More on the path of most resistance.....

I guess since the majority of the 117,000 T/A's sold in 1979 ( only 10,000 had the 400 Pontiac / 4-speed powertrain ) were 403 Olds / TH350 models-a lot of people are interested in converting them to a stick. As I apologized for in the last post-there are aftermarket flywheels available. You still have to chase down a bellhousing, the linkage, the pedals, and the shifter, as well as the disc, pressure plate and throw-out bearing. Like I said in the last post one monkey wrench I see is most L80 403 cars had 2.41:1 or 2.56:1 axle ratios. A few WS6 cars had 2.73:1 or 3.23:1 gears. 3.23:1s would be perfect. The others not so much. However- even with 2.56:1 gears there's a couple ways you can go and still have the acceleration your looking for. Borg-Warner ( and Richmond today ) made T10 4-speeds with a 3.44:1 1st gear and a 2.28:1 2nd. These were used in 1980-81 Z/28 Camaros, 1981 Trans-Ams ( behind a 305 Chevy ) and 1982 Z/28 Camaros and Trans-Am Firebirds. The 2nd choice is also a T10 that was used in 1980-81 Corvettes. These have a 2.88:1 1st gear and a 1.91:1 2nd.  Summitt Racing and PAW and other parts companies also sell both of these new. The low ( higher numeric ) gearing in 1st and 2nd will give you the torque multiplication to get going quickly. By 3rd and 4th the car will be going fast enough that it won't matter, and the 403s 325 lbs ft of torque will keep pulling. Top speed will be something like 135 mph at 4,500 rpm, and you'll have easy freeway crusing. The 403s had 325 lbs of torque at 1,600 rpm. Much lower than the 400 Pontiacs 320 lb peak at 4,000 rpm. You'll have to play with launch rpm to see which gets you out of the hole quickest. I'd start with 2,500 rpm and go from there.  The 403s tractor-like torque curve will demand 4,500-4,800 rpm shift points for best performance. I speak from experience on this. My 403 powered '77 T/A ran quickest when I shifted manually at 4,900 rpm ( 1-2 ) and 4,400 rpm ( 2-3 ). After I installed headers and a Holley Street Dominator intake and switched from R46SZ plugs ( an .080 gap ) to R45S ( a .040 gap ) it would pull to 5,400 rpm. However, because of the lazy stock cam it didn't really make any more power above 5,000; I was just beating up the valvesprings. Even with the intake and exhaust upgrades ( which helped immensely ) it still ran best with sub-5,000 rpm shifts. Obviously if I'd put a bigger cam in it, that would have changed. Anyhow-you can make this conversion work, and it will be fun to drive, especially if you invest in an Edelbrock Performer intake ( the Holley Street Dominator is out of production, but their great if you can find one at a swap meet ) and matching cam, and headers and dual exhaust. Not to be Devil's advocate-but like I said previously-if you did those engine mods and then swapped in some 3.23:1 or 3.42:1 gears and a shift kit and 2,000 rpm converter in a TH350 model, you'd have the same or better ( less wheelspin ) performance with a lot less expense and grief. Or you could just buy a 400 / 4-speed Pontiac model. But if you "gotta have" a 4-speed in your 403 'Bird, it is possible and relatively easy ( mechanically speaking ) to do. You could use a Muncie or other T10s-but 2.20:1, 2.43:1, or 2.52:1 low gear and 1.61:1 2nd won't have nearly the acceleration of the 2.88:1 or 3.44:1 low models. The other question I get a lot is people asking about multi-carb setups. I personally love multi-carb setups. My dad had a '59 Catalina with the Tri-Power 345 hp 389. He also had a Tri-Power 376 hp 421 powered '65 2+2. He was a wizard at tuning and synchronizing multiple carbs. I spoke in a previous post about him being recruited to tune both cars in a match race. One was a 440 / 4-speed / Six-Pack GTX, the other was a 426 Hemi / Torqueflite Road Runner.  The Road Runner won by 1/2 a fender length. He also had big following of Import customers-tuning the multi-carbs on Jaguars, Datsun 240Z's , Porsche 911s, Ferraris. I had dual-quads on My Judge. A buddy had a 440 / Six-Pack Super Bee, and another guy I hung out with had a Tri-Power 435 hp 427 'Vette- ( that my dad tuned ). The buff magazines say a single 4bbl is better because their easier to make idiot-proof. I'm serious. I see it every Hot August Nights. Doesn't matter if it's a Hemi Mopar, or a 427 Stingray, or a 409 Impala, or a Tri-Power GTO or whatever. Guy has this pristine, restored car that he's so god damnded afraid of blowing up that he drives like grandma on Prozac, if he drives it more than on and off the trailer! The car never sees the high side of 3,000 rpm. Then, the second it fouls a spark plug, they start screwing around with the carburators. Pretty soon it won't even start. Now-if these guys had any sense they'd do one of two things. ( A ) Once in a while-like the GTO song-you need to "Turn it on, wind it up, blow it out". Make a full-throttle run down the freeway or through the gears. Or ( B ) If your going to drive like a little old lady-then go a range or two hotter on the plugs to keep them from fouling. If you decide to take a long trip or go the drags-changing the plugs to the proper heat range is easy. Anyway-multiple carbs look and sound cool and make as much or more power than single 4bbl setups. Besides the factory setups Edelbrock sells Tri-Power and dual-quad manifolds for small and big block Chevys, small and big-block Fords, Mopars , and Pontiacs. Redline sells 4-Weber setups for small and big-block Chevys and small and big-block Fords. I worked on a Monster Truck that had 4-Webers on a 454 Chevy burning alchohol!!  It shook the earth, and won the truck pull!! The main thing is err on the side of caution. If you've got an 11:1 440 Mopar with a 4-speed and 4.10:1 gears, dual 750 AFB's or Edelbrocks will really rock. On a 9:1 289 Ford with an automatic and 3.25:1 gears, maybe three 2bbl 160 cfm Edelbrock 94s or two lean-jetted 450 Holleys or 500 AFBs would be a better choice!!  Manufacturers, both Import and domestic went to single-carbs and later fuel-injection because of ever-tightening emission standards, not lack of power. If you decide on a multi-carb setup, spend the money to get an expert to tune it, and then leave it alone!!  The other thing that hot-rodders screw up on is "We shall overcam". They'll listen to some idiot in an auto parts store and get something way too radical for their application. Obviously, larger engines and manual transmission cars can tolerate more "cam" than small-blocks and automatics. Regardless of engine size or transmission it's better to err on the side of caution. In general-if you have 225 degrees or less duration ( @.050 ) lift-you'll have a good idle and can use a stock torque converter. If you go more than that you'll need a stick or a 2,500+rpm torque converter and some low ( higher numeric ) gears. The Cam manufacturers catalogs give good guidelines-i.e.-works with stock converter, or needs 3.42:1 gears, etc. You have to take the whole package into account, not just engine size. Here's a perfect example. Two Pontiacs. One, a '68 GTO, the other a '78 T/A. Both guys install the vaunted "Ram Air IV" cam which has 231 / 240 duration ( @.050 ) and .470 lift. The '68 GTO will absolutely rock with this cam. The '78 T/A will not idle, will cough and spit and not run as good as stock. Here's why. Both have 400 V8s. The '68 GTO has 10.75:1 compression, a 4-speed and 3.55:1 gears. The '78 T/A has 8:1 compression, a TH350, and 2.56:1 gears. The hot cam will make the GTO Rock, and the T/A stumble. See what I'm saying?  Anyhow-build your car however you want-it just may cost more than you'd like. Mastermind