4 speed conversion

Has anyone done a 4 speed conversion on a B body? Im getting ready to start mine and have gotten everything. needed. Any advise would be appreciated

Just take your time and make sure all your parts are correct before you try to install them, dial your bellhousing in , make sure your crank is drilled deep enough for your input pilot, assemble and adjust your shifter on the transmission to get the basic adjustments before you stab it in the car.
Also call a friend with 4-speed expertise to help with the possible problems that sometimes arise with a swap like this

Gus

I just did it in my '68 Coronet. I am using a hydraulic throw out bearing so I dispensed with all the mechanical linkage though that type does require setting up a pedal-actuated master cylinder.

So first order of business is to find out is whether your crank is drilled for a pilot bushing. Beyond that, obviously you need a working transmission with the correct tailhousing that fits your application, the aforementioned pilot bushing or bearing, application-specific clutch/brake pedal, clutch rod, bellhousing and inspection cover, clutch of choice to match the bell size or vice versa, flywheel, bolts, throw-out bearing, clutch fork and boot, z-bar attachment to the frame, pivot and associated linkage, shifter, floor hump, (weld, rivet or glue it then seam seal the edge) shifter boot, bezel, neutral safety or back-up lamp switch, speedo gear retainer with new o ring and appropriate gear, clutch alignment tool and something to hold the back of the motor up while the trans is out. Drive shaft should be the same unless the rear end is also being switched. Probably a good time to check the rear trans mount and replace it if necessary. Your automatic carpet may work but I'm not sure on that. Don't forget to fill the unit with your lube of choice before you run it.

Proper set up includes measuring bellhousing run-out so you will need a dial indicator to check that. If it's way off you might need offset dowels.

Which bearing kit did you use and are you happy with it? I'm leaning towards hydraulic. Either a cobbled slave system or true hyd throw out.

Curious why you guys are moving to hydraulic clutch systems. What's the advantage?

Really? The hydraulic setup makes the clutch action much smoother, like a newer car. It weighs less, is simpler and frees up space.

Guess I've not noticed smoother action due to hydraulic vs mechanical. Different pressure plates and clutch styles have.

Both my Chargers were converted from automatic to manual transmissions. Both remain mechanical. I've never had the master or slave cylinder in my mechanical system develop a leak. Never spent 10 hours trying to bleed the air out of my mechanical system either.

I have however spent hours and hours bleeding factory hydraulic clutch systems over the years for customer cars. Made good money pulling a transmission to replace a leaking slave cylinder.

1 Z-bar, 2 rods and a clutch fork doesn't sound like an overly complicated system to me.

To each their own though. A lot of people enjoy making modern additions to their classic car. In most ways I prefer the simplicity of my classic cars. Larger front disc brakes are the place I spend my upgrade money.

Far as the original question the only thing I haven't heard mentioning yet is having the pressure plate and flywheel balanced

We've removed a lot of the hydraulic T/O Bearings and converted back to mechanical. Not sure why they don't seem to last in the conversions but can go 150K + in a factory car. We did one customers hyd. setup 3 times before he buckled and went back to the mechanical. Haven't done one in the last 3-4 years so maybe they've gotten better

I went with the American Powertrain kit. The car is not running right now so I can’t say what its like yet. An over-center spring is not needed with a hydraulic T.O. bearing so in theory it should be relatively easy pedal effort?

Basically the main reason I chose to go the hydraulic route was because I didn't want to deal with the linkage. Thats really it.

Setting up the T.O. bearing took a little trial and error but it was not a huge deal. As with anything if you install the part with care and drive it as intended then it should work for a long time. I drove a car with a hydraulically-actuated T.O. bearing for almost 135K miles, never had to service it once.

really can't explain the bleeding process, but can do it for awhile with no pedal, walk away 1/2 hour later come back and its perfect.
this happened several times

The stock over center spring helps push the pedal down after the first inch of travel
I would also remove it with a hydraulic clutch to keep it off the fingers on the pressure plate