manual to auto

[55dude]

guys' its been some time since i posted here and last time i was thinking 4wd to 2wd but not now. the motor in my 70' k5 is dead and i really don't want the manual trans. i have a 77' burb and was wondering how much of a pain to swap to auto is. are the transfer cases similar other than one is manual/205 the other auto/203? might even swap the front for the disks. being this will be the yard truck maybe i should just swap the engine,put in new clutch and call it good.thanks!

[Critter]

I wouldn’t say that it is easy, but very do-able. You could put the auto/203 in pretty easily and just adjust your trans and transcase mounts. If you rob the ones form the 77 it might be pretty close to a bolt in. I’m sure others will chime in with more details. You will either have to buy an auto column with all the shift linkage from a 67-72, or you can get an aftermarket floor shifter kit if you like.

Personally I would spend a little extra cash and by the proper Chevy adapter to mount the auto up to the existing NP205. I am just not a fan of 203s, but that’s just me. Another thing to think about is running some trans cooler lines up to the radiator. Also, you probably have pretty high axle gears with the standard, you might want to consider something lower like a 3.73 with an auto…all depends what tire size you are running. These are some of the bigger points to ponder, like I said, I’m sure others will jump in with some more detail.

Swapping the engine and putting in a new clutch would be A LOT easier.