[Jbrown11_1]

Hey all, new to the site and just purchased a 1978 RC with a 360 and automatic transmission. Mechanically its very sound but i would love to swap it to a manual transmission. Can anyone walk me through a parts list and give me an idea of effort needed to make this switch?

Thanks in advance

 

[Omisson]

Hey all, new to the site and just purchased a 1978 RC with a 360 and automatic transmission. Mechanically its very sound but i would love to swap it to a manual transmission. Can anyone walk me through a parts list and give me an idea of effort needed to make this switch?

Thanks in advance

Hey I have a 77 with a brand new refurbished manual - want an automatic- shame you weren’t closer I’d say swap!

 

[jonn6464]

First, I'll throw this out there. Jbrown11_1 and Omisson, y'all get in your vehicles and drive to the border, swap keys, trade an apple pie for a jar of maple syrup, then hop in your new rides and drive home!

If that doesn't work, below is a list of items that was required to swap my 70 Duster from auto to 4 speed. Some of this may not apply to an RC, but you'll get the drift. And as for the effort needed to complete the swap... it's substantial. This isn't something you can tackle in a weekend. Even if you really, really plan it out and account for everything, there will be some things that come up that are out of your control. Not trying to talk you out of it, just want you to have a realistic understanding of what you'll be in for.

Here's the parts list...
Manual transmission (and possibly a rebuild kit)
Shifter body (and possibly a rebuild kit)
Shifter to trans adapter plate, plus bolts
Shifter handle
Shifter handle knob
Shifter handle rubber boot
Floor to shifter handle boot bezel ring
Shift linkage rods, and bushings/clips
Bell housing, complete with inspection cover
Bell housing ball stud
Clutch fork
Clutch fork return spring
Clutch fork boot
Clutch fork pivot inside bell housing
Clutch fork adjustment rod
Throw out bearing
Pressure plate
Clutch disc
Flywheel
Pilot bearing
Brake/Clutch pedal assembly
Clutch rod
Z bar
Z bar bushings
Frame ball stud
Frame ball stud support bracket
Firewall clutch rod boot
Clutch and brake pedal rubber covers
Clutch and brake pedal bezels (optional)
Reverse lamp switch
Reverse lamp wiring harness
Reverse gear indicator light (optional)
Speedometer cable and gear
Transmission tunnel hump
Manual transmission carpet
Driveshaft, or correct yoke
U joints
Floor shift steering column (if currently a column shift)
New starter (possibly)
All associated bolts, bushings, bearings, seals, gaskets, and retainers

 

[SuperBurban]

The list is well done.

Only thing I can think of right off, is if you want to keep the full time 4wd, you will need a transmission from a 75 to 79 Dodge. Otherwise you will need a 205/208/ or 241 transfercase, 4wd shifter, and rear drive shaft.

The best method, is to get a parts truck with the right parts, and then swap parts over.

 

[Jbrown11_1]

Hey I have a 77 with a brand new refurbished manual - want an automatic- shame you weren’t closer I’d say swap!

Haha...that's would be too good to be true. Where you located?

 

[Jbrown11_1]

First, I'll throw this out there. Jbrown11_1 and Omisson, y'all get in your vehicles and drive to the border, swap keys, trade an apple pie for a jar of maple syrup, then hop in your new rides and drive home!

If that doesn't work, below is a list of items that was required to swap my 70 Duster from auto to 4 speed. Some of this may not apply to an RC, but you'll get the drift. And as for the effort needed to complete the swap... it's substantial. This isn't something you can tackle in a weekend. Even if you really, really plan it out and account for everything, there will be some things that come up that are out of your control. Not trying to talk you out of it, just want you to have a realistic understanding of what you'll be in for.

Here's the parts list...
Manual transmission (and possibly a rebuild kit)
Shifter body (and possibly a rebuild kit)
Shifter to trans adapter plate, plus bolts
Shifter handle
Shifter handle knob
Shifter handle rubber boot
Floor to shifter handle boot bezel ring
Shift linkage rods, and bushings/clips
Bell housing, complete with inspection cover
Bell housing ball stud
Clutch fork
Clutch fork return spring
Clutch fork boot
Clutch fork pivot inside bell housing
Clutch fork adjustment rod
Throw out bearing
Pressure plate
Clutch disc
Flywheel
Pilot bearing
Brake/Clutch pedal assembly
Clutch rod
Z bar
Z bar bushings
Frame ball stud
Frame ball stud support bracket
Firewall clutch rod boot
Clutch and brake pedal rubber covers
Clutch and brake pedal bezels (optional)
Reverse lamp switch
Reverse lamp wiring harness
Reverse gear indicator light (optional)
Speedometer cable and gear
Transmission tunnel hump
Manual transmission carpet
Driveshaft, or correct yoke
U joints
Floor shift steering column (if currently a column shift)
New starter (possibly)
All associated bolts, bushings, bearings, seals, gaskets, and retainers

That is a great list, thanks for putting it together for me. And to your point, I don't think i'll be headed down this road any time soon, unless I find a parts truck near me, which is Highly unlikely. Thanks though!!

 

[jonn6464]

That is a great list, thanks for putting it together for me. And to your point, I don't think i'll be headed down this road any time soon, unless I find a parts truck near me, which is Highly unlikely. Thanks though!!

It might be worth a call to Brewer's, they have all of these parts as well as complete conversion kits. I'm not sure if they deal in any 4WD stuff though.