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View Full Version : 3rd Gen tranny swaps?


Mateepay
05-20-2011, 09:03 AM
Im sure swapping an automatic transmission in a fd has been done I also hear from multiple tuner people that swapping a auto for a standard is really never the same I'm curious to hear if anyone using these forums has done the swap and the outcome??

Force13b
05-20-2011, 03:08 PM
From RX7club
Was it worth it......... Totally. Now by see first hand the differnce from a auto to manual. Hands down the car was meant to be a manual.

I did my conversion about June 03

My costs on the auto to manual conversion!
This is what i spent on parts

*Tranny - $555 its a 95 with 33,000 miles and 90 day warranty
*driveshaft - $97
*4.1 diff rear end - $255
*93 5 speed ECU - $60
*Guage cluster,brake and clutch pedal,master and slave cylinder,hard pipe - $250
*New ACT Street/strip clutch and 9.5lbs flywheel- $900
*Mazdatrix short shifter - $218

Total parts =$2335

There is also bolts ,rear main seal and o ring, inner boot for shifter
And i have to supply diff fluid and tranny fluid,brake fluid

I ended up paying $1000 for labor

Total cost is around $3500

I've done the conversion.

Everything bolted up, and the only rewiring required was to bridge the inhibator switch for the automatic transmission.

My converted car worked without issue on the automatic ECU.

The hardest bit of the conversion is the pedal boxes.

The Automatic transmission weighs at least twice that of teh automatic box, so there are weigh saving advantages too.

Supernaut
05-26-2011, 12:53 PM
My 2nd FD is an auto->manual swap. The only thing that gave it away was that it still had the automatic diff. The car felt fantastic.

Signal 2
05-30-2011, 03:00 PM
Since you don't list an FD in your garage, I assume you're considering buying an auto FD and doing the swap.
Obviously there's significant expense even if you do the work yourself. If you have to pay someone, as was done by that poster above...8 years ago, it's going to be even greater. Not to mention sourcing all the parts, getting them shipped in, the down-time...and work if you do it yourself.
Unless the auto FD is priced really low....low enough to more than off-set all the expenses, AND is a low milege car, personally I'd just look for a 5 spd and be done with it.

lt1_fd3s
05-30-2011, 03:11 PM
I've done the swap about 3 times... if your a car person, then I dont think the work is too hard. if you go with a lighten flywheel, then you retain the auto's counter balance... the back plates on the engines are different so you will have fewer bolts holding the trans onto the engine (like 1 less than the auto trans)

Price break downs are different based on what you want...

You don't have to run a manual ECU, don't have to run the 4.1 manual diff (if you can get ur driveshaft modified with the proper flange/yoke combo you need...) You don't need the manual gauge cluster...

of course, without these things, people can tell that you're car was originally an automatic.

the car will be slower off the line with the 3.9 rear, but will get better gas mileage on the interstate...

as for my personal opinion on the swap, for the time/price to get all the parts and the work to put it in, i was happy with the car. I'm just not a fan of auto's (might be part of it). And later you can swap out the diff and other stuff as you want...

Mateepay
05-30-2011, 08:29 PM
Ya this was something I was more or less looking at the individual selling the car is asking just as much as it would be to just get the manual version. If I where to be doing the swap I don't pay people to work on my cars. But if the price is the same area as a manual I might as well save time and money.....
I appreciate the Imput, has helped me level my mind on options....

Opted for putting the money toward my first Gen instead too much money for another car and not enough garage room