Manual transmission swap
 

Might be closing on the millionth time this question has been asked but i suck at finding old threads. I have a 98 v6 with a gay auto transmission. Well i guess its not gay its just less fun to drive with. If i were to say, convert it to manual transmission what kind of price am i looking at for parts and labor especially. I know it can be done but is it even worth thinking about? Another reason im asking is because my engine is gettin near 80k miles and a new tranny wouldnt hurt anyways.

figure at least 2500 bucks all in with a t-5 tranny and all the labor. It's a good part of the day to do the swap.

I've got a 2001 GT and did the same swap back in April. The total cost, parts and labor, was about $2138 but I did get some good deals on a few things (Clutch, Pedals, Flywheel, etc)

Here's all the parts I needed to do the swap (in parentheses are the parts I bought):

1. Transmission (Tremec T45)
2. Clutch (Spec Stage 2)
3. Flywheel (Spec Billet Steel)
4. Clutch/Brake Pedal Assembly (eBay from an 04 Cobra)
5. Clutch Cable (Genuine Ford)
6. Clutch Quadrant (MM Aluminum)
7. Firewall Adjuster (MM Aluminum)
8. Throwout Bearing* (Genuine Ford)
9. Clutch Fork* (Genuine Ford)
10. Clutch Cable Retainer (Genuine Ford)
11. Shifter Handle and Shifter* (Steeda)
12. Transmission Insulator Plate (Genuine Ford)
13. Transmission Wiring Harness (Genuine Ford)
14. Oil (Royal Purple Synchromax)
15. Flywheel Bolts* (Genuine Ford)
16. Pressure Plate Bolts* (Spec)
17. Dowel Pins* (Spec)
18. Pilot Bearing* (Genuine Ford)
19. Transmission Crossmember (Genuine Ford)
20. Interior Shifter Bezel w/ Boot (eBay from a Mach 1)
21. Shift Knob (10th Anniversary Cobra w/ 5 speed pattern)

Parts marked with an (*) may or may not be necessary to buy separately. For example, if you buy your clutch brand new, it will most likely come with a pilot bearing, throwout bearing, pressure plate bolts and dowel pins already. Likewise, brand new flywheels typically come with new flywheel bolts. Your transmission may or may not come with a shifter handle (or even a shifter at all, for that matter), so you may or may not end up needing those parts.

I would highly recommend purchasing a genuine Ford throwout bearing regardless of whether or not your clutch includes one. The quality of aftermarket TOBs can be very low and the use of one will likely result in premature failure. I opted to buy a Ford one even though my Spec Stage 2 came with one for that specific reason.

Two other things not listed up there are the installation and a tune. The stock ECU settings will need to be modified by your installer for everything to work properly. If you do not have a handheld tuner, you'll have to purchase one for your installer to use. Expect to pay at least $1000 for the installation.

All in all I'm very satisfied and have no regrets. My installers are were very qualified and also had a full 8 days to work on the car so they took their time. I sacrificed nothing in doing my swap and made sure to use as many genuine Ford parts as I could. As a result my swap is seamless and completely legal. My car will still pass all safety inspections.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Wow that helps a lot! Thanks for the info. I have a friendly mechanic that might be willing to work with me on the labor, maybe keep it under 2k but i dunno. Thanks again

This is my personal opinion, and ofcourse opinions are like a$$holes, everyone has one..

How long have you had your car? Do you plan on getting a GT or upgrading to a newer car anytime in the somewhat near future? How pleased are you with the power of the sixxer? Is there anything WRONG with your transmission as it is?

You're thinking about investing about half of what your cars value is on a transmission that will have little to no affect on your cars performance. Is it really worth it? If you feel like it is, then go for it, but my advice would be to save your cash for a rainy day, or a newer car.

If you are having troubles with your auto transmission I would suggest simply getting a rebuild kit and freshening it up.

You could always get a shift kit to beef up the auto and firm the shift points that will give you a bit more butt feel and better performance.

Now, I know you're probably thinking that Im a V6 hater, but as you can see in my sig I had a '98 sixxer too, and had it for about 7 years.. Just think about it carefully and make the decision that best suits you, I realyze that you're 17yrs young and you feel like this car is the cats ass, but eventually you will realyze.. It's just a 6 cylendar.. :ohsnap:

:2cents:

What he said.

Got all my stuff from Midwest Mustangs for my GT for 1400, The only thing I need was a pilot bearing and to either machine the fly or by a new I opted for the new one, I was quoted 650 for the install decided to do it my self the only PITA was installing the pedals I remove the seat and steering colum made it much easier, Also I swaped in the 5 speed computer had to get it reflashed and keys for the PATS the local ford guy did it for a 12 Pack of Coronas

I have been thinking about doing this also. and i found a complete swap w/o install for $1500, but i havn't had the car all that long and havn't done anything to it soo i'm just thinking of saving my money and getting another gt with a manuel tranny.

Well my plan was to sell the car after college (4-5 years from now) and buy a manual mustang of a newer year. However, that would be a bigger investment than this one, so i was thinking if i can make this car the way i like it i will have no need to sell it. Also, I know a mechanic that is good at finding used parts so I'm hoping he can hook me up with a good price on the parts and labor. If it gets too expensive i will not do it obviously, but if its in the ballpark of 1750-2000 then i will definatley consider it. I respect your opinion though, i realize its not an economically wise decision, (especially since the vehicle is salvaged anyways). I just want it to be more fun to drive.


Also, my tranny has been failing me lately, feels like its about to go. So i thought i might as well see what it would be to just swap it out.

Honestly, and this is coming from experience.. I had my 6 @ 15yrs old I wanted to do alot to it and spent a ton of money and still wasn't happy with it 4-5 years down the road.

If I had it to do over again, I would have saved all of my money and invested it more wisely..

So, my suggestion to you would be: Get a rebuild kit, and drive it as it is.

Yeah i hear you. But i am keeping the car for 4 more years at least so i want to make it as nice as i can. I know what i am doing is not the best, money-wise, but getting a new car before then is out of the question, and i wont be able to save for that long.... i am not that responsible!