Automatic to Manual Transmission Swaps, Is It Worth It?
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- Опубліковано 20 січ 2019
- I get asked quite a bit about automatic to manual transmission swaps. Let’s face it, manual transmissions are more fun to drive. However, I think many people aren’t taking into consideration all of the time, money, and effort that would go into an automatic to manual swap. That’s why I made this video.
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ETCG1 - Авто та транспорт
You won’t stop me from achieving my dreams
Some dumb idiot converted my 1989 foxbody gt mustang into a 4 speed automatic. Got rid of the manual.
@@tebibyte2357 what an idiot
@@tebibyte2357 before you got it?
@@goosey4840 Yeah and it sucks. It sounds like it's a CVT lol. Will do the T5 swap soon.
@@tebibyte2357 can you atleast drag race it bc the transmission
Scotty Kilmer has the easiest way to turn an auto to a manual, sell the auto and buy a manual.
and he's right lol
I believe that's exactly what I said in the video. ;)
@@ETCG1 That IS what you said, probably never got that far into the video before commenting.
Thats pretty much the best advise. Small issue with it though. 90 percent of cars sold are automatic. Manual versions of cars are increasing difficult to find. I want a e90-92 bmw 335i. I can find 10 automatics for every one manual transmissions.
+
Paint the blue car red and just tell everyone you did it.
Keen eyed viewers will realize my red one has a sunroof, the blue one does not. I like this thinking though.
And paint the red car blue.
You have a cutoff wheel, don't you?
body swap.
🤣😂😁
My 15 year old son wants to build a drift car and he thinks it’s no problem to convert an automatic to a manual transmission. I keep telling him that we’ll find the right vehicle that’s a manual, just be patient. Thank you for the video, I’ll have my son watch it. Hopefully he’ll now realize that it’s just not his “dumb father” who thinks this way 🤪
Wayne Tjornhom better yet, help him do the conversion. The life lesson will be worth it, and He can’t drive for another year anyhow.
Yeah any reasonable drift chassis has a manual variant and isn't particularly rare anyway, like e36 or s13. Only situation to manual swap one is if you get a super good deal on the auto to avoid the drift tax
He just wants a clean, un-molested car to start with. He rightfully feels you won't find a clean, factory manual most likely. Because everyone else who drifts has done the same thing before him.
The factory manual cars have all been but bought up, beaten up, hacked up (improperly), have problems now that they just want to chuck off to unsuspecting novice buyers.
(Hopefully NOT you).
And the clean ones done right, or un-molested, cost too much. Which justifies buying an auto and modifying it over time cost-wise.
@@mumbles005 Now THAT, I agree on 100%!!
Excuse my long posts. But You don't daily your drift car - ESPECIALLY as a NEW driver, or drifter!
You get something CHEAP, old, and/or beat up and LEARN on that. TOW IT TO THE TRACK if you can.
Don't throw expensive parts at it first. STOCK ENGINE, STOCK SUSPENSION. Let him learn the car, develop his skill, THEN upgrade the car as he develops.
NO STREET DRIFTING!!
NO PARKING LOT DRIFTING!!
TRACK OR NOTHING!!
Many nice cars get totaled going over curbs and smacking walls & guardrails on the street!
At least at the track you don't get in trouble.
Maybe he wants a 240sx. Tell him to look at other cars. And be careful about cheap cars from other drifters trying to dump their botched projects on him.
If he watches ChrisFix, he did the same thing. He bought a late 90's Mustang GT (factory manual!). Kept it stock, and built it as he got better. He also had another daily driver though. So he mainly drove it to/from the track.
@@mumbles005 no. too powerfull or it's a wiring nightmare. you're better off with a dropped, stripped mini pickup, like a courrier, a B2000 or something like that. cut the springs, drop the rear, strip everything. any 90's rwd car would work fine too. all it needs is a welded diff and stiff springs.
180whp is where you ideally want to be at. with a corvette you'll just hit a wall faster and harder.
Good point. I converted an '83 Suburban from a 700R4 to a Saginaw 4. I did it in my garage and it was VERY labor intensive. Replacing the pedal box, relocating the cross member, setting up the clutch master and slave as the mechanical linkage wouldn't work, lengthening the driveshaft. I probably ended up with spending 6 months on a project truck that didn't have a computer that barely fit in my garage. But, it was really cool to have the only 4 speed Suburban that I had ever seen.
Swap the automatic to a manual and the manual to an automatic.
Should save you a fortune doing it
Manual to auto is a ton more work as you have to swap every associated computer and harness over. It's not a swap I would ever attempt. I've done auto to manual which as worked out well.
Or sell the automatic and buy a manual and sell the manual and buy a automatic.
Pull the bodies off, and swap the two.... ;-)
@@markmooney4770 that would work for everything except the roof and rear quarter panels as they're part of the structure of the car so the only thing gained is a different front end and doors, nothing gained in the frame or structural parts of the car. So if the reason for the swap is rust you've still got rust
I’m depressed after watching video.
Me too 😔
Same here pal
Don't be sad boys and girl there are option
Same
It's not as hard as he's making it out to be unless it's like a new car if it's a new car it's a nightmare anything made after 2010 is a nightmare
I own a 92 Subaru SVX, which infamously only came in automatic. Also the transmission is made of balsa wood and glass so a manual swap is an inevitably when it dies, the car is rare enough that it's absolutely worth swapping if the need arises.
[I'm cheating though, this car is an extreme edge case for this specific topic.]
Is it the turbo model?
I also own a Subaru SVX and I agree, a manual swap is something that crosses the mind of the owner of oneof these cars. They only made them in auto but from my understanding, they carried over many of the design features to the later STI's. The automatic 4 speed auto that come stock in the SVX are not up to snuff for the stock H6 torque and many people end up having to replace them anyway. For cars like this, I feel like it is 50/50. Since they are so rare, you are going to have the pureists that will say keep it stock and collectable. The enthusiasts will say to slap a manual and turbo and have the instant race car. However, it's never that simple. After doing much research, I'd be looking at putting close to 10k doing the swap in a car I paid 2000 for. Is it really worth it? If the auto transmission fails on me, I might look at the possibility at that point because I love the car and it would be worth it to me at that point. But don't fix what's not broken. That's my take on it.
Those early SVX transmissions were terrible. What did they expect using the same transmission that was in an imprezza and other lower power lighter cars of the Subaru lineup. I killed one of those transmissions in a 96 Outback. Luckily Subaru parts are highly interchangeable and easy to find. Now if I could only find a SVX.
Thankfully, Subaru has engineered their cars with interchangeably in mind. However, the SVX was such a departure from anything else they ever made. They only came in auto and NA engine as it was designed as a luxury touring coupe. It's a heavy beast with a slosh box transmission. Even with the pitiful automatic that's in the SVX, it is still such a fun car to drive. I have seen an SVX that had a manual swapped in from a WRX but even those transmissions aren't up to the task of handling the torque that the SVX motor puts out. Now, it might be beneficial to buy one that has already had the swap done but I am cautious about these because you really don't know what kind of corners have been cut to make that swap possible. If you can find one with a swap for a good price, it might be worth picking one up with the mindset that they have already done half the work. I say this because of the transmissions they have available really need some internal beefing. An STI trans could theoretically be up to task but if you go for any more power on the engine side of things, it will most definitely fail. These are all things to keep in mind when considering doing these sorts of modifications. My advice would be to come up with a realistic plan or goal for your car and do plenty of research. You might find out that doing a swap like these is just not worth it at the end of the day.
To your point, depending on the platform, there are enthusiast communities that have accomplished the swap and have catalogued the process and required parts. I would be surprised if such a community exists for the Vigor, but it's definitely possible.
This is why forums should be bigger than Facebook for tech info.
*looks over at the new manual transmission sitting on a pallet in my garage*
Did you end up swapping?
@@dsavage8751 yes, today is hopefully the last day of the project, the clutch lines are in and the flywheel and pressure plate is on. All that's left is putting the transmission in
Update: I've been driving it for a few weeks without issue. The truck itself needs alot of work but the transmission is great
@@bawkray sigh i bought all the parts to swap mine but i’m hesitating rn
@@chimkinnugget5221 how much did you spend on parts, is this car a daily driver, and what year is it?
I swapped in a manual trans into a 2000 4runner. It was actually pretty simple. The biggest upgrade after the swap was actually getting an ECU from a manual 4runner. The brain box didn't know what to do with the manual at all and it just drove funky. If you're curious, I posted a video talking about my swap
Agree 100%. Good video. Thanks for posting.
Great video Eric! I love my older 90's Honda's and have personally performed an auto to manual swap in a 1992 Honda Accord. I live just north of you in Columbus and we both know the difficulties of finding a nice clean vehicle here. At that time I was lucky and found a nice clean rust free auto but not a manual. For me the decision was easy and the effort to convert it was well worth it.
Agree 100%! On a side note, the beard is looking strong Eric!!
Great points Eric I would agree you. Save the transmission swaps for the older cars.
Could not have said it better myself. Keep up the great work. I love your videos, and I 100% agree with you.
I have a 88 GMC Sierra, that I'm saving for a project vehicle. I can NOT wait until the videos for your dad's truck start coming!
I've done it a few times. Very few cars it's easy; most cars it's a royal pain. The older civic wasn't too bad to swap, but I want to say just about every other honda product required cutting and welding in addition to wiring issues.
Your username got me thinking, the Nissan S13 is one of those cars where it's easy- just swap the requisite components around and you're good to go. Not so with the older S12, which has a totally different floorpan between automatic and manual variants. Much welding and cobbling together of components from newer Nissans is required. I'd still recommend it in that car- it's 30-35 years old, you better be prepared for that kind of thing anyway- but it's only "straightforward" if you've done it a few times and have time to waste.
91 Integra. Just had to drill a couple holes for the manual pedal assembly, and drill a hole for a clutch cable. Everything was pre-stamped and marked from factory. Super easy.
@@dropinbiking92 I priced out a 2005 Civic for manual to auto. Was about $2000 for all new OEM parts minus the ECU and transmission. That was for brand new OE Engine Harness, Dashboard Harness, used manual gauge cluster, shifter assembly w/ cables, clutch pedal with sensors, new flywheel, clutch, pressure plate, new slave cylinder, new master cylinder and all the lines and hardware. New Driver's Axle (longer than the auto axle.) Two new engine mounts for the manual transmission. When Honda went to McPherson struts, it's a lot harder to get the transmission out too. With the subframe (as it designed for the car to be lifted off the subframe w/ the engine assembly and wheels still on the subframe.)
The auto dash harness can be mutilated to remove the lines that tell the car it's in park. The auto engine harness can be modified to include the sensor for the reverse lights. The stock auto ecu can be used, but, it will likely be stuck in limp mode and not go past 4000 rpm. No welding. You could get all those parts from the junk yard for pennies on the dollar and there's plenty of civic's in junkyards.
Main point - Honda still marks on all their firewalls where the clutch pedal goes still. Yay Honda. I wouldn't auto-to-manual anything other than a Honda, or T56 T400 LS everything.
Yeah a 91 Integra is WAYYYY more simple than a 2005 civic. I was lucky too. My 92 manual Integra got wrecked, and it's VERY hard to find second gen Integras not rotten away. So I found an automatic for $600. I didn't actually need to buy anything for the swap, I just yanked everything off the manual car before I scrapped it, made $150 from the scrap shell, and put it towards a brand new clutch, just because why not?
@@KENARDO yup S13 is about as easy an auto to manual swap as you will find.
in France, easy choice : it's illegal to swap anything... love your videos Eric
this is also a reason why jaune jillets happening lol
Not even tyres?
@Another Millennial that has nothing to do with eu rules. Here in the Netherlands you can tint your front windows up intil a serten degree. Rears you can black out if you want, no problem no paperwork.
Glad I don't live in France then!
I don't get how European countries can have all these bullshit regulations on damn near everything and everybody is just okay with it.
Just noticed that this was posted on my birthday, thanks for the happy birthday
Thanks for sharing, looking forward to see what happens with the truck!
I just finished manual swapping a Civic, cause, I'm dumb and like burning money.
I /only/ needed a 5-speed gearbox, shift cables, shift cable brackets, shift cable spacers, and pins, shifter box, shift boot, shift knob, shifter boot trim, clutch and brake pedal, drill holes in firewall, clutch cylinder, clutch lines, clutch reservoir and bracket, clutch line brackets, secondary clutch cylinder, shift fork and boot, throw out bearing, clutch disc, pressure plate, flywheel, pilot bearing, lots of bolts, front subframe, front motor mount, rear transmission bracket, left and right CV axles, an engine wire harness, a PCM sub-wire harness, the driver's controls sub-wire harness, the M/T in-cabin fusebox, a new ECU.
I've never driven a manual car on the road either.
Yeah I'm going through this on my Honda Civic right now because Honda automatics are terrible I think I have figured a way to trick the computer into thinking that it's in neutral
Eric! Fix up the blue one, someday! It's still a great car! Have two clean Vigors!
Love your opinions! There's just no bs about it.
First video I've ever seen from you guys. It also just so happens to be my birthday so cheers. Easy sub.
Some days I barely even WANT to WORK on modern cars ... let alone start modifying them! Nooooo thanks! 😁😁
I have a '97 E150. I fix stuff, mostly electrical (light switch, turn signal assy., airbag, clock spring.) Some of the stuff is enraging (ask my neighbors - I moan like a crazy man sometimes) but the parts are essentially free. More modern than that requires a good scanning tool and you ain't gonna get away without it.
I did it in a 95 civic.. took about 2 days but I pulled the motor out and did all the work! But I doubt I would try it on a different car..
Does it run well
I like you better and better Eric! Please stay on UA-cam forever!!
Always a pleasure to watch your show
Thanks.
So glad I got a manual car. I love it. Never going back to automatic or auto tragic. I dont care if they're faster and economical. It's pure driving pleasure I'm after.
I've swapped a few. lots of effort for minimal gain.
Thanks Eric I wondered about this,I think that in the old days this was O.K but not with modern cars, I am totally convinced thanks to you; Much appreciated.
Completely dissuaded me as soon as you reminded me of the numerous sensors I'd need to be worried about in my car. Thanks ETCG
Hey Eric I'm at Scotty kilmers house watching your videos lol
Tell him I said 'hi'.
Tell him i said fuck you and start more drama with chris fix lately?
Depends on the vehicle. Like you said early on the video, modern vehicles it’s a no no. Older vehicles sure why not if you can.
How old tho
@@genesispineda839 anything 80’s and older
Thanks a lot for information! I planed to do this until watched this video 🙏🏼
I completely agree with you Eric I barely started restoring my 1994 Honda Civic DXhopefully sometime soon you have some events coming up so we can go meet you me and my older brother always watching videos thank you are you videos
It's 2am here in CA and I'm watching ETCG1👍👍👍
5am on the east coast. Guess I should go to bed now....
5:30am here lol
I enjoyed this video, it was quite funny 😂 especially your impersonation of people typing
Excellent and extremely valid points!
Thanks, helped me out about because I didn't know if this was possible
I’d leave it as is. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. 🍻😎👍
That slogan has no relevancy. Doing a manual swap would be a mod, not a repair.
Justin Dow Lol.. An automatic that's never had it's ATF changed is inherently broken you just haven't seen the effects yet.
I just got done swapping a automatic 99 Miata to manual. It wasn't just "change trans, pedals and go" like a lot of people think. It's also the driveshaft, power plant frame and some wiring that isn't exactly well documented. It took about a month working on the weekends to do it. In the end, the "no grinds, shifts smooth" manual trans I got grinds going into 5th and it idles weird. Was it worth it? For the most part, no lol but where I live, manual Miatas are actually kind of hard to find. For some reason, a lot of the Miatas here are auto. I have no idea how but they are.
Its sad, isnt it? Im not a Miata person per-se... But i get it. Its annoying to see sporty, fun to drive cars that are meant to be driven spiritedly and you look inside to find a soul-crushing auto lol.
Automatic Miatas? That is baffling... do you live in the Midwest by chance?
Not really a Miata guy, but did you swap ECUs? An auto trans ECU in a manual trans application often results in a high idle. The auto ECU is calibrated for the drag from having to spin the torque converter while stopped in drive, but you removed the drag.
@@robertbeachz31 yes I swapped ecus. I have a manual 99 10AE Miata that I swapped the manual ecu with the 99 auto. The 10AE is my racecar and never idled correctly to begin with because it's got almost everything deleted and has check engine codes galore so as long as it still ran I don't mind it. The swapped 99 idles fine and everything, only problem now is it has a common Miata problem known as "idle droop".
I just looked up this video because I just bought an 01 Miata that’s an automatic because the price was right and I wanted to find out if I could switch it. I’m already regretting buying it 😢
It was my birthday yesterday, so thank you!!
The Parking sensor on my Auto car broke so the car doesnt know when it is in the P gear. When I cold start the car instead of it idling high it idles high then quickly drops the RPM down right away. I realised that this was the Auto gear box telling my engine it isnt in P anymore so it has to lower the RPM to put it in gear even though it wasnt.
So basically you are 100% right about the computer being different in Auto cars. Very interesting!
I wish you made this video 10 years ago!
I was naive enough to try this when I was a teenager. Tried to put an engine/harness from my totalled 1991 300zx (auto) into a another 91 300zx (manual). Ran like crap, spent months trying to get it running properly. Every time I drove it, it broke down a few miles later. Eventually gave up and sold it.
I am one of those people that is open minded to transmission conversions but before I would even attempt it, I would educate my self with what exactly would be needed.
There are several well documented conversions out there. Its just a matter of finding it.
I did it back in 1978 on a 69 fury.
That was most likely worth it.
Agree with you Eric. Thanks for the vid.
I did an auto to manual swap on a 99 mustang a few years back. I did have a complete manual 00 mustang, so it wasn't too bad to do. If I did not have the complete parts car, I would not have bothered doing it. Great video!
I completely agree, though it depends on the car. Supra mkIV for example, will definitely be much cheaper to buy as an auto (and much easier to find, at least here in the UK anyway) I wouldn't even dream of swapping out a dsg etc for a manual these days or even a manual for a dsg, not worth the brain ache.
Very true. Those 6 speeds are EXPENSIVE!!
I have two 6-speed accord coupes.
Very Nice 👍🏼
Reminds me of my Dads wisdom way back after costing hundreds of dollars and a week of frustration...he said, after the job, "Just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should...or will do what you expect!" Smart man there
I love Eric’s ‘94 Acura Legend Type 2 6 speed MT! A Sweet Ride! 1 of my favorite cars ever made.
That's all nice, but let's talk about that glorious beard you've got going on. Noice.
100% agree Eric it’s completely pointless and imo STUPID to five speed swap a auto just buy a manual shell or something lol. Much easier !! Unless it’s a classic car without modern technology. It’s not worth it!
Adam Wolfe there are some cases like with a E34 540i where the auto version can be had for $1500 and the manual is $5-6000. Yet the parts to convert will cost you $1500 which makes it more financially better to convert verses buying a manual version.
Hey Eric, love you and your videos, have taught me a lot over the last ten years. Completely agree that with most, I emphasize most modern vehicles, it is a foolish pursuit for all the reasons you mention. Nonetheless, some 80s and early 90s obd1 Honda civic, accord, and Acura integra seem to be the exception for the most part due to parts compatibility across the chassis. Mostly, a proper auto to manual swap requires an auto to manual transmission conversion mount to accommodate for the differences between the two. As far as pedals, ecu and wiring, the dashboard removed will make it super easy to address those things, including the hole you have to drill for the clutch cable/master cylinder. The automatic transmission computer is removed and the ecu and cruise computer replaced with units from an identical manual car. Add in a clutch neutral safety switch and starter relay, and it works exactly as it should. All the auto trans related electrical plugs can remain unplugged with zero detriment. Can even swap out your gauge cluster. I converted my 92 Integra back in 2016, and it has been more reliable, fuel efficient, and faster than it ever was with the auto trans. Main reason why I did mine was because I love DA's, and the only one I could find in my area (not trashed) was an auto with a busted trans. I also run my own Honda used parts business so I dont have to pay retail on anything but new wear parts like the clutch. So in the end, yes it can be done as its been done many times on older hondas, but the costs and technical know-how is definitely prohibitive to most people.
I purchased a 1994 Toyota T100 it looks like it was automatic before and it runs perfect it also passed smog hopefully my purchase will last seems tight and I will keep you posted in a year
Many auto enthusiasts/professional mechanics are not very good at electrical/electronic components. Yes, some Hondas/Acuras use different ECU's for MT & AT; it's just that the AT's ECU contains PCU as Eric says.
I used to drive a Volvo 850T5R, which had a separate computer for the 5AT. Converting AT to MT usually does require another ECU, but if you can read the schematic and are good at wiring, you can easily fabricate conversion harness. Go to a junkyard and find an MT, rip out the ECU & connectors (HA Motorsport sells new connectors) .
However, it's not worth it for most people as they think of cars as "investment". I consider my 04 TL 6MT as a learning tool & self-expression so I'll keep it until she vaporizes. For those who don't know the advantage of MT's, it is too bad but I am not going to get into the details as it would be a long essay. One thing I noticed is that those who can drive MT cars, in general, know a lot more about driving, not just transmission-related.
People are getting lazier with automated everything; tranny, adaptive CC, smart-everything. I myself don't wish to be "driven/controlled" by cars; I drive them.
Ain't that the truth
When I was a young man, I would have said yes, it's definitely worth it. Now, as an old man, I must honestly admit the it's definitely not worth it. Manual transmissions no longer offer a substantial advantage in fuel economy, they're more difficult to drive safely on snow and ice, and constant shifting can become a real bore at times. Also, a properly maintained automatic can last the life of the car, whereas the clutch on a manual transmission will definitely not. Yes, I know that manual transmissions still appeal to the young and sexy, but I'm neither of those, anymore, so I choose the automatic.
Don't drive on ice, if you do, change your tyres. Once you're on the road, you are in one gear and it's like an auto anyway.
I love the fact I can bump start my car (as long as there is voltage to run the ECU)
Manuals 100% last longer. The clutch in a manual will absolutely last the life of the car. Automatics have clutches in them too. I have had 2 vehicles go over 200k miles on the original clutch. My current car has 224k miles and is still on the original clutch. Good luck limping an automatic trans to 224k miles.
The 2001 Saturn in my drive has 249k on its clutch and I just drove it 1200 miles in 22 hours last week. I'm thoroughly impressed with it.
I have to disagree. A lot of manuals last the life of the car when not raced or abused (shifted improperly, grinding gears).
And the clutch may not last the life of the vehicle, but it can and will last a long time, again, if you drive it properly - no racing or abuse.
Many automatics, even when properly maintained, still don't last the lifetime of the vehicle.
Sometimes, they don't even get to the suggested time - or mileage - service interval if it's poorly made.
The same can be said for manuals, but it's mostly automatics.
And neither tranny is safer if you drive too fast for road conditions...or your driving skill.
To each his own.
Sexy is in the eyes of the beholder man... I'm sure you got a wife or girlfriend, I'm sure she thinks you're sexy
That truck is 100% PERFECT as it is. I LOVE that series of trucks.
Small world, I'm one of the two people on the planet that owns two 1994 Acura Legend GS sedans!
But seriously, I agree with what you have said here. I did a manual swap on my 91 Accord wagon and it was a surprising amount of work, even on a car that old.
Is this true?
Auto mk4 supra go for 20k
Manual supra 60k
Swaps can be done for 5-10k?
Depending on the vehicle really
I totally agree. There are several sport and performance models that have had transmission conversions done. So its just a matter of finding a well documented write up on what is going to be need for the transplant to be successful.
I’ve seen your video on ETC where you switched out an engine with and auto trans with an engine with a manual trans on a 2004 Acura TL for a customer and it worked out great since you had the PCM from the donor manual trans. You made the swap look easy, but it always looks easy on You Tube.
That was a vehicle that already had a manual transmission in it. If it had an automatic, it would have been a lot more difficult to do the conversion. Thanks for the comment.
I'm so ready for the videos on the 1990 Chevy pick up, same as my truck
Too much caffeine today? You seem agitated. Lol
~Eric why don’t you just switch the automatic to a manual~
He made a video on this: ua-cam.com/video/1csJbTOWdhk/v-deo.html
Absolutely spot on Eric. The wiring harness alone is a total pain, you'll have to take apart tbe dash too and trace out sensors, and then hope nothing gets torn or cut as your tearing everything down. Weeks of work hahs
Thank you!!!
Why would you want to change gears all the time, if you could just sit back and let the car do it for you? Most of my cars have been manual and I don't get what's so great with them. It's like Homer Simpson said about driving, "gas, brake, honk. Gas, brake, honk". Why would you wanna add the constant shifting to that, if you're able to avoid it?
Changing gears gives me something to do during an otherwise very monotonous commute. I find it to be satisfying and entertaining. But I also understand why most people don't feel the same way.
Kent I agree, boredom promotes texting, sleeping, and just General inattention ..... I never get bored with my six speed....
Blew through two 4L60Es autos in my 500hp 02 z28 Camaro. Did a t56 swap and rebuilt the 6-speed myself. What a blast! Totally different machine after.
Well, you could have probably built a 4l60e to handle the abuse cheaper than a t56 swap, but that swap is awesome!
@@stephendee7839 I had the 4l60 built and blew 2nd gear. Twice lol. I purchased a t56 from a buddy that owned a garage for 300$. The t56 would slip out of gear, found one of the plastic pads to the gear engaging forks chewed up, replaced those with brass pads, threw in a monster stage 3 clutch and some other goodies. Ran like a dream. I like manuals.
You are so RIGHT...
Glad you put this up. Some people just need to be educated, I remember not understanding.
I love the old Acuras, I used to have a 98 2.5 (G25A) Tl. Which is the same engine that is in those Vigors and the Legends. The G25A was discontinued in 98 which was the last year of the first gen TL. Those engines sound amazing when you upgrade the exhaust. They sound like a V10 and in the low RPMs they mimic the Subaru grumble.
Not my birthday but imma drop a like for the fact that yall nice and shid
I would watch the shit out of a video series based on swapping an auto to a manual. Might not be the most economical (or sane) choice, but I could learn so much from it! I won't tell you what to put on your channel, but I think a lot of people will watch it. Either way, love your vids, keep up the good work!
perfect timing ... thinking of this myself
There two things I would recommend doing for a successful and easy conversion. The first is to try to find a well documents write up for your particular car. That way you will know before hand of all the parts and of any special modifications that will be needed. Then if it still looks doable by your self get a donor car that has been wrecked or has a blown engine for cheap.
Thank you. I (was) going to do that to my 2000 chevy malibu
I have a ‘90 Thunderbird SC and did choose to do that conversion. However, there were also circumstances that balanced out the equation and actually tipped the scales well over to manual transmission side. The automatic transmission was about to fail completely (no OD, 1st and reverse slipping really bad, basically only thing keeping it going was a bottle of Lucas Oil transmission fluid). Thanks to a fellow SCCOA club member (also a skilled mechanic), who had the parts for sale and skill needed to install them, I was able to have him do the conversion for a little less than a rebuild of the AOD I had in it.
The 2 ratio jump, as I had already had the 3.27:1 gearing for the automatic vs the 2.73:1 stock ratio for the manual, was a nice bonus.
all very good points Eric! well said! its not like the old days! electronic transmissions are a whole different animal! Cheers!
Haha, but we watch you take engines out in a matter of minutes!!! Keep up the good work man. Maybe doing a manual swap in the future to show us the amount of work that does go into it.
You got a point, I was thinking of swapping my civic to a manual, thinking ill just wait and find a better car to work on thats manual, for now I'm happy with the civic 8 have
Those are fair points.
Good point thanks for the advice I was thinking of putting a manual in my mustang but it's better if I just buy a project car and build to my liking
I made my g35 manual it was a pain in the butt but it was fun and I learned a lot so yea it was very fun it’s worth it
Thanks
When the 4l60 blew in my silverado I considered putting in a 6l90 from a newer truck in it. Would have loved the extra gears but even that swap required significant wiring harness modification and trickery to get the older trucks ecu to run it all. Furthermore things like the shifter stalk on a 4 speed auto chevy is D321 and the 6 speeds its selectable and only D and M. Stuff like this to make it really work right can get confusing and ugly looking in the interior too.
Even autos to autos can be almost as hard is what in getting at!
It might not be worth it but if you get a bazillion views, maybe it is worth it! I'd definitely watch!
Man that truck looks tuff even now!!
Yep I agree with you 100%. It is a colossal waste of your time and energy to do a manual swap in your Acura Vigor. However, I would very much like to see some future videos in which you might consider fixing up the blue Vigor and maybe put it on the road and drive it in the near future. That would be pretty cool. Assuming it’s not too far gone.
If its an older non-computer controlled vehicle, go for it. It really is as easy as swapping the trans, and maybe rear gears. If theres a computer in the mix, just forget about it and do what Eric suggested, go find a manual trans car and buy that.
Great advise, keep these videos coming.
Looking forward to the rear brake conversion on the truck. I have an 89 Cheyenne that I wouldn't mind converting the rear brakes.
Found my dream car for dirt cheap and had to buy it, now I need it manual😎
I did that swap on my 93 probe gt. It's not easy but its not hard but it sure is fun and I'm going to do it again to my 95
What a coincident i watched you your 1st video on my birthday 😂
i,ve done an auto to 5 speed swap in my dakota. luckily it was so easy. trans, drive shaft, all the little stuff the manual has and the auto doesn't, and swap the pcm.
having never done it before it took me 12 hours to complete start to finish.
It was worth it to me in my old BMW E24, made the car much more fun and the ZF 4HP22 has a design floor that causes it to eat it's clutch packs if left in neutral. Cost at a shop was less than rebuilding the auto properly and I don't regret it for a second.
holy crap this guy knew it was my birthday
I did a transmission swap on a 1997 Toyota T100. It was a lot of work, but a good learning experience. If you’re gonna do it, buy a donor vehicle. I had to swap over: transmission, front and rear driveshaft, transmission crossmember, engine wiring harness, throttle body, interior wiring harness, ecu, steering column, pedal assembly, radio, airbag module, cruise control module, seat belt connector attachment, Evap system, etc. The vehicle is in mint condition, and everything is OEM. There is no jerry rigged wiring or zip tied vacuum lines. To do it correctly takes several hours and is not cheap. The donor vehicle was a 400 dollar rust bucket from Vermont, but a new clutch, rear main seal, slave cylinder added to the cost. Parting the donor vehicle out after the swap can make back the money lost in the parts cost. It was a lot of work, but a lot of fun!
I'm in the middle of doing an auto to manual swap now on a 2012 Audi A3 quattro. It wasn't offered in a manual here, and Eric, you're absolutely right. The mechanical part (transmission, clutch, pedals) is the easy part. The wiring and programming are much more difficult.... I can't tell you how many hours I spent going over wiring diagrams to get the reverse lights to work, not to mention the clutch position sensor. Thanks for the video.
Sounds like you could use a flash light on a stick lol
I had a 1989 Dodge Shadow, 2.5 turbo hatch that I swapped automatic to manual. My experience does not invalidate anything that Eric is saying, and I did have an easier time at it than most. The original 3-speed auto was fully mechanically controlled which removed a large chunk from the equation. Even in that car, though, it did strange things with the idle control valve and behaved a little "off" until a new ROM was flashed for the ECU.