Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1998 12:56:48 -0700 From: Justin VanAbrahams <jvanabranopsamnet> Subject: Re: Transmission conversion
Brendan Dunn wrote: > > Hello, > > The transmission on my 1988 900T is starting to make more noise than it > used to in shifting...and since it's at 100k miles now, that seems to be > about the time when the transmission normally dies in the automatics from > that model. > > I am considering replacing the automatic with a 5-speed manual. I'm > partial to stickshift as is, and the 3-speed automatic on the '88 is > certainly not one of the better ones I've seen, so I thought I'd drop the > extra money into the switchover. Has anyone else tried this? Is it worth > the cost? It seems I'm looking at around $3000 total for the new > transmission and labor costs. It can be done and it isn't that hard... all of the stuff you need for a five speed is already present. The transmission itself should be just under $2000 and probably six to eight hours of labor. You will need a new ignition/lock assembly and of course the shift linkage. Your best bet, IMHO, would be to get everything you need from a salvage/junk yard except for the transmission itself - you'll save some cost, and very possibly gain some insight into what the conversion entails by looking at a 5-speed... -Justin