? About 80 Z
 

Well my camaro was hit not too long ago on the passenger side... and I got quite a good settlement from the other guys insurance. Right now my car is an 80 RS body with a '79 350 bored .30 over, with 12,000 on the engine, conneted to a saginaw 4 speed trans , freshly rebuilt with less then 1,000 miles on it. I came across a 79 Z28, fresh 350 longblock, its blue, T- tops, real nice... but its automatic... :(
Anyone driven both... I just love the feeling of driving manual... but this car is awesome and I can get a real steal on it caus the guy has to get rid of it caus of his wife. What are you guys opinions? The only thing holding me back is the automatic part.... How hard would it be to convert to manual?

Sorry for the story... :)

I haven't driven the manual transmission Z/28 but i enjoy my 79' alot even tho it is automatic. With the right build you can make it not a matter in performance, I've taken many manual v8 with my auto and by a long distance. The only thing is to get a great torque converter and know how to drive.!
Either way, its a joy to drive either

I've heard (but don't hold me to it) that the Saginaw 4-speeds aren't the strongest transmissions, while the Borg-Warner T-10 4-speeds (which were also available around the same time) are a much stronger transmission. Based on the fact that you've got the Sag., it may not be a bad thing to get an auto, since the auto in the '79 is probably a TH350, and they're a nearly indestructable transmission (when mated to a "mild" - "medium" engine). IMO, I certainly wouldn't hesitate to get the auto..............they're still just as fun and just as fast.

HOWEVER, if you do really want the 4-speed, a swap can be done.................my dad's '73 (below in my sig) was originally an auto car, but we converted it to a 4-speed car. The main work involved is changing out the pedals (from 2 to 3), cutting the hole in the floor for the shifter (and getting a new console for the 4-speed), installing the mounting bracket for the clutch (between the frame and the engine), and maybe a small wiring change to change the neutral safety switch to a clutch safety switch (otherwise, you could start the car without pushing the clutch!). Also, I can't remember if the cross member is the same or not, but at least you'd already have the proper one if you needed it.

Well, good luck with your decision making!;)

If you just want the car to drive around and have fun with then yes a manuel is fun. but for racing there is nothing better than an automatic. I personaly like manuels to drive around in a non drag racing oriented car but I am all about dragracing so I no longer own a manuel....lol. If you want to convert to a Manuel I will GLADLY trade you the peddels out of my car (seeing as how it was originaly a 4 speed car and still has the peddles in it) I realy hate the small break peddle. As for the strenth of the 4 speed trannys , they were all fairly weak except for the Muncie versions. If you want a good fairly strong tranny that is alot of fun to drive then convert over to a 6 speed out of a LT1 car.