My ideal next fun car is a 62 F85 convertible with a 4 speed. I'm willing to wait and I'm willing to work, but I don't want a ground up restoration project. BTDT. I had a very good candidate car In my crosshairs, but hesitated too long (a week) and it is gone. The likelihood of finding another 62 F85 convertible, with a 4 speed and in nice condition is very slim. I do feel that I could likely find a nice automatic car that meets my criterion, in a reasonable time frame, but I really want a 4 speed. This leads me to my question-

What exactly is involved and how hard is it to find the parts for a 4 speed conversion in this particular car?

If this were to happen, I would be doing all the work myself. I have a car lift and am no stranger to wrenching. I've been doing it since seven or so. I know roughly what all is involved in this kind of conversion after watching my brother do it on his '68 El Camino, but I really want to know all the details on the 62 F85. I do understand that the 61 and 63 are pretty much the same car mechanically, so if anyone has experience with a 61-62-63 conversion, I greatly appreciate the knowledge share.

Thanks in advance!

 

I realize now that there is a dedicated forum for transmissions and drivetrains, so I may have posted this in the wrong place. I can't move it, but maybe a moderator can? Thanks for the help.

 

You are posted ok here. There is a Jetfire forum that has some guys that have experience converting to other transmissions. Also look on the 61-63 f-85 Cutlass page on Facebook. Then also look at the 61-63 Buick Special Skylark guys on Facebook. Between all these places you should get some answers.

 

Cool, thanks. I will check out those pages and try to join. I imagine that some of the parts I need are common with the 3 Speed column shift car and they could be a source of parts. Is this true?

 

Yes, all the clutch stuff will be the same.

 

That's a bit of good news. It widens the pool a bit for some parts. A very little bit I understand, but a bit.