81 to 85 auto to manual question

[Buchholz, Steven]

... I think that a number of folks on the list might wish to dispute your
evaluation of the situation.  To begin with, there really aren't that many
FWD turbo 5-speeds to buy ... 

I think the main issue here is whether or not the newer 5 cylinder turbo is
compatible with the older 5-speed ... if the older car has a 5-cylinder
engine ;-) then it will probably bolt on.  It is well known that you will
need to modify the floor pan to make room for the 5-speed's throttle ... but
the big question in my mind is whether or not there was a change in the way
the pedal assembly is mounted between the type 43 and the type 44.  You may
end up needing to get a pedal assembly from a type 44 5-speed to make the
thing work.  Another thing I don't know is whether the type 43 had the same
subframe setup as the type 44.  Clearly these would not be issues if the
donor were a type 44 as well.  That said, you've got both cars and can
evaluate these issues for yourself.  From my work on this project, the other
gotcha was converting the floorpan in the shifter area from auto to 5-speed
...

To my mind if you were trying to convert a 5-speed to an AT then the SOL
comment might be appropriate ... fortunately not too many folks are
interested in going this way ... :-)

Steve Buchholz
San Jose, CA (USA)
> 
> If you asking what I think you're asking, your pretty much SOL.  I had a
96
> 5000 Auto, and wanted to convert it to manual.  It isn't worth it.  What I
> found is that the 5000 manual body is actually shaped differently in the
> tranny tunnel, and the foot well is different, so there are no proper
> mounts for petals, and no proper mounts for the tranny, as well as MANY
> other little problems.  For instance, the valve covers are different, and
> the throttle cables are different.  I made the conversion using a Gt coupe
> tranny, and welded my own tranny mounts, and fabricated my own petal
> assembly and shifter.  IMO, it's easier and cheaper to just purchase an
> existing 5-speed.