OkeeGuy

i am considering a 5 speed convertion from my 4 speed...
what is the best way to go?
which is the easiest conversion as far as "bolting right in"
whats the hardest part?
what about things like drive shaft lengh, that dam crossmember and mounts, etc.?
where is the cheapest place to buy the trany and other parts that i will need?
and last but certainly not least...i want to keep my shifter for the stock look...
thanx...

67's

Look at the vendors links to the left and check out the Keislers site, then go over to C1/C2 and ask VietNamVette, he and a couple of other members did the conversion in a day earlier this summer.


Tom :auto:

groovyjay

5 speed Richmond will work with all your current stuff, no need to change driveshafts or tranny mounts, it's a plug n play job. :cheers:

lone73

Signguy,

Changed your mind huh ?? http://forums.corvetteforum.com/zerothread?id=648217

hehehe

dr

norvalwilhelm

The richmond 5 speed doesn't have an overdrive? I would want the benefit of an overdrive so I could drop the rear gearing and gain it back in 5th overdrive.

GDaina

Just wondering if the 1000 dollar price difference between a 5 and 6 speed is worth it..just for the overdrive, not to mention the added labor to cut the crossmember for ease of installation of the 6 speed...One can buy a ton of gas for $1000.00.

Only one thing has to be changed...TH400 spline must be used if the tail shaft spline has 26 teeth. I got hold of a TH400 driveshaft and changed the rear U joint.

69L71

True, the R5 doesn't have an OD but it does have a snarling 3.28 1st gear. Don't bother dropping the gearing and looking for the OD to make life better. Why pay for new gears AND a trans? The R5 will shred tires with a 3.08 or 3.23 and still give you reasonable cruising manners. The Richmond (5 and 6) both have pretty tight gear spacing. This will help you in performace situations.

Give it some thought.

GrandSportC3

The Richmond 5-speed is not a overdrive tranny :( :(

fireball

The tranny mount does have to change. Richmond's site show the cutting/welding that must be done. I had never done it, but a buddy of mine helped me in his garage. Not a big deal, but does require some fabricating.

mrvette

You know, even back in the carb daze, 1000 years ago this old INdian Cheif had the idea that either the manufacturers needed a 2.0 rear gearing setup OR a .70 overdrive in any tranny....leaving something like 323--355 etc a viable option....so that means a 4 speed tranny needed 2.50, 1.78, 1.00 and .70 overdrive.....that means a 3 speed gearset in a 4 speed tranny....with o/d.......so what is so freaking complicated about that???

only thing close in an automatic apparently is the 200r4....

GENE

WashingtonRacer

Can/ Is there a place to purchase new gears for a 4 speed to change the ration like what Gene just stated? I would like to do that in the meantime.

GDaina

M-20 is what you need then, has the gearing with the exception of the OD

The_Dude

No, but please correct me if I'm wrong. I thought the Richmond 5-speed had an extremely low first gear so that you could use very tall rear gears (2.73s?) and end up with the same kind of overall ratios as an overdrive trans with 411s.

jpatrick636

:iagree: with 69L71. I have a Richmond 5 with a 3.08 which gives an almost perfect first gear combination of 10.1 to 1. A 3.23 woul be too much, unless you have absolutly no torque. Yes a 6 speed with a higher rear gear might be ideal but more money. What do you do most, freeway driving or around town and back roads? The Richmond 5 is the most bang for the buck. That said, when I dream at night, I dream of a 6 speed in front of a 4.11 12bolt from Tom's.

OkeeGuy

seems as tho i remember reading in a post a long time ago of a 5 speed that had the same exact 1-4 ratios and the 5th was higher...
hense, like an overdrive...
so instead of cruising at 70 mph @ 3500 rpms it would be at like 2000-23000 rpms...
was that a Tremik? (sp) or a Richmond?
someone please help me out here...cause thats what im looking for...

DVG73

Here are the ratios of the Richmond Vs an M20. I can't help you on the RPM but I thought this might help. BTW what production cars come with them stock, thinking of this myself and doing a little junkyard snooping.

Richmond 5 speed M-20

1st gear 3.28 2.52
2nd gear 2.13 1.88
3rd gear 1.57 1.46
4th gear 1.24 1.00
5th gear 1.00 N/A

OkeeGuy

correct me if i am wrong but dont i have a T-10 trany in my 79?
im almost possitive i have 3:55 rear gears...
i love 1st thru 4th in my car but when im on the highway i wish there were one more gear to shift up into... :yesnod:

Flareside

The Richmond 5 doesn't have an overdrive, the Tremec TKO 5 does, that's the biggest difference between them. 5th in the Richmond is 1:1, same as a Muncie or TH350/400, 5th in the Tremec is around .68:1.

IMO, the value of an overdrive in a "weekend toy" type car is a little overrated around here. You can run the Richmond 5-speed with a low 3.08 or so rear and have awesome acceleration while keeping revs down on the highway.

That said, I just received my new Tremec from Keisler. I've owned Richmonds (5 and 6 speeds), and while I was happy with the ratios in them I didn't really like the shifting. The Tremec is a smoother, wider ratio tranny that suits me better. The Richmond is more hard-core by comparision, but still a great piece of hardware.

DVG73

I think your right on your car it probably is a T-10, here are the ratios for a super T10, thats the only info I have with me but there is probably little difference between the two, but I don't know. Can anyone tell me what production cars have the Richmond 5 speed in them, I imagine there are several models but I would like to know some of them so I can rummage the junkyards.

Super T10 wide ratio

2.64 1st
1.75 2nd
1.34 3rd
1.00 4th

GDaina

None....Richmond is an aftermarket trans