The Virginia Muscle Car

(6-Speed In-the-box)

This is what worked for me - may not for you - you decide - your own risk - there maybe differences between your car and my early 85.

OK - the seal between the OD unit and the T-10 four speed gave out in the 4+3. Probably because the car was 20 years old and only had 66K when I bought it. Actually if you read the literature on the WEB you will find that this trans had problems like this - it was a quick fix in order to meet EPA requirements - and again the decision to make this a quick fix was probably driven by GM's Accounting Department - my opinion. Because the seal failed, the gear lube from the T10 part leaked into the OD automatic part. OD unit uses automatic trans fluid ... not gear lube. Also the front input shaft bearing and seal were on their way out. So rather than rebuilding I bought a new Richmond 6-speed, but this one has stouter gears and is made for the earlier 84-88 Vettes.

Andy, the above picture reminded me of when we picked up my M21 from the Chevy dealer back about 1968. And Andy - this transmission is going directly into the car!!! I am not going to leave it around to admire from time to time (a guy thing). You can probably tell I happy about the 6-speed! (The BOSS took this picture.)

The Richmond 6-speed is an excellent trans and is the rock crusher of today. Several things on the 85 had to be modified or replaced, but by time I would have the 4+3 rebuilt, I could have almost bought a "NEW" 6-speed!!!!. So in my mind there was no question: have a rebuilt guaranteed for one year or have a new Richmond 6-speed. Richmond has over six tranmissions with varying gear ratios to replace the 4+3. I talked to their technical support people recently and determined that they were very knowledgable - you are talking to a real "American" hotrodder at the other end - not some one trained to act like an American as with some international companies. After the installation they help me with a couple of questions and were sincerely concerned about each and every customer - not like some companies.

Bought the 6-speed from Eckler's - excellent crowd. They are even patientt with ole hotrodders. And they have excellent tech support - again you are talking to a real "American" hotrodder at the other end. Eckler's recommended a 6-speed with a 2.77 first gear and .62 OD (close ratio?) which is actually close to the gearing of the 4+3 (original 4+3 had a 2.73 first gear). However, I selected something with a stouter first gear, a 3.01 ratio - want to get off the line a little quicker but still have that top end 6th gear ratio of .62 (wide ratio). They also sell other Richmond transmissions with ratios all the way up to a 4.01 first gear but the OD goes down to .82 (wider ratio ... :). Take a look at this link if you are interested in more details. Richmond says that with the wider ratios you do not necessarily have to get stouter rear end gearing ... makes sense. With Richmond's 3.01 first gear and the stock 3.08 rear end, you are running equivalent to a 3.42 rear with the stock 4+3 2.73 first gear ratio (these stats came from a Richmond Technical Service person). This is without changing the 3.08 stock Dana 44 and without loosing any of the top end. This is good street gearing. If quarter mile track gearing was desired and depending on the application, maybe the Richmond 6-speed with the 4.01 first gear would be desired. The Eckler's technical person said with the experience I have I could do the conversion, but between my back, neck, and other pains, I found someone that was much better for the job, Bill Riley. He's a hotrodder with many more years of experience than I have.

(Shop View at Bill Riley's)

Riley Automotive Inc. (703-361-2811) of Manassas Park, VA installed the trans. Eddie at Classic Auto recommended Bill Riley. Bill and his wife run and own the shop. Bill's shop aligned the 85 before and had done an excellent job. Bill has also gone over Jan's Jeep letting me know what to watch out for - free of charge. In the above picture Bill (the owner) is on the left and Jim (the guy that did most of the installation) is on the right. Bill's shop recently installed one of these 6-speed in a 70 big block Chevelle which made it really scream. I have seen Bill's shop work on a 74 Vette, restore a 64 Tempest convertible that was in rough shape, and now a 68 Camaro. The Camaro (in the above picture) is being rebuilt from the ground up and Bill's shop in doing all the mechanical. Bill used to race a big block Camaro back in the late 60's and has just gone up from there - if that is possible. Bill will take the time to explain things until you understand. Bill knows Sherman from the ole days too. Bill will soon open another shop in Louisa County and I can personally recommend his shop for work that requires craftmanship - he has the experience. I can tell a great difference in the performance of the 85 since the 6-speed was installed - much better - with a whole lot of gears now. The loud sound of the trans reminds me of the ole Nomad days.

In the above picture, taken at Bill Riley's shop with some of the deinstalled and uninstalled parts in view. There is also a late model Cad transmission for reference - Bill told me how his shop replaced it. Items in view are as follows: lower left is the 85's bumper, middle left is the 85's rail, between rail and 6-speed is the 4+3, middle is the 6-speed, behind the 6-speed is a Cad trans, upper right is Jim's hand pointing to the Cad trans and also the previously mentioned 68 Camaro is in the background, and lower right is the 85's drive shaft.

Besides buying the 6-speed, several other parts were installed. Richmond and Eckler's also recommended several of these needed items: new front drive shaft yoke that was compatible with the 6-speed splines, speedo gear, speed sensor, Hurst shifter boot, and rewiring harness for backup lights. I bought these items from Eckler's - they know what is needed. In addition Bill wanted to put in a new Delco U-joint and I consulted with him about installing a new Delco throughout bearing while the car was apart. The old one occasionally made noises. The clutch operates much better now (clutch was replaced once by the previous owner).

I went to see John the service manager at Dudley Martin Chevrolet. He is a straight shooter and very helpful. Asked him to take a ride and talk to me about the trans noises. He was familiar with the Corvette 89-96 Richmond trans which is similar to my Richmond 6-speed. He explained, since it was a heavy duty racing trans the whining sounds that I was hearing were normal for a wide ratio with big gears and everything sounded as it should. Couple of years ago, I called Chevy and asked which dealers specialized in Corvette repairs for the Northern Virginia area. I was given a list of dealers and Dudly Martin was on this list. While I was in John's shop I looked (no drooled) over a red 2005 Covette convertible that was on a lift. In an earlier visit with John, I also remember talking to him about a pinging issue and cars in general. Being a company man, he said I should look at the new Cobolt and its performance specs. Sorry, I am an old school baby boomer and not a fast and furious kind of guy - but nice try though. I'll wait to see how the new Camaro shakes out - mechanically and price wise (if it ever makes it out the front door). This reminds me. About five years earlier, John's Chevrolet shop had installed a rebuilt tranmission in my daughter's black 94 Camaro for a fairly reasonable price. After John and I talked and he gave his opinions on the 6-speed, he said to come back with some mechanical business next time - I said I would. This is the kind of company man that will cause potential customers to consider Chevy products and come back for service issues. He has caused me to hope even more that the new Camaro will be something that I would consider as a retirement gift to myself. I also hope it will have an inexpensive HiPO big block option - like the late 60's Camaro.

Now in the mean time - on to other 85 modifications. [email protected]