B-body 4-speed conversion cost?

Posted By: BobAsh

B-body 4-speed conversion cost? - 11/25/13 08:43 PM

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!

Posted By: JohnRR

Re: B-body 4-speed conversion cost? - 11/25/13 10:33 PM

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 ...

Posted By: GTX MATT

Re: B-body 4-speed conversion cost? - 11/25/13 10:41 PM

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.

Posted By: BobAsh

Re: B-body 4-speed conversion cost? - 11/25/13 11:51 PM

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...

Posted By: dan9

Re: B-body 4-speed conversion cost? - 11/26/13 04:36 PM

I just completed a conversion on my 70 Challenger. It was more expensive than 3000.00 partially due the the expensive pistol grip. After thinking it over i ordered a complete conversion from Passon's. To me that is the way to go, buy the kit. I think it would have been more expensive locating and paying shipping on all those parts separatly. The kits have eveything you need including the proper bolts. I think done correctly it would add what the cost is to the value of the car.

Posted By: GTX MATT

Re: B-body 4-speed conversion cost? - 11/26/13 04:43 PM

To be honest, if he can get a kit for 3K with all nice clean parts, its probably the best option.

Posted By: JohnRR

Re: B-body 4-speed conversion cost? - 11/27/13 01:39 AM

Quote:

To be honest, if he can get a kit for 3K with all nice clean parts, its probably the best option.

Posted By: VoodooCLD

Re: B-body 4-speed conversion cost? - 11/27/13 02:40 AM

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.

Posted By: 74RALLYE

Re: B-body 4-speed conversion cost? - 11/27/13 03:41 AM

I'm well over $2.5K with new and used parts in the mix on my 74 Charger 4sp conversion and it's not over yet. I spent 2 years looking and buying what used parts I could find. Also got some wrong parts, anyone need a 11" bell and flywheel or a /6 bell crank? You also need access to tools for cutting, welding and such. Don't forget the steering column!