I just got a 67 Firebird with a 326. The car was originally a 4speed but had been converted to a drag car with a drag style shifter. The clutch pedals are still there.
I'm new to the classic car arena but i do know my way around cars.
I was thinking about swapping a 5spd or 6spd into the car since the manual parts are still there. I don't really want a 4spd muncie since i do alot of hwy driving.
What are some common manual transmissions swapped into these cars? I had a friend who swapped a T5 into a 65 Mustang and he said there are conversion kits out there for such a job. I also found a T56 pretty cheap in my area (out of a 98 Camaro SS).
Any help would be much appreciated.

T56 is a good choice for a high horsepower car and a car with 4.11 or so gears.

I would seriously look at a Richmond 5 Speed (which is what I have) paired with about a 3.08 gear or even a little higher. or a TKO 500 or TKO 600 5 speed with a 3.55 or 3.73 gear.

These will all bolt up using a 26 spline clutch with a stock BOP bellhousing or better yet an SFI bellhousing.

The T56 is going to take some work to make it fit, tunnel clearances, crossmember, bellhousing modifications, etc. There was at one point a kit from Weir to fit one, but it was a good chunk of change - $500 or so if I remember correctly. Being that it's a 98 camaro, that's an LS1 T56, if you are getting it cheap enough, you can re sell it and make it worth your while. Usually the LT1 T56 transmissions are the ones that people use for the old school swaps because it has a shorter input shaft.

I would skip over the T5, it's not going to hold up long with a Pontiac's torque.

Also, with transmissions like this you need to take into account your rear axle ratio, are you planning on changing it? What available gearing options do you have? Etc. Each transmission/engine combo is going to have a sweet spot for the rear axle ratio.

-Paul

With a factory 326 you could run a T5 without a problem. What gears are in the car now?

I agree with quick68! Unless you plan on abusing your tranny the t-5 will serve you well. They are available cheap and easy to install without much expense. I've had one in my '69 behind a stock 350 for years now with no problems. What rear gear you choose will depend on what your 5th gear ratio is. Mine is .63 with a 3.08 rear and I'm very satisfied with it.

thank you guys for the input... alot has been happening i found out a few things about the car. I checked the id plate and it turned out the car was originally a firebird 400 4spd with the deluxe pkg.

I checked the block code it was a 500813 which turns out to be a 455 4bbl out of 75-76 Pontiac. The transmission looks like a 350.
I think the 75-76 had a Siginaw 4spd correct or a t10? I have yet to find out what the ratio of the rear end is but a friend mine is assuming its probably a 4.10.

Either way i've got to swap 5-6spd into this thing. My plan is to get the car back into a standard and start taking the car back to original.

Trani looks like a TH400.

Back to original...

You mean like 326/2spd/2.79 gears...original?