When we first pitched the idea of building a full-on track car out of a smogger 305 third-gen to our industry friends 14 months ago, we initially received some funny looks. However, after some sincere and strategic planning, as well our teaming up with close friends in high places, we were able to convince a few friends of our long-term goals. This recipe for a highly-completive, and well-built road racer would feature some of the best hardware currently offered from the aftermarket.
Among which, was a Tremec 6-speed swap that would be paired with our supercharged stroker LS3. At the time, nobody even made a direct bolt-in 6-speed swap kit for third-gens, despite the growing popularity of the ’82-92 Camaro and Firebird. As much of a spike in value that these cars are seeing, and a budding demand for performance and restoration parts from enthusiasts, the aftermarket is still playing catch up.
However, American Powertrain can spot an upcoming trend blooming, and the timing was right for them to release a complete 6-speed swap kit for third-generation F-bodies. Not having one at the ready when we called them up to place an order, our car was ultimately selected to be used as the Guinea pig for their direct 6-speed swap kit. As you can see from Part 2 of the video series above, there wasn’t too much difficulty involved in doing so; just plenty of measuring, a bit of cutting and selecting the right hardware for the job.
Using an American Powertrain-modified Magnum 6-speed as our foundation, American Powertrain equipped our transmission with a QuickTime LS bellhousing, a heavy duty steel flywheel, carefully selected dual-friction clutch, BMR Suspension transmission crossmember and an electronic reverse control module that American Powertrain had just recently released. Everything is custom-tailored for this car, for its intended purposes and for its projected power output. No tow Combinations are alike from American Powertrain, so when placing your order, we highly recommend giving them a call first.
You’ll get to read much more about the process and the install in the full tech article, coming soon!
Rick Seitz is the owner and founder of GMEFI Magazine, and has a true love and passion for all vehicles. When he isn’t tuning, testing, or competing with the brand’s current crop of project vehicles, he’s busy tinkering and planning the next modifications for his own cars.
