Another F23 5 spd conversion

[fiero4.3L]

Had to remake everything on the trans end. Ran out of time Sunday but the linkage is complete and the new base plate is 95% done. I should have some pics Thursday.

For the pinned shifter arm, I used 3/4 DOM with .060" wall that left me with 0.610" id compared to 0.590" f23 shift rod od.
I split the tube at the seam, squeezed it in a vice to close the gap and rewelded the seam for a very tight fit to the rod.
If one wanted zero clearance after installation, an X cut across the bottom of the tube, 0.625" deep would allow a heavy duty hose clamp to reduce the clearance but it isn't pretty (I'll post a pic). I tried that with the old tube that was not split so had .020" clearance and it worked great. Note the f23 stock shifter is a very sloppy fit, with a rubber sleeve inside.

To increase the engagement of the cross pin, I added a ring (similar to the shifter adapter tubes) from 1 inch dom tube with a .083" wall combined with the .060" wall of the 3/4 tube.

A section of 11ga 1x2 was added to thew top of the shift tube to seat the uhmw bushing pinned to the bell crank. The arm is .125" strip and reduced the throw about 45% and this will be limited at the shifter so the shift cable cannot be overloaded by running out of travel at the trans before the shifter. More on that when I actually do it.

The bell crank is approximately 3:1 since I wanted to ensure the shift gates were not narrowed. I measured the cable travel when moving the shifter from side to side and measured the linear travel of the f23 shift rod.

With the extra length of the new cables, I decided to run the trans ends parallel to the case seam for max clearance to the exhaust. Since the cables are smaller od, I ordered smaller od fire sleeve to protect them individually from the exhaust heat.

The base plate is 0.125"x 5" strip with a 1/2" strip welded around the edge for rigidity and to raise the cable mounts about 1/2" off the base. The base is longer because the cables are longer from the clips to the eyes than the originals. The cables had to be as low as possible due to my battery location right above the shift rod. I may be able to post some pics tomorrow.

[fiero4.3L]

No pics today. Can you believe how miserable it is out there? The weather "real feel" was 107 f today! Ugh!

You might be wondering how to precisely locate the hole in the tube to align with the existing hole in the shift rod.
Start out with a longer tube than you need. I used a piece about three inches long.
After you have finished the tube to fit properly as described in the previous post, drill a hole in the center of the tube through one side, approximately 3/4 inch from the shift rod seal (I'll be providing dimensions of the finished piece).
Debur the inside with a carbide rotary file ( I use a bastard cut, tree shaped file for porting cylinder heads that is about a 1/2 inch in od) then slip on and align the hole on one side, then drill through the center to the other side. The shift rod will guide you.

Do it before installing the trans and raising the cradle unless you have a 90 degree drill adapter.

[fiero4.3L]

Managed to get a couple pics before the storm. One pic shows the cuts made in the old design for zero clearance as an easier option.

[fiero4.3L]

Since it is time to pull it out again, I drained the coolant and found I needed a new sbc pump, so I ordered a short aluminum high volume pump for about $50. It has always been tight around the pulley to the frame rail (installed around 2000) so I've cut and shut that with a minor change in cross section. Nothing like the butchery you may have seen with some sbc installations. Pics to follow.

I'm also making an adjustable tool that supports the flywheel end of the engine from below at the cradle with the trans removed, the idea being I hope to just swing the drivetrain down without removing the front bolts, leaving enough room to pull the transaxle. We'll see how it turns out.

I found the shifter was too motorcycle-like and short (throw from neutral is about 1.25" at the top of the rod threads on a stock shifter). I'm extending the shift arm an inch and reworking the base plate again for the change. Select works fine.

Also installing a water neck mounted cap to replace the moroso inline filler.

[fiero4.3L]

My pump came in.

Here you can see the bell crank, the uhmw bushing, and the difference in shift arm length between what I made and a 4 spd arm. It will be extended another half inch so still about 20% shorter throw but what I have here is too much imho.


I made a support tool for the engine for putting the trans in and out. It engages a blind hole in the bottom of the block left over from the manufacturing process adjacent to the pan rail. There are usually two holes; both on one side of the block. The horizontal tube rotates into position and locks in with a tab so it cannot slide out of the rear cross member. The vertical piece has a 1/2" rod tip to engage the block welded into a 3/4 tube with a 1/2-13 nut welded to the bottom. The bolt is run into the vertical tube with a nut above the horizontal tube flange jambing the bolt to the flange. The bolt head is held while the vertical tube is rotated by the welded nut to extend the tube. Alternately, the jamb nut could have been welded to the flange. Everything is locked in so it cant come apart under load or the engine moving around. The bolt I have is too short. A fully threaded 3 inch bolt would work well or b7 threaded rod with a nut welded to the end as a head. Ideally, the flange above the forward cross member would be longer than the flange where the vertical tube engages the horizontal tube.

Why blue? It was at hand.




I'm also making some tools to make it easier to drop, remove, and install the subframe safely. I'd forgotten what a hassle it is.

I ordered heavy duty casters to make a trolley that bolts to the subframe(so it can't slip) using existing openings and has a pinned pocket for the floor jack (so it can't slip) that is located at the center of gravity for the subframe so it is easier to stay level. The jack will still be removable with weight on the trolley.

I'm also making a body lift tool that allows the hoist to be behind the car with the hoist legs out of the way of the subframe and floor jack. 

On the clutch, I brazed an m12 brake coupler to the fitting from the f23 htob manifold, removed the boot and spring from the old htob that came with the trans, then measured the travel at the htob with one full stroke of the pedal which uses a larger master cylinder than the f23 donor.

Picked up some flywheel shims for an early sbc and the fiero just in case that is all I need to use the old style pp. I also have a pressure plate for a 2002 cavalier f23 to compare to the common, standard pp.

[GTRS Fiero]

The new pump looks much better than the old one.

These shims would seem to be unbalanced:

[fiero4.3L]

Yes, good eye!

[GTRS Fiero]

Um, pretty obvious.  The imbalance is a good thing?

[fiero4.3L]

Yes, very obvious. Shims are not balanced. The amount of weight and arm to the centerline make it very minor. The shims are for when the flywheel has been resurfaced to keep the release bearing in the correct location. This engine was rebuilt by me around 1999 with new pistons and not balanced, plus these are not balance shaft engines. Like I said, minor but if you think it is a good thing... maybe it will help?

Picked up these cobalt seats this morning for $50 each. Someone had already removed them and then realized they might have trouble with the fork front mount in a retrofit app. Unfortunately, they were filthy, so I scrubbed until I got to this point. Good enough for an old jeep, right?

They had nice tweed clean cavalier seats but that would have been too easy, right?

[GTRS Fiero]

Those seats look great.  Good job.

You should be able to get the stain out of the driver's seat.

[fiero4.3L]

Built a trolley for the subframe. It locks into the openings in the sides with two bolts on the driver's side. The floor jack fits into a cup on the cg of the complete subframe so it should stay level and line up easier when putting it in. The jack is standard length and reaches the cg through the right wheel well. The jack can be removed with the weight on the trolley. I barely had enough blue to cover but it is just a tool anyway.
The casters have steel 3 inch wheels and two lock. They are supposed to be rated at 330 lbs each. The set were $25.
Fit demonstrated on a spare subframe.





Working on a different ideas for lifting and supporting the car hoist/optional.

[GTRS Fiero]

Nice work, but I'm curious about balance, since you're lifting from one central point.  I'm not sure that the weight distribution across the cradle is equal, if the engine and transmission are mounted.

[fiero4.3L]

You are correct in that the distribution is not equal. The trolley pad is not centered on the beam though I guess it appears to be. The location of the trolley pad was determined through testing without the jack pad on jack for a smaller contact point for testing.

[Raydar]

Nice work on the cradle trolley. (Well... all of it, but still.)

[fiero4.3L]

Thanks. I'm just trying to make the process as simple and painless as possible (not counting fabricating tools).
On to the lift!