I don't where else to post this, I quess no one knows how to do this.

Anyone know what I need to put a automatic in a T5 car? I *heard* something about covering up the hole where the shifter was??? Is it easy? just a bolt in type thing?

Take care,
Jon

 

I'd search the archives for any info on the swap or try posting this in the Trans forum. I'd suggest a better topic though. By the topic alone I thought you were talking about something else.

 

I DID DO THAT. I've searched EVERYTHING, even put it in the transmission forum. I guess no one knows how to do this?

 

You'll need to pull the old tranny out, patch the hole for the shifter, get a shifter and console for the auto, Mount the shifterI think you'll have to get a new chip for the computer (for the torque converter and different gearing)... Why the he** are you wanting to swap in an auto? Most everyone wants to go the other way and replace an auto with a stick, most of the 350 people are po'd that you couldn't get the l98 with a 5 speed.
John

 

I know I'm crazy. I have no money and I just want to put in my 326 and go. I don't have time to mess with finding a V8 T5, clutch, non the less find out if it will even bolt up to a BOP pattern. See? I'm going to college in inner city Cincy and a stick a a Billion stop lights isthe last thing I want on my mind. How would you go about patching the hole?

 

Hey man autos are evil evil evil!! You don't want one of them slushboxes behind a nice LB9. It would be a pity to slow it down, especially since factory T5 IROCs were as quick as the auto L98s. I could understand somebody wanting to hook up a beefed up auto tranny to a race ready motor, but there really seems to be no point in going the opposite way. But in the end it's all a matter of personal preference. It's your car and it's up to you what you do with it. IMHO, you'd be happier getting an auto L98 car. They're way stronger and better candidates for modding than LB9 motors. Besides, factory T5 IROCs are just as desirable as auto L98 cars so you shouldn't really have a problem finding a buyer for it, especially since most people would rather have a stick car over an auto. It would be a pity to butcher this one up.

To answer your question, going from manual to auto is about as painful as swapping a manual tranny into an auto car, mainly because of all the annoying little things you'll come across in your car which don't necessarily facilitate the installation of an auto tranny.

You don't "HAVE" to swap out the pedal assembly, if you can live with a dead clutch pedal hanging next to the brake. It would look much neater and cause you much less confusion to swap in a pedal assembly from an auto car though. You would need to remove the hydraulics, which is a breeze, and plug the clutch master cylinder hole in the firewall.

Getting an auto tranny up in there will be a bitch. This is because the auto tranny weighs about twice as much as the manual (or so it seemed) and the bellhousing is part of the auto tranny, whereas with a manual trans you bolt the tranny on only after the clutch and bellhousing are up in place.

You will have to drill a hole in the trans tunnel under the stereo for the shifter cable, and patch the hole for the T5 shifter with a stout piece of sheet metal onto which you can bolt the shifter. This would be the time to go for an aftermarket shifter instead of fabricating the mounts for the stock shifter. This way you don't have to worry about getting the shifter in exactly the right spot or the shift plate won't fit.

I'm not sure whether T5 cars had a provision for hooking the TV cable up to the throttle lever. If not, there's more fabrication to be done here.

Hooking up the dipstick tube should be no problem except for the cramped working space.

I remember when I converted my car to manual my starter didn't fit. Apparently some replacement starters have a different nose cone that interferes with the bellhousing. I don't think that should be a problem with an auto tranny though because the starter nose cone is covered by a flexible plastic cover. Just one more thing to be aware of, just in case.

You'll need the shift lock cable that runs from the shifter to the steering column and keeps the tranny in PARK unless the ignition is switched on. You will also need to modify your clutch safety wires and reverse light wires to plug into the shifter's wiring harness. Nothing more horrifying than watching your pride and joy drive away because it started up in Drive.

You will also need to swap in an ECM from an auto car. You need this to actuate torque converter lock-up, regulate idle speed, etc. You will also have to get the appropriate wiring harness or fabricate one yourself for the torque converter lock-up switch.

If you are interested, I have a 700R4 tranny plus everything else required to complete the swap. The TCC connector and harness are still on my car though. I haven't removed them because I have no idea what else those wires are connected to.

 

Thanks man, that's ALL I wanted to know. Everything. But I just bought a engine and transmission hooked together and I'm going totallt computer less and no emission etc. . . So do you think it will still be that hard. I'm not worried about all the ECM and computer stuff.
Take care,
Jon

What after market shifter do you reccomend?

 

I put a B&M Short Throw in my car and I love it to death.

The throw on the shifter is adjustable. You can tighten or loosen 2 bolts to set the throw where you want it. Well, the bolts came loose on me and locked the T-5 in first gear. I thought I trashed the synchros until I tore out the interior and realized what happened. To prevent this from happening again I simply removed the bolts and I now use the full range of the throw. It's still 10 times better than the crappy stock shifter!

 

Well, the 5spd TPIs runs what a mid high 14. They kept up much better but could not run faster then the L98......I own a 305 TPI 5spd. IT MORE FUN THEN THE AUTOS BY FAR....see the sig. I own both LB9 auto and 5spd.


Downshift to the stop light, bang out the upshift on the greenm drop a gear to pass, or to power in/out of a turn. and a 5th gear for the highway........ 3.45s and i was running high teens on the highway IIRC. the auto runs 22 on the highway with something like 3.27s or 3.42(not sure yet)

 

If you got the tranny and motor hooked up together then dropping the whole assembly in should be far simpler than doing a tranny swap alone. You already got the tranny hooked up to the engine. All you need now is a cherry picker to lower the assembly into the car.

I guess you won't have to worry about the TCC lock-up switch since you'e going computer-less. If you are using a 700R4 from a computer controlled car, you will need that vacuum actuated switch that controls TCC lock-up instead of the ECM doing it.

As for the shifter, I never was an auto tranny enthusiast and as such don't extensive knowledge of good shifters for autos. However, my impression is that most people go for either the B&M Megashifter or for Hurst. IIRC, the Megashifter is a ratchet style shifter.

Quote:

Well, the 5spd TPIs runs what a mid high 14. They kept up much better but could not run faster then the L98......I own a 305 TPI 5spd. IT MORE FUN THEN THE AUTOS BY FAR....

My car is so much more fun to drive now since I went manual. I just feel like I'm more in control with a stick. The joy of heel and toeing through the corners and curves, and listening for that pop from the exhaust when rowing up through the gears... :hail: :lala: