So decided to look into another fbody, in the past I have had a 90 firebird and a 94 z28. This time I am looking at a 2002 firedbird 3.8 5 speed. The car is gonna need some work but had a questions about the drive train. When driving it the shifter moved around a good amount, like 2-3 inches under acceleration. I could also hear what seems like the trans hitting the underside of the car. The motor mounts on the car are good, no vibration at all. It was pouring today so couldn't get a good look under the car. It seems that the transmount was still in place but think that is the issue? I mean this was a good amount of movement, thought the trans was gonna fall out lol.

Thanks for your help!

 

My IROC used to do that. While the crossmember was fine, and the mount LOOKED ok from just casual checking, it was worn down horribly, allowing the transmission to rock up and hit the underside of the car when shifting under moderate to heavy loads. After replacing mine, it was fine. (Also double-check the U-joints too, just to be safe)

 

I believe transmission mounts are a cheap fix

 

My mechanic did mine on my '94 for $100.