When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Does the '80 originally have a G28.03 or G28.05, and which trans are you swapping in? You may need to change the TT and crossmember, depending.
This is one of those running changes for which I've never been able to find any documentation on when it actually happened, and it's kind of a big potential gotcha if you're doing something like a trans swap.
Torque tube variation. While I am sure you are aware that the 78-79 5-speed TT is an inch longer, 1445 mm vs 1420mm (1980-1995) (source). However, I noticed that the 1984 TT I used in my last conversion measured 1418mm which may be just manufacturing variances. Also, the mounting plate for the front shifter slide bearing (and the Hans shifter) has quite a bit of variation regarding fore/aft position. The one on my 1982 shaft was a full CM forward. While this variation has no impact on the functionality of the OEM shifter assembly, it will affect the Hans shifter. Fortunately, Hans is aware of the variation and has solutions available if your is out of tolerance. Review this thread for more context: https://rennlist.com/forums/928-foru...l#post18390570
Reverse Light options: You have two options, you can use the existing wiring for the automatic transmission where the voltage is run through "R" bulb on the gauge cluster to the reverse light relay (thread). Or you can convert the harness to 5-speed wiring configuration which eliminates the relay. See this post for some details: https://rennlist.com/forums/928-foru...ichael%20Benno. Given the ease of swapping out the gauge face for the analog cluster, I would go that route and get rid of the PRND23 indicators on the dash. I have a spare cluster you could harvest the tach from.
Cutting the tunnel. A jig saw worked extremely well. I recommend removing the seats. I wish I would have replaced the center tunnel carpet while I was in there though. (thread)
Put weight in the truck (eg wheels) when the transmission and rear suspension are removed to make sure the car does not tip off the lift or jack stands
Installing the Clutch Master Cylinder (CMC). I pre-installed Greg hose to the slave onto the CMC. There is a specific clocking that is required (thread)
Does the '80 originally have a G28.03 or G28.05, and which trans are you swapping in? You may need to change the TT and crossmember, depending.
This is one of those running changes for which I've never been able to find any documentation on when it actually happened, and it's kind of a big potential gotcha if you're doing something like a trans swap.
Wait- are you doing an automatic to manual swap, or a different manual transmission into an already-manual car? I just assumed the former, but the devil's in the details you didn't provide.
Pretty sure you're going to need the shorter (1416mm) torque tube and a different rear crossmember- You should have a .13 crossmember now, you need to change to a .14 crossmember.
06-08-2023, 05:12 PM
1980 Manual Trans Swap
