Items required to do an "authentic" manual trans conversion-
-153 tooth, "small" diameter flywheel. (Note 1)
-Unique Acadian bellhousing (Note 2)
-Unique Acadian clutch fork to match the bellhousing (Note 3)
-Clutch linkage for a V8 Acadian is unique. (Note 4)
-The boss for the engine side Z bar pivot ball is in a unique spot on Acadian V8 blocks. You must have the Acadian block or buy an aftermarket "conversion" bracket. (Note 5)
-Acadian only clutch and brake pedals. (Note 6)
-Floor hump for shifter. (Note 7)
- For Muncie 4 speeds, a tailhousing with passenger side speedometer gear is needed because the shifter uses the forward mounting holes in the tail. The auto speedo cable is too short.
-Good luck purchasing an original 65 or 66-67 4 speed console. Your firstborn son will be a start!!! Typically in the $1000 range for a nice console.
-Different front driveshaft yoke if converting from an air cooled powerglide to a Muncie or Borg. The air cooled glide had a coarse output shaft. Just learned that this past winter.
Note 1- This is needed because an Acadian bellhousing is too small for the 14" (168 tooth) flywheel. This flywheel (12" 153 tooth) will not accept an 11" clutch. A small starter (nose uses one long and one short bolt) is needed to match it.
Note 2- This bellhousing is only found on 64-67 Acadian. The casting number is 3849309. The earlier housing 3788383 does not have a large enough opening for the Muncie or Borg Warner "snout" to fit in. These housings can be identified by the clutch fork opening at the 7 o'clock position as compared to the normal 9 o'clock.
Note 3- This unique fork also uses an Acadian only clutch fork boot. It is just different enough from the other GM boots that you have to have the correct one. Most repro vendors will sell you the wrong boot for your unique car, but the correct one is available. As they say, ask me how I know....
Note 4- The two piece linkage from the Z bar to fork is V8 Acadian only. The Z bar is the same on all 62-67 whether 6 or V8. Same for rod from the pedal to Z bar, and the pedal too. Available repro.
Note 5- I have purchased this bracket and did not find it to be a bolt in conversion. The clutch linkage geometry was not ideal with it.
Note 6- The clutch pedal has 2 styles. 65 and older is one style. 66-67 are another style. The only difference is the angle bracket welded to the pedal that hits the rubber bumper when the pedal is fully up. The brake pedal has 2 styles. 66 and older is one style. 67 is all by itself.
Note 7- Available repro. It was used from 64-67 only as those are the only years offered with 4 speeds. The hump will fit 62-67 floor pans as they are all the same.
You are miles ahead if you can find a 64-67 donor car with a manual trans, even if it's a 6 cylinder car. Almost everything you need is there and the few unique V8 pieces are repro.
I have seen guys talk about having a machine shop enlarge the small opening in the #383 bellhousing so a Muncie will fit but have no experience with it.
If you have headers and for clearance reasons want a small starter, I know the one from a 94-96 LT1 will fit because our 94 Roadmaster has a starter on it from a 65 Acadian 194! Remember, this is for manual trans or automatic with the small flywheel.
This is the unique clutch fork pushrod for the V8s. It is a 2 piece adjustable. (The bent part I know to be correct as it's an NOS piece, the threaded part I'm not so sure, it may not be identical to original). The 6 cyl rod is a solid rod, adjustable (threaded) as well. The V8 rod is made like that for oil filter clearance. I don't think I've ever tried but I am quite sure the long (PF35) Delco oil filter won't fit on a manual trans V8 Nova/Acadian. I know from the factory the V8 cars came with the short filter.
This rod is available reproduction as are all the manual trans linkage conversion pieces.
-- Edited by Carl Stevenson on Wednesday 29th of August 2012 11:46:42 PM
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1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles
1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars
I still want to do more with the pictures. Randy has a friend looking to do the conversion and you guys who have Novas and Acadians know about how unique they are with stuff like this. Lots of stuff interchanges between the A and B bodies but the X bodies are for most things, a breed all their own.
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1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles
1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars
This is how the floor will look on a 65-67 SD or SS with the auto trans hump removed and a 4 speed installed. In this picture, there is just enough floor cut away after the hump was removed to install a factory shifter on the 4 speed.
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1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles
1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars
The area in yellow shows approximately what part of the floor pan will need to be closed up when the auto hump is removed and the 4 speed hump is installed.
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1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles
1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars
I've posted this picture before but it seems appropriate in this thread. The red console is a 65 only, black one is 66 or 67. The front "kickup" is longer on the 65. Nova and Acadians used the same console except for the lack of an emblem on the Acadian piece.
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1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles
1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars
It is my understanding , the threaded rod is actually a repro for the 68-72 Nova and will work with this application. I'm in the middle of selling quite a few of these pieces on eBay. I had everything necessary for the conversion at one time but sold the car before I could start the conversion. I think my current auctions still list the Z bar to pedal rod, I have an original oil pan, pump and pick up extension and the 153 flexplate.
I sold the repro floor hump, two piece rod for Z bar to clutch fork, V-8 motor mounts, pedal assembly.