transmission question
 

i have an 81 with the 3 speed auto and im thinking about converting it to a muncie 4 speed. Is that conversion pretty difficult? is there any serious modification needed?

Well,Sweetness,you have done a lot up 'til now and proved yourself pretty thoroughly. This will definitely be a step up from the front end work. You will have to remove the present pedal assembly from the car and either modify if for the clutch linkage or replace it with one from a standard shift car. You will have to disassemble the console,remove the shifter,cut a hole in the floor and install the shifter for the four speed.You will need the console from a standard shift car. You will probably have to modify the transmission crossmember. There will be quite a bit of mods to the wiring for the clutch safety switch and possibly other items under the dash as well as some changes in the wiring inside the console. But the speedo cable should fit unaltered. There will probably be 101 other things I didn't think of. This will be a VERY difficult and should only be attempted by the highly motivated! It would probably be a smart move to find a car with a standard belonging to someone who wants an auto and work out a trade! The very best way to do this would be to have a standard shift car sitting side-by-side with yours and transfer the pieces. That way you'll know where the holes need to be,how the parts fit in etc. Personally I would council ANYONE to not try this! I can't think of a scenario that would get ME to attempt this.I would guess close to 100 hours of labor,many skinned knuckles and total exhaustion of ones vocabulary of four-letter Anglo-Saxon obscenities! NOT for the fainthearted!
BUT.................if you decide to do it,GOOD LUCK and may all the Gods smile upon you!
Ron

Also flywheel and new driveshaft. I agree w/ Partsman, it would truly be a tough job but doable. Lots of work and probably cost twice as much as you've estimated. Good luck tho.

If you collect up the parts;
Pedle assembly, clutch linkage, ( not to forget the balls for the frame and block), flywheel, clutch and pressure plate, throwout and pilot shaft bearings, tranny, bell housing and drive shaft, not so sure you would need another cross member but ya might. These are your major transform parts. The console, shifter and reverse switch are not that big a deal.
A garage, floor jack, jack stands, and a good manual. Patience and tenacity will go a long way to achieving your goal.
Don't be affaid of the job, you CAN do it.
100 hrs? I really think you can complete the job in 24 hours of work time. Maybe less.
Your biggest time saver will be having ALL the parts and tools on hand before ya start.
Start early and work late, you'll be surprised how much you'll get done in just the first day.
Most of all, have fun with it. Keep in mind what you'll have when you're done.
I say, GO FOR IT!!!

BTW, you don't have to pull the engine. I would remove the distributor, fan shroud and fan. You will want to tilt the engine to get the automagic out and the new flywheel, clutch assemby and bell housing in. Once the old parts are out, ya just put the new ones in. The biggest prob I forsee is that the automagic is just plain heavy, and the 4 sp. is a little lighter. Might get a buddy to help with the removal and install, the rest you can do yourself.
Oh ya, you might want to install plugs where the tranny lines come out of the radiator. Not nessesary, but looks better.

While the shifter is not a big deal, an OEM one w/ set you back about three Bens.

For the shifter, check with www.pacvette.com , they have lots of parts. They are a Vette wrecking yard. You just might find most of your conversion parts there.

thanks for the info guys, im taking a few automotive classes right now and one of them is manuals so that will help out a lot. Also my dad is getting a lift for his garage in about 1 - 2 months so im going to start looking for the parts that ill need to get it done. Can someone enlighten me about what years the muncie 4 speed was used and how it compares to the 4 speed that was used from factory in my car?

oh starship, did you put in your M-22 yourself? If so and i decide to go through with this... i may be asking you some questions =) Also, one last question... Would it be worth it to find a M-22 already rebuilt or get one to rebuild, im not sure how the price compares on them.

You know the M22 has straighter cut gears and therefore is noisier, ergo the name "rock crusher". It's also a close ratio tranny.