i have an auto and i was wondering if it is hard to convert the car to a manual. like is it hard to do the clutch pedal and stuff.

i may be a stupid question but i was just wondering seeing that is what i will have to do.

I know of a couple people switching it over, and they did not have too big of an issue. I personally do not know what it would entail, ie, if the pedal assembly has to be changed. I know the brake pedal on an auto, is closer to the left compared to a manual.

I am about to switch over from auto to 5 speed. I've got all of the parts, which weren't too hard to find. The flywheel was the only difficult item, but I was able to find one on eBay for $18 plus $100 to have it resurfaced and lightened.

My auto is on the floor, which should make it easier then on the column.

The only tricky part seems to be the pedal assembly. You can find complete assemblies on eBay, but removing the old one is a lot of work. Plus they may be tack welded in. The auto assembly has all of the mounting for the clutch pedal except for the return spring. I am going to have a shop simply weld a tab to hook the spring on.

I'll keep you posted.

be careful when you cut the shifter hole or you well cut into the brake line like I did.

ok thanks guys, that will be helpfull.

froggie keep me posted that would be cool

UPDATE:

I spend a few hours last night prepping to have the tranny pulled. Pretty straight forward, be sure to disconnect the e-brake line to allow the drive shaft ot slip out. It would be easier also if you remove the exhaust. My car had the "cherry bomb" style resinator, but if you have an oval can it should be removed. Cut the tranny lines to the radiator.

Day of recogning and I realized that I forgot to have the new throw out bearing pressed on the carrier. But the tranny was pulled. I tried to remove the flywheel/crankshaft bolts, but they seemed to be in there pretty good.

Before I broke a knuckle trying I decided that since I have to have the bearing pressed and a perch for the clutch return spring welded on the pedal assembly, I would just send the car to a shop. All the hard work is done.

I did measure for the shifter. The shifter is 23 1/2" from the mating surface on the block. I drew a template for the hole for the rubber boot. As 3door 510 warned, be carefull of the brake & fuel lines. I used a Dremel to cut the hole.

I realize I'm wimping out by having a shop finish the job, but I don't have the time to finish it.

Okay, just got the car back from the shop. Here is a list of things to note:

The flywheel cover from the auto will not fit on the 5 speed, so you will need to make a custom shield. Pretty simple to do out of sheet metal.

Slave cylinder push rod from a 510 has to be customized.

A rear tranny mount needs to be fabricated.

All in all, it was probably the best thing to have a shop finish the work. Without the tools and array of spare parts to scavenge, it would have been frustrating.

Now that it is in, I just have to get used to the shift pattern. Finding second is tricky.