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5 speed without astro specific shifter

3K views 8 replies 6 participants last post by  markmitch 
#1 ·
Has anyone used a 5 speed without the astro specific shifter? I was wondering about a bending/welding a shifter to get the business end over to the driver. Has anyone done this install?

Thanks
 
#2 ·
I'm thinking ANYTHING is possible; But I would think twice about "Bending up a shifter". I tried that in the 70's with one of those abysmally BAD 3-spd floor shift conversion kits in a pickup truck. The column shift was toast so I thought that this was going to be an "upgrade". These kits were infamous for having the shift feel of trying to row through a river of liquid pig manure using a paddle made out of wet noodles. And that was with the handle that came with the kit. Start "adapting" and altering things and it only gets worse. And flex only gets worse as the handle gets longer.
Try to find an original handle even if it's only on loan long enough to trace it as a template onto a piece of 1/2" thick steel. Just my humble opinion. Hope this works out for you; manual transmissions are awesome!
-Mike-
 
#3 ·
5 speed what? auto? manual?
4l60 or 700r are 4 speed auto that can be converted from rod linkage to cable, the manual trans has an offset shifter linkage that would be a biatch to fabricate but if you had one from another vehicle that had an offset that was of different dimensions it should still work but in a different location.
 
#6 ·
YES! I used the V-8 & 5-speed out of a Silverado. Both my vehicles were '91, and had no (major) problems with it.

PROS:
--Truck vs car trans (Camaro, Vette, etc) puts the shifter in a spot that is easily within reach of the driver
--Plenty available for cheap - buy a rusted out truck as a donor
--Use the brains from the truck
--Ok for stock V-8 engine, if it's a pre-NG3500 5-speed (mine) they aren't as hardy if you want to drag race (be gentle!)
--Get it with a V-8 and you'll have all the proper equipment to mount it

CONS:
--Using the Silverado instead of one from a S-10 means a shorter overall transmission = new driveshaft (S-10 I heard was same length as auto trans)
--Angle of the shifter is a little off, will try bending it slightly to get a better position, it is close to the driver's seat in 2nd gear
--Silverado has a lower 1st gear than the S-10, almost a granny gear
--I had to cut one of the braces for the van because of the shifter location
--I had to make a custom trans mount due to a different location (not sure if the S-10 one would be better)

I used the shifter arm from an Astro instead of the long one from the truck, just unscrewed the old one and put the new one on.

Here's some pics-

V-8 & trans:
V8Trans.jpg


Shifter placement (test location):
ShifterTopView.jpg


Shifter actual location:
V-8doghouse.jpg


Underside showing brace I had to cut:
Underside01.jpg


If you want more pics or info, I have a bunch. Only problem is my van developed a rod knock, and is now located 2 hours north of me, so I don't have easy access to it right now.

-Andrew
 
#9 ·
the 4 cylinder trans has less strength even if you got it to bolt to a V8 it most likely would not last long. I have a 700R4 with a floor shift and I had to cut a window into the cross member otherwise the cable would bind due to the bend. But what I did was cut a 3 x 6 inch hole into the cross member then weld flat steel bar stock I bought from the local hardware store around both sides of the hole to make it strong again. If you need pictures just let me know.
 
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