Tremec 5 speed conversion in a 1970 Charger

5.7 hemi · Jan 21, 2021

You could cut that shifter bracket and add to it to get the length, tig weld it.

1 Wild R/T · Jan 21, 2021

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1966-68-Mo...354906&hash=item4dbb0820f2:g:E5AAAOSwoLxf94YZ

eldubb440 · Jan 21, 2021

200 bucks? geeez......... I think I have one, I will look hang on

1 Wild R/T · Jan 21, 2021

eldubb440 said:
200 bucks? geeez......... I think I have one, I will look hang on

I agree the $200 for that turd is crazy... But it's not a common part anymore...

moparedtn · Jan 21, 2021

In regards to the driveshaft CL-CL measurement, perhaps the "full droop" measurement and the
"normally sitting" measurements are the same because the actual furthest (longest driveshaft CL-CL)
dimension actually occurs exactly in between them?
Or even...
Sort of a radius measurement type deal maybe, where the measurement is the same regardless of
any point in suspension travel of the rear axle?

Kern Dog · Jan 21, 2021

I'll also need the thin sheet metal pieces that the woodgrain applique attaches to. I started a WTB thread too....

eldubb440 · Jan 21, 2021

I had a woodgrain lid and 4 speed plate kicking around here for about 20 years...... I located the lid right where I thought they would be, but the shifter plate is not there....... I will do a little more digging, but it seems to have grown legs; which will really piss me off

Kern Dog · Jan 21, 2021

I may need the lid too. The one I bought last month is missing the hinge and only 2 of the threaded studs remain.

eldubb440 · Jan 21, 2021

Kern Dog said:
I may need the lid too. The one I bought last month is missing the hinge and only 2 of the threaded studs remain.

you can have the lid....I will do a little more digging for the plate.....

watermelon · Jan 21, 2021

i tried getting pics for you Kern but this dang pesky 5-speed shifter kept getting in the way

link if you have spare cash:

https://www.beaparts.com/list_items.aspx?body=B&cat=I&subcat=2

watermelon

Kern Dog · Jan 22, 2021

Looks like you have an actual 4 speed version. The front to back measurement of the opening is approx 6 inches. The Auto opening is about 4 1/2".
IF I can't find a 4 speed version at a reasonable price, I still might be able to make mine work. The Tremec has shorter throws and the shifter stub on the trans is up higher so the opening does not need to be as big as a stock 4 speed car. Originality is not a huge priority.

Fran Blacker · Jan 22, 2021

1 Wild R/T said:
3/8" difference is not the same... I will agree it doesn't change as much as you might expect but it does change.. Strange your axle gets closer to the trans as it is raised... I'm guessing your springs don't have allot of arch?

If your talking about my post it's the opposite of what I said. After KD posted saw it was backward, didn't bother to correct it. Changed it.

tallhair · Jan 22, 2021

Kern Dog said:
A forum member helped me out with a measurement on the 4 speed console plate.
https://www.forbbodiesonly.com/mopa...ents-66-70-b-body-console-and-4-speed.210876/

Here is mine again....

View attachment 1057902

Here is a stock 4 speed plate.
View attachment 1057909

This clears things up. Now I'm going to search for a good USED 4 speed console plate. I still plan to sandblast and paint them.

@Rat Rod Al

Has just what you need I think. I don’t know if he’s posted for sale yet though. It has woodgrain but you are changing that anyway right?

Kern Dog · Jan 22, 2021

I am enjoying the journey on this one. I've encountered a few obstacles and found ways around them. The most recent is the console fitment and the shifter sitting way off center.
I knew that the automatic and manual transmission cars had different console plates but I did not know the exact differences. I thought that all I would need to do was to widen and lengthen the hole in the automatic plate that I bought. Turns out, it isn't quite that simple.
To recap....Measuring from the firewall end, the automatic version has the opening starting around 11 3/8" and ending about 15 7/8". The manual version starts at around 8 1/2" and ends at 14 1/2". In short, I needed to move the hole forward as well as lengthening and widening it. The plate is a die cast aluminum and I don't have the skills to weld this stuff. I found a way though...
The 4 speed opening is 6 inches long. This presented a problem because the shifter boot in the kit is only 5 inches in length.

Kern Dog · Jan 22, 2021

The Tremec has shorter throws than the 833 4 speed and the shifter stub sits up higher than the stock shifter does. Because of this, the opening in the console does not have to be as large. This works to my benefit. I posted a WTB for a stock 4 speed console plate but after some figuring and head scratching, I went ahead and decided to modify the stuff that I have. I have since deleted the ad.
I figured that just for the sake of appearance, I'd leave approximately 1 1/4" of clearance from the shifter lever to the console plate both at the front and the back. This is the mock up of how it will look.

I took the plate and started making the modifications.

Kern Dog · Jan 22, 2021

The piece I cut out was then cut again to fill in the gap at the rear.

Forgive the crude cut......It won't matter though, stay tuned....

Ta..... DAH !

Kern Dog · Jan 22, 2021

The boot fits.

The boot will fit over the front and back edges of the opening because the ribs will open up like so....

...Allowing the console plates to fit in between the "ribs" of the boot.

Kern Dog · Jan 22, 2021

The top of the console plates will get the thin sheet metal with the vinyl overlay. It will hide the ugly seam. To hold the new section in place......

I did the underside first. It does not have to be pretty. Thank the Lord for that!

It has gotten colder the last few days so it will take overnight for that to set up. I'll smear some more epoxy on the top side tomorrow and make sure that it is sanded smooth.

Kern Dog · Jan 22, 2021

The tunnel work meant that I had to remove the console mounts, at least the front and middle one. The stock floor shifter bracket had the middle console mount built into it.

This could have been cut off and modified but I wanted to keep it intact for the other car, Jigsaw.

I made a simple bracket to replace it.

I had the idea to put a couple layers of sound deadener on top. The console sometimes squeaked so maybe this will dampen the noise.

Kern Dog · Jan 22, 2021

The front bracket was removed and set aside for Jigsaw as well. The tunnel is now a little taller where the front bracket sits so it would not have worked anyway. The replacement bracket is smaller and didn't need to be as thick.

Mock up:

Tremec 5 speed conversion in a 1970 Charger

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Life is full of turns. Build your car to handle.

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Life is full of turns. Build your car to handle.

Life is full of turns. Build your car to handle.

Life is full of turns. Build your car to handle.

Life is full of turns. Build your car to handle.

Life is full of turns. Build your car to handle.

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