Let's just talk cash money. How much to covert a 1970 Coronet 500 to a 5 or 6 speed manual?

[SteveSS]

The car: 1970 Coronet 500 very stock in semi rough shape. hardly any rust. 383 column shift auto. Realistically changing to a Tremec 5 or 6 speed manual? $$$$$?

I'd like to recreate a car I lusted for in high school. Huge air shocks, big rear meats.

 

[1 Wild R/T]

I think the kit is close to 7K, a shop doing the conversion, I'd be surprised if it was less than 3K so expect 10K & be prepared for it to go over...

Then the detail stuff, steering column collars replaced to eliminate the shifter & indicator... Add the floor hump & 4 speed carpet kit...

 

[71RRHI]

Do you have the car? Or are you looking for a completed project?

 

[Kern Dog]

Lookie here:

Tremec 5 speed conversion in a 1970 Charger

Post #800 states what I had in my own swap 3 years ago.

 

[1 Wild R/T]

Lookie here:

Tremec 5 speed conversion in a 1970 Charger

Post #800 states what I had in my own swap 3 years ago.

And that is zero labor.... Plus three years of "adjustments"

 

[Kern Dog]

Well, it has at least 1500 miles of moderate to hard driving on it with no troubles. I'm happy with the choice to buy and install it.
I can't imagine what it would cost to pay a shop to do these major projects...
Manual transmission swaps.
Aftermarket Air Conditioning kits.
Custom suspension and brakes.

 

[Mopar Hunter]

A friend of mine just bought a whole kit from Silver Sport Transmission to install a Tremec five speed in his 69 Charger for $6300, driveshaft not included.

 

[1 Wild R/T]

A friend of mine just bought a whole kit from Silver Sport Transmission to install a Tremec five speed in his 69 Charger for $6300, driveshaft not included.

So $6300.. Plus a driveshaft.... And assorted small items that will wind up being needed... Sounds a lot like "close to 7K to me...

 

[Mopar Hunter]

And assorted small items that will wind up being needed

Everything is included, except for the driveshaft. No small parts needed, everything is included.

 

[Kern Dog]

Everything is included, except for the driveshaft.

Everything? How about.......new carpet if needed? Offset dowels? Locktite for the bolts? Dial indicator or any of the other tools that you may not have ever needed before?
There are hidden costs with any project like this.

Mine:

* SST TKO-600 5 speed Tremec kit including transmission, Bellhousing, Pistol Grip lever, hydraulic throwout bearing, transmission mount and crossmember, clutch, pressure plate and flywheel, drive shaft and fluids......
$5978.
* Used center console top plates including an additional console door since the first set came with a door with broken mounting studs.
$280
* Harbor Freight blast cabinet and 2 bags of sand to sandblast the console parts and oil pan:
$260
* Paint to refinish console parts....? I bought basecoat black and matte clear but barely used any. I'll use the rest on other projects so I'm not going to include this in the total.
* JB weld for console top plate mods, vinyl contact paper for console center section:
$25
* Flywheel machine work....The center hole had to be machined oversize to clear the improperly machined hub on my Chinese crankshaft:
$60
*Dial indicator, one set .007 offset dowels, one set .014 dowels.
$140
* Carpet with mass backing:
$200
* UP-stop bumper and shipping...Oddly, I found the one included with the Silver Sport kit.
$12
* Windage tray, 2 oil pan gaskets, valve cover gaskets, valley pan and intake gaskets:
$220
*Racing oil:
$72.
*Fan belts, 4.
$70
* Engine and header paint:
*15
Grand total.....
$ 7312.
Now, this could have been done a bit cheaper if a few things were different. As I stated, unforeseen things do happen. The $60 on the flywheel machine work is something that shouldn't have happened. A stock crank or a properly machined aftermarket crank would have allowed me to skip that expense.
The console parts....I could have modified my original stuff but I set them aside for the other car, Jigsaw. I could have left the console parts and modifications off of this list. That stuff added up to $565.
I didn't have to replace the carpet but I wanted to. $200.
The dent in the oil pan gave me the excuse to pull the pan to repair. Thankfully, it helped me to discover the improper fitment of the plastic windage tray to the "shorter than stock" Milodon pan. $270 could have been saved if the pan sealed and wasn't dented.

 

[1 Wild R/T]

Everything is included, except for the driveshaft. No small parts needed, everything is included.

How long have you been playing with cars? You've gotta be kidding....

 

[Mopar Hunter]

Everything? How about.......new carpet if needed? Offset dowels? Locktite for the bolts? Dial indicator or any of the other tools that you may not have ever needed before?
There are hidden costs with any project like this.

He got everything, Locktite and two fluid changes. He bought the TKX, not the six speed.

 

[Mopar Hunter]

How long have you been playing with cars? You've gotta be kidding....

As long as you’ve been playing with yourself.


Wait, not that long.

 

[Kern Dog]

It is naive to think that buying any kit is the end of it. There are always unforeseen expenses.
People often forget or fail to mention all the hidden costs.
I had no need for a dial indicator before my swap. I had a crankshaft flange about .020 oversize, requiring me to have the flywheel honed out to fit. I had to modify my console plates or buy OEM style 4 speed parts. These things cost money.
Sure, the kit included clutch fluid and transmission gear oil but no bell housing bolts. No transmission crossmember bolts, no wiring harness adapter for the speedometer or backup lights. More money.
I spent money on some things that didn't have to be done to complete the swap but made sense to do since the car saw apart...oil pan leaks, header paint, sandblasting stuff, etc.

 

[451Mopar]

I think the Keisler SS-700 5-Speed (made by Legend Gear and Transmission) was around $7,000 also and that was using the original 833 mechanical clutch pedals and linkage, but everything else was new, flywheel, clutch, pressure plate, transmission, driveshaft, trans support, and such. Had to cut t-bar support in the tunnel area and boxed it in to get the trans up the the correct height. They claimed it could be installed with no cutting, but only if the trans was tilted down a few inches in the rear, which made the headers hit the suspension and put the air cleaner into the hood.
If you want to modernize an old Mopar, it is less expensive to just go a Gen 3 hemi swap with OD transmission then updating all the original systems.
The $7K just for the transmission can just about but a complete gen3 hemi/trans pullout with all the accessories.

 

[Mopar Hunter]

It is naive to think that buying any kit is the end of it. There are always unforeseen expenses.
People often forget or fail to mention all the hidden costs.
I had no need for a dial indicator before my swap. I had a crankshaft flange about .020 oversize, requiring me to have the flywheel honed out to fit. I had to modify my console plates or buy OEM style 4 speed parts. These things cost money.
Sure, the kit included clutch fluid and transmission gear oil but no bell housing bolts. No transmission crossmember bolts, no wiring harness adapter for the speedometer or backup lights. More money.
I spent money on some things that didn't have to be done to complete the swap but made sense to do since the car saw apart...oil pan leaks, header paint, sandblasting stuff, etc.

I’m sure you would recognize this invoice from Silver Sport Transmission, it was cheaper than I thought, it was not even $6000 shipped. Does not include driveshaft.

 

[1 Wild R/T]

It is naive to think that buying any kit is the end of it. There are always unforeseen expenses.
People often forget or fail to mention all the hidden costs.
I had no need for a dial indicator before my swap. I had a crankshaft flange about .020 oversize, requiring me to have the flywheel honed out to fit. I had to modify my console plates or buy OEM style 4 speed parts. These things cost money.
Sure, the kit included clutch fluid and transmission gear oil but no bell housing bolts. No transmission crossmember bolts, no wiring harness adapter for the speedometer or backup lights. More money.
I spent money on some things that didn't have to be done to complete the swap but made sense to do since the car saw apart...oil pan leaks, header paint, sandblasting stuff, etc.

Add steering column collars for column shift cars... New 1970 A-body B-body C-body E-body Floorshift Steering Column Collars Mopar | eBay

Having a driveshaft built gets expensive quickly.. Especially if your making much HP... I just bought a forged 31 spline yoke for a TKX, it was nearly $200... A driveshaft made with quality parts is gonna be $4-500 dollars...

 

[Mopar Hunter]

So $6300.. Plus a driveshaft.... And assorted small items that will wind up being needed... Sounds a lot like "close to 7K to me...

Silver Sport Transmission had a 10% off sale.

 

[Mopar Hunter]

I just bought a forged 31 spline yoke for a TKX, it was nearly $200...

$200 for a forged 31 spine yolk, you could’ve gotten a Chromoly for that.

 

[Mopar Hunter]

A friend of mine just bought a whole kit from Silver Sport Transmission to install a Tremec five speed in his 69 Charger for $6300, driveshaft not included.

Let me rephrase this, costs less than $6000 with a 10% off sale. It does not include installation or carpeting. It does not include paint and bodywork either.