Colbskee

What are the differences other than body and interior?

I know the motor has the weird exhaust thing(can't remember the name of it). Are the gas tanks different? SA has drum brakes on the rear my GSL has discs.

Reason I ask is, I found a fairly rust free SA22c for $600CAD and want to buy it and put my motor, trans, and gas tank in it.

It has an auto trans, and no gas tank.

Oh.. and waffles

Will the exhaust from my FB fit? It has a 13b RB road race header modded to fit 12a, resonator to a 2.25" under axle exhaust.

Will my suspension bolt in?

Will the dash and interior all bolt in?

Car is a 1979 model.. here is a pic..

Redliner223

iTrader: (6)

The weird exhaust thing you're talking about the air pump?
Yes the gas tanks are different.
I'm not sure about your exhaust, I think it should.
The suspension pretty much stayed the same there were some minor changes through out the years, like later model first generations had an LSD put in and some hose sizes were changed some one else should have more input on that.
Now your interior no the dash will not bolt in it's totally different, though I don't know why you would want to put an 80's dash in a car designed for the 70's.
Honestly I'd say buy the '79, I own a silver one and I never get tired of staring at it.
All the information above was taken from different threads on this forum just do a search and all your questions will be answered.

Colbskee

hmm i really want to buy it, just need a gas tank.

Colbskee

So all i could find about the tanks is that one is 14g and the other is 16.5g. The trans on the pre 81 cars is about 4" shorter, so i would have to cut stuff to make mine fit.. does this mean drive shafts are different also?

Redliner223

iTrader: (6)

I'm not to sure, I hope someone else can answer that question. Sorry I can't help :/

t_g_farrell

iTrader: (1)

The gas tank will not fit, the SA tank is smaller due to a full size spare tire well.

The tranny and driveshaft may fit but it depends on the year GSL you have. The
rear driveshaft flange is different across the years in the FB and may not match
the SA one. Not sure on length issues. If you swap over your complete suspension
it will be a guaranteed bolt in. The only issue is the hole for the shifter may need to
be extended back a bit for the FB shifter.

The interior can pretty much bolt in. I saw someone do it before. The issues will be
wiring harness incompatiblities. Its a lot more work than you would think.

You exhaust setup should fit ok but I'm not positive on that one.

Redliner223

iTrader: (6)

If you ever get the 79 please tell me if the header fits. How did you modify it and are there perks to having a 13b header or is it the same as having a 12a header?

rxtasy3

iTrader: (2)

it's called a "13b header" or a "12a header" cause that's the engine it fits. to put a 13b header on a 12a engine(or vise versa), it will have to be modified. the exhaust ports on the 13b r slightly farther apart than the 12a.

for the tranny, the shifter for the fb is aprox 4" farther back that the sa tranny. not sure the exact models but the flange at the rear end where the shaft bolts is different from the sa to fb. usually means just redrilling holes.

Colbskee

there are a few threads on how to do it. A couple different ways to do it also. The way i did it, it can be put back on a 13b with no problems. Just elongated the bolt holes and opened up the ports on the header a bit.

Redliner223

iTrader: (6)

Alright thanks guys I'll just buy the 12a header.

snowbreaker

iTrader: (1)

i swap in a newer 82 engine and the 82 5 speed tranny, all i did was take a tin cutter and cut back and made a custom rubber surround for the hole. then i swapped a 82 dash and interior into my car. with the 82 dash i just switched the wiring harness aroud cause the plugs didnt match up at all and i add rear storage bins...