We can appreciate your desire to upgrade the power output of that Camaro, but the bad news is that you're probably looking at a complete driveline swap. The main problem with your plan is that the T5 used with V-6 engines in Camaros is not the same as the one found in factory-equipped V-8 cars. The big difference is in the input shaft-the V-8 trans uses the same style of 26-spline shaft as older Chevy 'boxes, while the V-6 version uses a 14-spline "metric" design. You might be able to find a clutch disc that would allow you to mate the two, but don't bother. The limited power-handling capacity you alluded to is somewhat true even with the V-8 "World-Class" gearbox, and quite a bit worse with the V-6 version. Your best bet is to locate a V-8 T5, and to use the corresponding flywheel, clutch, and so on. Make sure your flywheel corresponds to the engine you're using-'87-and-later engines use the one-piece rear-main-seal-type crank flange, which requires a different flywheel than earlier two-piece rear-main engines. By the way, a healthy 305 is plenty capable of grenading a T5, so don't get too crazy with the power shifts.
Knockin' on GTO's FloorI recently purchased a '66 GTO from a musclecar dealer. I haven't worked on musclecars since my high school days in the mid-'70s. Back then I also owned a couple of '66 GTOs. The problem I'm now having is with the driveshaft apparently not having enough clearance from the floorboard. When I testdrove the car, there were no people riding in the back, so I didn't notice a problem. The front U-joint, where the shaft couples with the tranny, hits the floor during heavy deceleration or on any bumps in the road, but only with passengers in the back.
I seem to remember this even back in the '70s, but at that time I mostly used the GTO for straight speed with no passengers in the back seat. I have installed air shocks, which seemed to help a little, but only when they are nearly filled to capacity, and there is only one person in the back. Should I change all four springs? Someone even suggested that the body could be shimmed up, though I have never heard of this.Egils BurgisIndianapolis, IN
If the driveshaft is actually contacting the floor at the tail of the transmission, the most likely culprit is a bad transmission mount. The relationship between the body and the transmission really doesn't change, with the possible exception of some slight compression of the body mounts, regardless of suspension travel. So, even though the angle of the driveshaft does change with ride height, the front yoke shouldn't be getting closer to the floor when the suspension is compressed. If there was a situation where the body was actually too close to the transmission, assuming there was no frame or floorpan damage (as the result of a previous collision or rust), the problem would probably lie with deteriorating rubber body mounts.
Your situation sounds more like a transmission-mount failure, which can be tricky to spot, because at rest, even a completely broken mount will often appear normal. But, by loading the driveline in a certain way, as you do during deceleration, the transmission is probably lifting off the crossmember and contacting the floor. Raising the rear suspension with air shocks is masking the actual problem.
Place a floor jack under the transmission (make sure to cushion the jack pad so as not to damage the trans pan) and gently raise the jack. You'll probably see the transmission lift off its mount, or the mount will separate from the crossmember. You can replace the mount quickly and easily with a standard part from the auto parts store, or you can upgrade to the polyurethane unit offered by Energy Suspension, which is not only tougher, but also has an interlocking design to prevent the sort of situation you're experiencing, even if the flexible portion of the mount fails.