can i do auto to manual??

yeah he actually asked if he could just change his current auto to a standard without buying a different trans.  I'm not saying impossible but maybe doing brakes or changing his oil would be a better place to start.  Buy some books, read up on the internet, get some help other wise and procede with the bigger projects is all I'm saying.

I did my first engine with a couple of books and little help from a few buddies that didn't know much more than me.  We all start somewhere  

To each there own. Brakes and oil changes do not qualify as any type of project.

Having researched the proposed repair/swap before hand is a definite must, and friends help.

Jake  

And taking your car apart without knowing what the *** your doing and not being able to put it back together doesn't qualify as a priject either.  Walk before you run.

Speed?  Do you know what trans you have in your car now?  You can get a 4 speed manual trans, the proper flywheel, the clutch assembly, your brake assembly for insde the car, the correct cross member, the correct drive shaft, and install them all to make it work.  It really isn't a terribly hard job, but it is fairly difficult for a first timer.  Is your car currently a column shifter or floor shifter?  Make sure when installing your manual trans that you can actually get all the gears without hitting anything inside the car.  Also be sure your starter will play nice with the flywheel tooth count.

To help put it in perspective, call around to a few local tranny shops and ask what they would charge to do the swap for you.

Good luck and post your results!  

NOTHING LIKE LEARNING THE HARD WAY  

Hey need4speed,

Quite a few people took the time put in some good intel here, but we haven't seen you post since Oct 4th.  Any comments or updates as to what your plans are with the swap?  

Mike  
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http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3801172

SMoke, Didn't you say earlier that you and some buddies tore apart an engine without knowing what the "F" you were doing?

How is your experience any different than the advise that I was providing?

Just curious.

Jake  

I didn't know what I was doing with the engine, but I had a pretty solid understanding of how things worked and was mechanicaly inclined.  At the time I understood the difference between a standard and automatic trans.  The engine wasn't my first project, just the first of that magnitude.  I was 17 and had my car down for 3-4 months while I pulled and rebuilt my first engine (olds 307) I had been working on brakes changin oil, and draining trans fluid and changing their filters for a ***

I'm only advising someon become a little more informed before they tear into a project that may eventually turn into a nightmare for them costing them more time or money than they can afford ultimately turning them away from the sport and hobby we all love.

I am an avid shooter and typically wouldn't bring out a first timer and hand them a 3 1/2 12 ga load either.  

Everyone developes skills differently it just seems to me working in smaller increments to achieve your goal more times than not will net the desired end results.

There isn't really a right or wrong anwer about his approach it is all just our opinions.

Gettn pretty much nailed it on his first post.  

If he wants to tackle it we are here to help but not knowing the difference between an auto and manaul he should question his abilities  

Not to brag but I built my first engine at 16 and ported my first set of heads at 18. I'm far from the norm though. We dont start at the same level but we can go as far as we want  

Smoke,
There are several different ways to answer his question and they all have good merits. I don't assume anyone's mechanical aptitude just by their posts. I know a lot of good mechanics that can't put their complete thoughts into words coherently, so they sound like complete newbs.

I presume that if the person is on this board then they have done some work on their car, so they can handle a trans swap with the proper research.  I'm a big fan of diving head long into a project with the proper research. The ease in which information is accessed these days there are no real good reasons for someone to say that they did not know.

And like you and gettn have stated, we all have to start somewhere.


It would be nice if the original poster would post something to at least acknowledge that he received several answers to his question.  I wonder if we scared him off?


Jake  

Knowledge can be scarey to some. He may have realizied he was in over his head which may be a good thing. If he cant finish a thread he started then he prob couldnt finish the swap either  

That I agree with 100%. He might be some teenage kid with his daddies credit card.

Oh well, on to the next topic of debate!

Jake  

Agreed