Hello - I am a new member and not a real mechanic or do I know what I am doing. My son just turned 16 he has a real interest in muscle cars so I just purchased a 69 Chevelle on ebay for a father/son project. It has a 355 but the auto transmission is missing.

My goal is to convert this to SS look-alike with a 4 speed. I want it to be a fun driver and I don't care so much about matching numbers and such.

I would like a high level view of where to start?
- Was the 355 used in this year? If not, is it going to cause me other compatibility problems such as trans alignment etc.
- What manual trans should I search for if the 355 stays?
- If I should replace the 355, then what small block engines should I look for?

Do I need to swap out the stearing column?
How about the clutch pedals?

I know this is big topic and I would appreciate any guidence I can get.

Thanks for any help.

Just saw a Muncie M21 4 speed, shifter and bell housing (8053544337). This looks like a big piece to my pussel - agree? comments?

Jeff J

the auto to manual swap is quite an undertaking. Do a search in the transmission section, and you will find a lot of info. For starters, the motor you have should not matter as long as it is a chevy and not some crazy transplant( the 355 you have is prob just a 350 bored over) As far as the swap goes,for starters you will need the manual pedal setup, clutch linkage, bellhousing, clutch, flywheel, throwout bearing, fork, new starter(possibly), diff length drive shaft, pilot bearing, might need a different crossmeber too. Changing the steering coulumn is not necessary, just looks better. Some of the above items will differ depending on what size clutch you are goin to use. Not sure what bell you found, maybe someone else here can run the # on it and tell you. If you are looking fro help, you have come to the right site! Since you said you don't know what your doing, i would highly suggest you ASK AS MANY QUESTIONS AS YOU CAN. People here are really helpful and will go the extra mile to help you out.