1978 cutlass original 5 speed

klopper92

New Member
Jan 17, 2007
4
0
1
greer south carolina
ok so my dad has a 78 cutlass salon with the original 5 speed. it is a borg warner t50 unit which is locked in third gear. i am wondering how rare this car is and if there is anyone out there that provides parts for that particular trans. i was going to use the trans in another project car but need a few parts for it. but from my searching on the internet have realized that there are very few manual trans g bodys out there. does anyone have any info bout these cars or if its worth restoring or should we just part it out.
 

Killerdave8813

Dragway Regular
Jan 16, 2008
904
2
18
Cincinnati,Ohio
I don't know what a Salon is,rear wheel drive or front? If it's a cool car (rear drive) it's worth restoring,repairing or playing with,very few manual trans G-bodies? I have two,Malibus actualy,one factory and one conversion and there are bunches more out there,T50 trans is a paperweight and that is being very kind,you can probably find parts and repair it but any kind of performance driving and you'll just break it again,there are plenty of alternatives,T5,Tremec,T56,Muncies & T10 four speeds,It just depends on what you want to do! KillerDave
 

t5montecarlo

MalibuRacing Junkie
Oct 21, 2007
4,632
31
48
Lederach, PA
garage-scene.com
It only came behind the 260 Olds engine in the Cutlass, so it should last when repaired. I would suggest keeping the car original since it is not a common package. It is the same transmission used in the Cosworth Vega as well as Monzas and related H bodies, though the internal gear ratios may be different.
 

klopper92

New Member
Thread starter
Jan 17, 2007
4
0
1
greer south carolina
heres a few shots of it i took with my cell a while back. u are correct that it has the 260 engine. it also had a peg leg 2.56 10 bolt so im gonna assume that first gear in the trans is very low to get the car moving.
 

Killerdave8813

Dragway Regular
Jan 16, 2008
904
2
18
Cincinnati,Ohio
Cool,That's one of those Buttless Cutlasses they were talking about on another thread in here!! It ought to be worth messin with if you like it!!
 

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