manual to automatic.

[sliding 2.9 89]

what would be involved in this swap? comp, drive shaft, trans, wires, does anyone have experence doing this kind of swap?

 

[247charlie]

As far as I know, which is a little considering I only have to bleed the clutch and do something electrical on my 88 (same swap and I don't know what the electrical deal is), it's fairly straight forward. The rear driveshaft is shorter, so you have to use the front, short piece (the one with the carier bearing on it) from a manual, and I believe ou also need to use the front driveshaft from a manual (didn't check, just did it because it made sense, it fits). Also, you need to move your tranny crossmember forward a little bit, the new holes for the crossmember are already in the frame from the factory on an '88 STX. If your truck is stock, you may need to grind out the rivets that hold te crossmember up, I did. Replace them with bolts.

Once you have the tranny swapped, making sure to use a manual trans flywheel and the thin steel plate thing (they're different from an auto's), you need to install a clutch system. I don't know about the electrical, I'm still working on that part. But in the '88 there was a plate bolted in just under the brake booster where the clutch master cylinder bolts is. The holes were the same. the clutch pedal is help in with a wrist-pin like setup with a c clip on one end. The pin goes all the way through the brake pedal as well. It's a real pain to get in and out, but it can be done. Once you tind a donor vehicle you'll want to buy the whole truck, trust me. Basically tear it apart and remember how it goes back together. I'd recomend taking pictures of anything complex.

If you decide to go ahead and do it, and find you need pictures, let me know.

 

[piotrsko]

you'll generally have to change the location of the trans crossmember back 2" i believe, make a new trans harness depending on what trans you installed, install a trans cooler somewhere and etc.

read the manual to auto trans how-to's under tech library at the top of this page, but do the work backwards from bottom to top and that ought to do it.

 

[Hopman]

Why the blazes would you want to go from a stick to a slushbox?

 

[olranger]

cause shifting gears gets old, like jacking off.

 

[Captain Ledd]

Why the blazes would you want to go from a stick to a slushbox?

3 words, "It's his truck". It' confuses me as well, but none the less.

Getting a donor vehicle would be the best approach.

 

[247charlie]

Woah.... I thought you were swappin the other way. Auto to manual. Um, take everything I said and reverse it.

 

[Hopman]

Fair enough Captain.

My opinion is automatics are for those who don't know how to drive. But that's just me.
I like the control that a stick gives you, especialy in winter. Feathering the clutch out makes decent traction control.

 

[explorersportster]

Ouch, that wasn't very nice. I have driven a stick for 15 years and will be doing this same swap within the next year, so I am interested in the same info. It does get old shifting, and if you really know how to drive, you can achieve the same traction with an auto....