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Monte Carlo Z34 5-speed swap HOW-TO


carkhz316
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I feel like I'm forgetting something, and I've already changed a few things, so I'll just use this thread to add anything to it. But for the most part, this is how so turn your Monte or Lumina into a 5-speed. I hope the W-body community and others can benefit from this and implore into doing it themselves to keep these cars going. If you have any other questions or feel that I haven't covered something in enough detail, feel free to PM me and we can go from there. As mentioned, I may be editing this thread a few more times with more info. Have fun!

 

Oh, I will of course get some vids sometime soon.

Edited by carkhz316
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Thanks. I know I keep ranting about it, but we'll have to meet up one of these weekends. I need to put a few miles on it so I know it's solid.

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No I don't at the moment. I'll try to snap a pic sometime. A small update though: my current trans seems a bit noisy, and it's turning the fluid colors in short time, so I started shopping around and just figured I'd check car-part again, though I haven't seen one on there in almost a year. Well, there was one from a 91 GP with 100K for $250. Needless to say, I called them and am having it shipped to me from Tennessee.

Edited by carkhz316
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  • 6 months later...
I don't know how I missed this, but this is fucking awesome. Great work man. :thumbsup:

 

Yeah i missed this too! holy hell most of those pics made me want to run away screaming. :willynilly: But nice work! :thumbsup:

 

Thanks for the compliments. Don't worry, I thought I was the only one that missed threads on here. This site is weird sometimes. And Cully, it's not as bad as it seems. Like I mentioned, the interior was probably the hardest/ most daunting. I'll admit though, that my pics helped me a few times with just the interior side.

 

sticky! Btw, did I miss what trans did you use and what mods did you have to do to get trans fit?

I used a 284 and no mods needed to get the trans to fit other than the complimentary items, such as OFA, firewall plate and shifter cables. The trans mount holes were already stamped/ drilled in the cradle. I just had to unbolt the plate for the 4t65e trans mount, and there they were underneath and ready to go.

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It's actually been parked for the last few months as it's really turned into a summer cruiser since I have this much time and energy invested into it. It's just fine though. I've actually put on about 500 miles since the swap and it's been flawless, aside from the CEL being on for trans codes (still need to get a PCM reflash); and in lieu of that, the cruise control doesn't engage. That's about it. I plan on finally getting some vids sometimes this spring/ summer.

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I only had to wire up the speed sensor (they use different plugs) and relocate the harness. Despite what I've seen with some swaps having issues with pulses per mile differences, there was none between a '98 4T65e and a Getrag 284. My speedometer is still correct at all speeds from at least 0 through 70 mph with no other modifications.

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  • 2 months later...

Well, I ripped the monster out of the car this weekend to swap the trans and attend to a coolant leak. Firstly, I'm pretty sure the input bearing on the first trans has been bad from the start as it growls/ grinds while idling and instantly goes away when I push the clutch in. The fluid also turns gray in no time, and the 4th synchro is bad as it grinds under moderate and more throttle. Number 1 is on the left. Number 2 (100K miles as per the JY) on the right. Ya, I obsessively scrubbed it clean and rattled canned it with the high-temp cast aluminum color paint. Also, "new" trans is a reman from Getrag as indicated on the tag on the bottom, so one would infer that the trans has less than 100K miles actual on it.

 

Secondly, I have had coolant mixing in the oil. While not a milkshake, it has been clouding the oil and my coolant has dropped. I thought that I messed up something on the rear timing cover when I serviced it last summer, but that side was dry. Only upon pulling the oil pan did I discover the front side was really cleaner than normal. As you can see in the second pic and third pic, It has been washed down with coolant somewhat. The weird thing is that the gasket was intact by all appearances, so I'm not sure what the deal is. The inside of the front timing cover has been washed clean from the oil pan to about the cam area. I'm thinking it has to be one of the main cooling jackets. It's just that it wasn't very evident from the gasket. The only thing I could see is that the orange anaerobic sealing bead on the gasket doesn't make a complete loop around the cooling ports. Oh well, I'm just glad I caught it in time. I also ordered a new timing chain dampener as it had a nice wear groove worn in it. The chain and gears look fine though. There is minimal tooth wear, so I'm going to leave them for now.

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WOW this is an awesome thread. Makes me want to do a 5 speed swap... I've heard you can use an F40 transmission also, but that is a LOT of customizing. Props man, that is some great work!

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WOW this is an awesome thread. Makes me want to do a 5 speed swap... I've heard you can use an F40 transmission also, but that is a LOT of customizing. Props man, that is some great work!

 

DO IT!!! :)

im planning an f40 swap myself :)

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