My new 1988 T/A

[DynoDave]

So, another iron I have in the fire...the Trans Am shifter.

The car may have an automatic, but I still Ike to shift manually when I'm really on the throttle, or downshift while braking. The factory shifter is OK, but I really wanted something more error-proof.

There used to be several designed-to-fit 3rd gen specific shifters. Today there is one, the old B&M Quicksilver. I loved this shifter in the 80s, but to my eye, in this application, it is too tall, and trimmed entirely in chrome, it sticks out like a sore thumb in the thrid gens all plastic grey and black interior. There used to be a Hurst dual gate, which I liked a lot, especially for a Pontiac. But they are long out of production. The company who bought all of Hursts service parts assembles new ones from those parts, but they are pricey, and from the reviews I've read, prone to errors (allowing incorrect shifts), they work loose over time and become sloppy, their Hurst cables break, etc. Not worth the trouble and expense.

A few weeks back, I found this guy on facebook.

So I had bought a spare factory shifter a few years ago to attempt this myself, using a MOPAR SlapStik shifter as the pattern or inspiration. But when I saw this guy was already making them for 3 speeds, I just had to ask if he'd like to try an OD trans shifter. I sent him MANY pictures and measurements over a period of a week or so, and he thought he could make it work. So he gets to broaden his market, and I get the shifter I wanted without the experimentation on my part.

Here's my unit completed, and in-transit back to me as we speak.

[MP81]

That'll be a great addition - I always downshift using the shifter in the Cobalt (which as also a 4AT) when slowing down, so it's certainly good to have an easy-to-use method of doing so. The factory shifter in the IROC wasn't quite that, so I never really did it, so something like this would be a huge improvement.

With all your exhaust goodies on there, you should get some nice sounds as you downshift, especially if you time it right and can blip the throttle just a tad to imitate a heel-toe downshift (which I've come to do very well in the Cobalt).

[farmington]

Gotta love new toys

[DynoDave]

I'm pretty excited about it. Tracking info says it was here 2 days ago, but I've been to the post office twice this week, and no package yet. I'll have to check at the desk today.

[MP81]

Well, given it is the post office, they very well could have lost it, even though it says delivered.

[DynoDave]

Nah, they do pretty well up here. It was there, they just forgot to put a yellow slip in my box.

More life delays (virus, work from home, kids moved from and back to University, etc)....just the usual stuff I guess. But I have not been at a complete standstill. Aside from coolant, I "think" I have just about everything ordered and received to get the car back together. RockAuto, Herbs, Ebay, National Parts Depot, InLine Tube, etc. The last parts are in, so time to get back on it. Low on the excitement scale, but necessary, the new water pump is getting wiped down with Pre, etch primed, and painted today. While that cures over the coming days, I'll get the block flushed out, and the tension rod for the radiator made. Then more cleaning, prep and touch-up in the engine compartment.

I started to slide down that slippery slope of "while I'm at it I will....", but stopped myself. Just bought a good iron pump off Rock. I'll get a nicer aluminum piece when the engine comes out. Same with swapping to an aluminum pump housing....that's for another day.


50196805542_021c4e5403_b.jpg

[farmington]

Aluminum housing and pump are only needed to cut weight

[DynoDave]

Yes, that's right. This is good enough for now, so I can get fresh coolant in it, make it driveable (sorta) again, and store it in the unheated garage this winter, and bring the T/A up front to the heated attached garage, where I can work on it some over the winter.

When I get serious about getting the car restored, I'll pull that engine for a performance rebuild, and I can add the aluminum parts at that time.

[MP81]

Performance rebuild,eh?

#Nastycam

[farmington]

Very easy to do a 500” stroker with a 400 block.

[MP81]

It's absurd how good of a stroker the 400 allows for.

Hot Rod Garage did one up to 512 ci and shoved it in this:

[DynoDave]

That's a good question.

Here "was" the plan.

1970 Duster (my first car), will keep it's slant 6, with some speed parts and a T5 5-speed. Just a nice old car to putt around in, bringing back H.S. memories.

The 1972 Charger Rallye has issues, and will never likely be worth much. So I was going to throw matching numbers and collectibility to the wind (this is the only one likely to ever be "desirable" as a collector car) and make it the wild child of the bunch. With what engine was TBD.

So the 1977 Cordoba, true to it's character, was going to be a mild build. Stately, but able to get out of it's own way. The plan was to replicate the factory 383HP recipe, which produced 335 horse back in the day. I have the DC blueprint 383HP cam, a set of closed chamber '67 440 casting 915 heads, with stainless one piece valves, rebuilt, ported, and ready to go on the car. I also have a new Edelbrock Performer intake, 383HP exhaust manifolds, DC valve covers, a factory inspired home made dual snorkle air cleaner and duct system, it's already converted from Lean Burn to MP electronic ignition, etc. And I have a '71 Road Runner 8.75 axle with Sure Grip and 3.23 gears to replace the factory 8.25" with 2.76 gears. I have the speedo gear to correct the 727, and narrow tank to allow for full dual exhaust. So the thinking, and much of the buying, is already done for going down that path.

But a lot of that was done 20 years ago. So much has happened in the stroker world since then, I really need to consider that option. 451s were the hot ticket back then, but out of my price range. As you both point out, more and more cubes have become an option as time has gone on. Choices, choices....

For now I'll settle for just getting it running, and getting the body work straightened out.

[farmington]

440source.com

[MP81]

Man, I really should split this topic to its own for "Dave's other toys", since we obviously need pics of all the other projects and their progress, as well.

[DynoDave]

No, there's so little progress, it's really not worth tracking. Trust me.

I have mixed feeling about 440source, Don. Their reputation is OK from what I've seen. But most all of their stuff, or at least the pieces I want, come from China. And I just have absolutely ZERO interest in Chinese speed parts for my American hotrods.

That said, never say never. Because they are the ONLY ONES that make a passenger side outlet aluminum water pump housing (which is what my later big block has). I also really like their aluminum heads that look very much like the factory iron heads, especially when painted. A pretty cool stealth piece, though there are much better heads available from a flow point of view.