What all is this going to consist of?
I recently picked up a saginaw with 3.50 first gear and clutch and pressure plate with bellhousing.

Tomorrow im getting a yoke and driveshaft along with the clutch, z-bar, and other various little things.

Is the Z-bar going to be difficult to install and how should i go about doing this?

Also any other tips would be appreciated

ouch that big block will scatter that poor saggie all over the street try to find a tougher tranny

the saginaw you have is out of a vaeg or monza if the gear ratio you mentioned is correct, it will be in pieces within 10 clutch dumps

it's too bad your in Texas, I have a complete muncie and a borg warner super t-10 setups I plan to sell.

yea i posted a topic on the saginaw, a lil while ago... but for a college student a $100 dollar working tranny just can't be passed up. tongue.gif

The change over is pretty straight forward. Install the flywheel, cluth, pressure plate , throwout bearing and pilot bearing. You will probably need a new trans mount. Get the driveshaft situation squared away. Install your clutch pedal assembly. Screw the pivot ball into the block and mount the z-bar by bolting the opposing pivot ball to the frame. (bracket should be there) Hook up all linkages, shifter and adjust them. Go out do a couple holeshots, blow up that saginaw trans and find a muncie and start all over again.

i should have all the stuf i need now i got the driveshaft today. Im picking up the pivot balls tomorrow.

I get a lot of mixed info on the saginaws, some say they are ok and some say they will blow....I dunno we will just have to see

The information is pretty straight forward, the reason Muncies were installed in cars with 300hp on up, is because the other trannys wont hold up.
as long as you drive in a normal way your saginaw will probably last, but your signature say's that your not just going to go to the store with this car, my suggestion to you is to buy a transmission that will take what your 454 is going to dish out, because after a couple of good holeshots, your saginaw will be saggin.


Rocky

About the z-bar (a/k/a bell crank, counter shaft), if your car is a '68 or newer, the z-bar will be easy to install. On '68 and up cars, the mounting holes were punched at the factory. All you have to do is tap the holes and bolt up the bracket (available from Ground Up, Ausley's and others). If your car is a '67 or older, the frame side bracket was welded in place. There are no markings on the frame to help you find the right spot. Post a reply if your car is '67 or older. There are several ways to locate the right spot.

A Saginaw in a V8 Vega with 13" tires would not last very long. Heavy car & a BB. I would not want to be around WHEN it goes ka-booooooom !!!! Haz Mat crew will be required to clean up the gear oil!

I once went through 4 saginaws in 6 months. Each one lasted until I decided to beat on it a few times. Definitely not a performance transmission.

As far as I can determine, 69 up linkage is diferent from 68 down. At least all the resto stuff. They sell 67 or what ever up. But it's all 69 up parts. The clutch fork is about a 1/2" longer on 69 up. Same fork as a 70 up camaro. So the Z bar is different to match. Only other problem I've seen is with header clearance. Old BB headers may not clear the 69 fork.
I spent a day looking for a new 68 fork. Which is not as strong as the 69 fork. Which was why I needed a new fork.

This was on my 69.
When you get around to cutting a hole for the clutch rod, you will see a plate that sandwhiches the fire wall and the steering colum goes through it. That plate will have about a 2 3/4 inch hole in it, but the fire wall will not. Open the firewall up to the same size as that hole. The clutch rod will exit right in the center.
You can buy a boot from Ground Up that slips over the clutch linkage rod and has a triangle base that goes behind the plate on the fire wall.
It will look factory.

Dave