fbekholden.com

Hi all just asking for some guidance on my first build - heres some history to begin with

- bought EK ute which I bought licensed and a daily driver (with excellent grey motor with manual gearbox) but found out rust was a massive problem and was advised to try to find a better body to bolt everything onto - just before last Xmas got a sedan body (automatic - but with no motor or gearbox) which is in a lot better condition although needing front and rear floor pans replacing and it has the transmission hump missing out of the front. Generally there is very little structural rust so a pretty good start to the project, just need to grab all the bits off of the ute and then find some more parts to complete the build.

- here are the tag details from the sedan

BODY: EK225AUT-3425-A
TRIM: 676-964
PAINT: 585-240
INSERT: NIL
TOP: 585-0246

My questions are
a. what are the differences between an manual versus an automatic body
b. how difficult would it be to install a manual transmission into an automatic body setup
c. if its too difficult to adapt automatic body for manual transmission how hard are the hydramatic transmissions to find (in reasonable condition)

Thanks in anticipatio of all the wise and informative responses

Todd

The only real difference I know of between auto and manual bodies is the floor hump. But by the sounds of it you've got no hump and need to replace the rusty floors so you can easily graft in whatever you need to clear whatever gearbox you choose.

Hi Rick, I would go with the auto hump then if you want an auto it's no probs.
If your running a grey motor forget about a hydra and stick a trimatic behind it, there is a kit on eBay, it works a treat.
Trev.

What Trev said I've put a trimatic into a ute (as many others before me also have) and it was no biggie.

Thanks all for the advice will have a look at the trimatic for the grey, and could someone post a pic of the automatic hump/firewall area so that I have an idea as to what I'm looking at - thanks again

cheers

Todd

Front cross member width is also different between autos and manuals.

Cheers,
Harv

Pretty sure he means the No 1's, sill to gearbox mount

Yep, No 1 crossmember, or gearbox crossmember. Manual is 42mm wide, auto is apparantly thicker (never had a slush-drive body to measure one though).

Cheers,
Harv

Not much more to add on this - but I believe to entice people into buying Holden's first auto - the auto package included some of the extra's beyond that found in the special range.

The quadrant on an auto is different to that on a Tri-matic - I don't know the difference, but something tells me reverse and 1st are interchanged...

Auto's also had insulation lining under the hood - at least all the original ones I have seen did....
I'm not sure whether they also included a brake servo booster.

I would certainly go with the auto hump as a replacement. I appreciate you wanting to keep the stock grey and crunch box - but..... if you ever go auto or put in a 4/5 speed manual - all of the hard work is already done.

Something is also nagging me about courtesy lights, but I can't bring it to mind....

I wonder if anyone has a dealer's vehicle specification listing.... standard and accessories available.... that would be an excellent place to document and justify any comments made here..... guess if we had one, it would have been posted by now...... maybe it was - but I must have missed it - because I would certainly want that in my data base....

frats,
Rosco

Thanks all for the information great ideas from all I'll put an auto hump back in for Justin Case I want to go down the Trimatic path but again appreciate all the informative comments

Todd