81 Monte...just bought a 88 Monte (parts)

and I was going to sell my 81....but ohh well
Any tips on swapping to floor shift??
Drill holes for shifter....then what?
transmission has to be dropped I image??
What else?

Also any knowledge on swapping the gauge cluster? (yes that is "wrong section", so excuse me)

Anyone have any tips/instructions/how-to

 

im getting ready to do the same by the end of the year. last i checked it was 4 small holes for mounting and a bigger one in the middle for the tranny shift cable. then u need a shorter cable line. i could be missing steps but thats as much as i remember.

 

As the days go by
I think i'm going to back out of the conversion.......:-(
(or atleast for now)

If I do floor conversion im also going to do all of it (SS gauge cluster, steering column etc.)
But I don't know if I change out the gauge cluster....do I need to change out the wiring
or does mines have the "hookups" for the others (volt/temp/tach) since I have an 81 which had just the stupid lights in place of real gauges.

I think I am just going to try nd sell everything I have (full dash+wiring, seats and other little parts from the car I have).....and maybe if I do the conversion one day (if I can't sell the stuff), ill write some type of guide to help others, because the hardest part of it is....starting

Its usually always easier than expected.....but always much easier with slight guidance.

Good Luck on yours and if you find any info feel free to reply here to help others....

 

the shifters usually come with instructions at least the b&m ones do. theyre pretty self explanatory. nighthawk had it pretty much right. the shifters come with brackets to install on the trans to run the cable, you remove the factory linkage, drill holes for mounting, and run the cable. from there you adjust the cable so that the shifter is shifting into the correct gear. when i did mine i kept the factory column just removed the shifter and used the mounting tab to mount my tach.

 

I want a 396!!! (sorry wayyyyyy off-topic)

Thanks for the reply nighthawk and MonteMan!

 

ok i got the plans ready now all im waiting for is.... money

 

we did that to my 86. bought front buckets and rear seat along with console and shifter. Wasn't a hard job at all. My brother did most of it so I am not sure what it involved but it didnt take him very long. All I had to buy was the cable. Good Luck

 

Thanks Everyone Again
Yeah, I've pretty much made up my mind on it
If I don't sell....I will store, take my time, because I want to re-upholster them when I swap
But since it will be a while before I probably get to going on it....if buyer comes along...I would rather the cash now, and find some more interior later.

Anyone know anything about SS guage cluster swap?

 

i wouldnt bother with the 396 its a dog. maybe a solid lifter version would be ok, but a good small block will hand it its *** anyday. the ss cluster swap once again should be straight forward as long as you have the sending units. my friend did it with his 79. personally i dont think its worth it cause i think the tach maxes out at a low rpm. at the point youre looking to do a gauge swap i would just build your own cluster. not hard the gauges would be nicer and more accurate.

 

It was just a really random thought, guess it sounded good?....but that is very interesting information.....I know virtually nothing about the 396 and 99% positive I will never come in to the position to get one and I know I wouldn't search for one