Topic: Shifter hole in tunnel
in Forum: C3 Driveline Components
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Lifetime MemberModerator
Duncanville, TX - USA
Joined: 11/8/2003
Posts: 20214
Vette(s): #1-1974 L-48 4spd Cp Med Red Metallic/Black deluxe int w/AC/tilt/tele./p/w-p/b/
Am-Fm/map light National/Regional/Chapter NCRS "Top Flight"
#2-1985 Bright Red/Carmine Cp.L-98/auto
Member: NCRS, NCRS Texas, Corvette Legends of Texas
Early as in what year? ALL Corvettes have a hole the floor for the shifter....standard or automatic. However, the standard shift cars have a lager hole, since the shifter mounts under the floor/tunnel. Automatic shifters mount on top of the console, and only have a small hole for the shift cable to pass thru the floor.
|UPDATED|4/9/2015 10:09:50 AM (AZT)|/UPDATED|
|UPDATED|4/9/2015 10:09:50 AM (AZT)|/UPDATED|
Joel Adams
C3VR Lifetime Member #56 
My Link 
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"Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comforting to cry in a CORVETTE than in a Kia"
Adams' Apple said:
Early as in what year? ALL Corvettes have a hole the floor for the shifter....standard or automatic. However, the standard shift cars have a lager hole, since the shifter mounts under the floor/tunnel. Automatic shifters mount on top of the console, and only have a small hole for the shift cable to pass thru the floor.
Finally found the answer I needed on Corvette Central website and some other forum posts. It seems the early C3 '68-'76 had a tunnel hole cut out for the automatic shifter. As you can see from the attached link, the shifter assembly sits down in the booted cavity. Starting in '77, the tunnel mold was changed and the shifter pocket was molded in place eliminating the hole and boot.
http://www.parts123.com/corvettecentral/dyndetail.pta?catalog=0000050g&ukey=14297
20152515373r.jpg)
Interesting - so what your saying is that '68 to '76 cars all had the 4 speed cut outs and used the filler panel for automatics. From '77 to '81 they had two tunnel designs and automatic only for '82. Hadn't noticed that one for any of the cars I've owned, but I'll sure keep an eye open for future reference.
The '82 Collector I am parting out was converted to a 5 speed and someone butchered the tunnel to get the shifter up through. I see a lot of adds for 4 speed conversion parts on CL. If what your saying is true, it would certainly make a conversion much easier on pre-'77 cars.
Anybody else seen this or gone through a 4 speed conversion ??
John Sigmund
valkman57@sbcglobal.net
NCRS Member 61302
NW NCRS Chapter Member
Duct tape is the new Black !!
Not exactly. The tunnel hole for the automatic shifter is larger than the 4 spd hole. So if you convert a '68-'76 automatic to manual, you would need to add a filler panel if you try to use the 4 spd lower boot. That is the issue I came across which started my thread.
in Forum: C3 Driveline Components
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