you have a normal HEI which I would think is what you want. On my '85 Silverado the other two wires were connected than what I was told should have been but it worked. If the distributor that you have isn't an HEI with a vacuum advance then what I just said is totally irrelevant . If you are interested I will have to try and find my old distributor and see which wires were spliced. Could save you $100 or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bschiltz Posted August 7, 2006 Author Share Posted August 7, 2006 That'd be great! Thank you very much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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