Reason why 350 Olds maybe out ....

[jonnyslick]

So I've keep going back and forth on 350 Olds or a 350 Chevy for my car ... but bottom line, I'm wanting to do a WC T5 or T56 swap. So with that in mind, I'm almost forced to go with the Chevy and not the Olds. I know the Olds would be an easier (and far cooler) swap for the motor side of it, but I'd have to forget the idea of a manual.

Do any of you guys have another option to keep an Olds V8 (small or big block) and run a manual transmission behind it that would be easier than the Chevy swap?

Thanks ...

 

[Blake442]

Just get an adapter plate, and you can run your m/t with whatever motor you choose.

I say keep it Olds!

Or you can search for a BOP bellhousing for a g-body, they are out there, but are about a million times harder to find than a chevy one... A T5 will bolt right up...
One slipped through my fingers on eBay a few months ago for only $75!

 

[jonnyslick]

Well one of the main problems being is that most Olds 350's don't have the (?) crank drilled (?) to work with a manual transmission. People posted something about that on another thread, but I forgot exactly what it was. Well, what it boils down to is that it take a lot of work and money to bolt a T5 up to an Olds 350. Which kinda' sucks really.

What about the 403 and 455? Any of them come with a 5 speed option?

 

[Blake442]

Plenty of Olds motors had 4-speeds from the factory.

 

[olds307 and 403]

Supposedly 403's cranks were drilled for a 4 speed, I should look in my garage. Search for a late 70's cutlass with the 260 5 spd option. There are some out there.

 

[jonnyslick]

Mondello has all the stuff to do it, complete swap (pedals, clutch, bell housing, etc.), plus they redo the input shaft on the richmond to fit the olds. basically everything you need to put a 5 speed in a g-body cutlass with a olds V8.

but ... the cost

all comes out to just around $5,000 they said!
:shock:
Maybe I'll stick with an auto!

 

[dan2286]

Mondello has all the stuff to do it, complete swap (pedals, clutch, bell housing, etc.), plus they redo the input shaft on the richmond to fit the olds. basically everything you need to put a 5 speed in a g-body cutlass with a olds V8.

but ... the cost

all comes out to just around $5,000 they said!
:shock:
Maybe I'll stick with an auto!

Mondello?? They dont have any of that stuff on their site, did you call and ask?. Even if they have the stuff needed, dont buy from them!! They are scam artists!!

Here is a pic of my 455 crank that is drilled for a pilot bushing so you know what it looks like.

I do know that Mondello has a bushing that can be used with a crank that is not drilled, but needs to have the input shaft shortened. That may be something you might be able to find through a bearing company for much cheaper.

One thing that I know that makes this even more of a pain is that there was no G body with a manual trans that was Olds powered.

What are people using for a cheap option to put a manual trans into a G body, besides the factory setup? Would it be possible to use it on an Olds engine with an adapter plate? What would need to be done to solve the problem of the starters being on opposite sides of the engine?

I aint gonna lie, this might actually be a good reason to switch to Chevy.

 

[Blake442]

One thing that I know that makes this even more of a pain is that there was no G body with a manual trans that was Olds powered.

This is not true.
You could get a manual trans behind an Olds 260 V8, Pontiac 301, as well as a Buick 231 V6, all feature a BOP style G-body specific bellhousing.
They are out there, but are incredibly hard to find. As I mentioned before, I had one cross my path on eBay just a few months ago.

Adapter plates or aftermarket bellhousing are available to make it work, and a hydraulic clutch is the easy way around finding factory clutch linkage.

 

[jonnyslick]

Yeah I called Mondello about an hour ago and spoke with them about it. The stuff is not on their site, but the guy I spoke with said he had it all. Along with "tons of 350 and 403 blocks".

Blake you have any links to the adaptors? Webpages?

Even if you have the BPO bellhousing you still have to have a Olds 350 with a crank drilled for a pilot bushing (which from what others say on here is hard to find).

So basically I'm needing two really hard to find items to make this "simple".

 

[dan2286]

A machinist can drill the crank no problem. They have the dimensions on Mondello's website.

I am thinking Mondello just has some used parts that you will be able to find a lot cheaper some where else.