B-body 4-speed conversion cost?
#1539797
11/25/13 04:43 PM
11/25/13 04:43 PM
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,091
Czech Republic, Central Europe
BobAsh
OP
super stock
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OP
super stock
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,091
Czech Republic, Central Europe
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Hi. I have a friend who has a 1968 Road Runner clone, and he would like a four-speed tranny. He's young, with lots of spare time, handy with tools, but with really a small budget.
He's from Czech Republic, like me, so:
- even professional work is usually cheaper here than in the USA
- shipping is kinda expensive, but it's possible to save by shipping all items at once in a container, or in the trunk of some car being imported. So it's really prefferable to find lots of stuff on one place.
Restoring stuff is not a problem, originality is not a problem. If an A833 from a 1970s truck works the same as the one in a Road Runner, it's good enough for us. Ugly stuff needing work to be useable is perfectly fine.
He was looking at $3,000 conversion kits online, and was ready to ditch the whole idea, as this is too much money for him. I say it can be done much cheaper, with lots of work invested. But how much cheaper?
Thanks a lot!
Gettin' old iron accross the pond...
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Re: B-body 4-speed conversion cost?
[Re: BobAsh]
#1539798
11/25/13 06:33 PM
11/25/13 06:33 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 75,004
U.S.S.A.
JohnRR
I Win
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I Win
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 75,004
U.S.S.A.
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Quote:
Hi. I have a friend who has a 1968 Road Runner clone, and he would like a four-speed tranny. He's young, with lots of spare time, handy with tools, but with really a small budget.
He's from Czech Republic, like me, so:
- even professional work is usually cheaper here than in the USA
- shipping is kinda expensive, but it's possible to save by shipping all items at once in a container, or in the trunk of some car being imported. So it's really prefferable to find lots of stuff on one place.
Restoring stuff is not a problem, originality is not a problem. If an A833 from a 1970s truck works the same as the one in a Road Runner, it's good enough for us. Ugly stuff needing work to be useable is perfectly fine.
He was looking at $3,000 conversion kits online, and was ready to ditch the whole idea, as this is too much money for him. I say it can be done much cheaper, with lots of work invested. But how much cheaper?
Thanks a lot!
Once you add in shipping not much less ....
Unless you have a US contact/shipper that will collect all the parts you buy ... one piece at a time .... after spending hundreds of hours online looking for the cheapest parts possible.
That said 3k is insane unless that includes all rebuilt/refurbed parts ...
Last edited by JohnRR; 11/26/13 09:39 PM.
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Re: B-body 4-speed conversion cost?
[Re: JohnRR]
#1539799
11/25/13 06:41 PM
11/25/13 06:41 PM
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Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,161
CT
GTX MATT
master
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master
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,161
CT
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I was discouraged a few years back wanting to convert my car with the prices of these kits. I just finished mine up, I pieced it out and did some horse trading though.
I'd guesstimate off of these prices.
Tranny - 23 spline - 500
Floor Hump - 200
Crossmember - If its a 66-69 just modify his existing cross member, not hard, transmission mount is the same
Pedal assembly - A decent used one is much cheaper than restored, 200 can usually get you one
Clutch and flywheel, depends on what you want. Figure 500 for your typical decent clutch, and 350 for a new SFI approved flywheel.
Bellhousing 250-300
Then you need the Z bar, pushrod, and adjuster from the Z bar to the clutch fork. And you need the fork. Thats about 100 + 50 + 40 + 90 (check Brewers for prices), we will round up and guess 300. You also need the bracket that welds on to the frame.
By my count that is closer to 2400. Add in an additional 200 if he wants to run a scattersheild. And don't forget to factor in the price of a shifter depending on what he wants to run for a shifter.
Now I need to pin those needles, got to feel that heat
Hear my motor screamin while I'm tearin up the street
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Re: B-body 4-speed conversion cost?
[Re: JohnRR]
#1539800
11/25/13 07:51 PM
11/25/13 07:51 PM
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,091
Czech Republic, Central Europe
BobAsh
OP
super stock
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OP
super stock
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,091
Czech Republic, Central Europe
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Quote:
Once you add in shipping not much less ....
Unless you have a US contact/shipper that will collect all the parts you buy ... one piece at a time .... after spending hundreds of hours online looking for the cheapest parts possible.
That said 3k in insane unless that includes all rebuilt/refurbed parts ...
We have that. Either I can ask a friend in US, or there are commercial services like that available in our country. You sign up, you get an US address (to some warehouse), you ship stuff there, you see online when it comes, when it's all, you ship it away. And at one of these services is run by a friend of mine, who imports cars as well - so the stuff is going in a shipping container, which is quite cheap, even for heavy stuff like transmissions, bellhousings and so on.
Also, the $3,000 kit would end up costing between $4,000 to $5,000, and the shipping/taxes/customs stuff is already accounted for in our calculations...
Gettin' old iron accross the pond...
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Re: B-body 4-speed conversion cost?
[Re: GTX MATT]
#1539803
11/26/13 09:39 PM
11/26/13 09:39 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 75,004
U.S.S.A.
JohnRR
I Win
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I Win
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 75,004
U.S.S.A.
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Quote:
To be honest, if he can get a kit for 3K with all nice clean parts, its probably the best option. 
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Re: B-body 4-speed conversion cost?
[Re: JohnRR]
#1539804
11/26/13 10:40 PM
11/26/13 10:40 PM
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Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 460
Oklahoma
VoodooCLD
mopar
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mopar
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 460
Oklahoma
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Quote:
Quote:
To be honest, if he can get a kit for 3K with all nice clean parts, its probably the best option.
As someone who pieced together a kit and rebuilt the transmission himself. I'll second that opinion. And i'm even located in the U.S.
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