[bird72]

Did they make floor shift 4 speed 72 Bonneville's? Or was one I saw a conversion?

[jdh421]

Manual Transmissions were discontinued early in the 1971 model year for the B body cars. The 4 speed was discontinued after the 1969 Model year and I believe the floor shift was as well.

[455Grandville]

I think any manuals in 71 were all column shift 3 speeds

[Ben M.]

Both jdh421 and 455Grandville are correct. From model year introduction until December the 1971 B-body could be had with a column shift 3 speed, after that they were gone for good.

[Stuart]

And, only a handful of them were built. Per John Gunnell's book there were only 186 B bodies built with three speed manual transmissions and the option was dropped after March 1, 1971.

[bird72]

here it is, with a tripower 455 no less. Somebody had their idea of how 72's should have been!

http://kalispell.craigslist.org/cto/4294223870.html

[rexs73gto]

When I was still in school there was a guy I knew his dad hated auto's & had a 71 olds custom cruiser wagon with a 3 speed on the column. It was a 455 car to. It had posi & a 4 bbl. It was a green wagon with the woodgrain on the sides & the guy when he brought it to school sometimes ran the hell out of it. I had never seen a wagon with a 3 speed on the column before that time.

[Pontiacdaver]

Looks like it was nicely done, although it does have a 71 frontend on it. I like the 71 front better anyway. I seem to remember this car, but I want to say it was Black and had the 72 front end on it. I wonder if it is the same car that perhaps got into a fender bender, had the doghouse replaced and repainted? Couldn't be more than 1 of these out there.

Nevertheless, it is a cool car, and I'd drive it.

[Stuart]

Interesting car. They weren't available with bucket seats either, so those were added. I wonder what he used for the clutch setup.

[Ben M.]

That's an awesome car and I'd drive the heck out of it too. I'm definitely curious what he used to get the clutch and pedals all set up as well. Z-bar and return setup would all have to be fabricated.

[bird72]

I admit I am a bird guy but I did own a 69 Cat I really liked. The more I look at this car I go whacky. It is in my town. If I go see personally I will want to buy. so I resist. the pics show a well executed plan by a mechanically good tinkerer, who wanted a low key look. To tool around in a trip 455 that you shift while hauling two adults with a backseat you can fit an engine block in, and eighteen suitcases in the trunk, well that fits any and all situations. If that car was Lucerne Blue I would be over the edge. Wait....... it could be Lucerne Blue! ........

[455Grandville]

Originally Posted by Ben M.

That's an awesome car and I'd drive the heck out of it too. I'm definitely curious what he used to get the clutch and pedals all set up as well. Z-bar and return setup would all have to be fabricated.

I bet the pedals/setup I dug out of a 1971 Impala 3 speed wagon years back in high school would work ?

[455Grandville]

Originally Posted by bird72

I admit I am a bird guy but I did own a 69 Cat I really liked. The more I look at this car I go whacky. It is in my town. If I go see personally I will want to buy. so I resist. the pics show a well executed plan by a mechanically good tinkerer, who wanted a low key look. To tool around in a trip 455 that you shift while hauling two adults with a backseat you can fit an engine block in, and eighteen suitcases in the trunk, well that fits any and all situations. If that car was Lucerne Blue I would be over the edge. Wait....... it could be Lucerne Blue! ........

The big trunk is nice to have if you're on a road trip; through the years both my wife and I have taken home stuff we didn't plan on when driving through small towns on road trips.

[Stuart]

Originally Posted by 455Grandville

I bet the pedals/setup I dug out of a 1971 Impala 3 speed wagon years back in high school would work ?

By 1971 the B body GM cars were pretty standardized underneath, so that seems like a reasonable guess to me. I would assume there were more Chevys built that year with manual transmissions than Pontiacs (or Olds or Buicks for that matter) which would make a Chevy the most likely source.

[north]

Originally Posted by jdh421

Manual Transmissions were discontinued early in the 1971 model year for the B body cars. The 4 speed was discontinued after the 1969 Model year and I believe the floor shift was as well.

Despite some early factory literature to the contrary 68 was the last year for any sort of floor shift in that era. 69 fullsize was choice of auto or manual 3speed both on the tree only.

[Lightfoot]

For brevity, before the ad goes away.





Any possibility this may actually be a '71 that was converted from column 3-speed?
People often don't know what they have......

[north]

That is a 71

[455Grandville]

Originally Posted by Stuart

By 1971 the B body GM cars were pretty standardized underneath, so that seems like a reasonable guess to me. I would assume there were more Chevys built that year with manual transmissions than Pontiacs (or Olds or Buicks for that matter) which would make a Chevy the most likely source.

I came close to pitching the setup after I sold the car in the 1990's - guess it would be very difficult to source today ?

[Stuart]

The front end is 1971, although as mentioned above it could have been installed on a '72 body. 1971 cars had those neat louvers on the trunk lid as well.

I like this car a lot. I just noticed they put in a nice sport steering wheel and sport rear view mirrors, too.

[77 Canamman]

Neat conversion. The seats and shifter/bezel look like '70-'72 A body.