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5spd manual to an Automatic.......?

2K views 35 replies 16 participants last post by  OBL1V1ON 
#1 ·
Ok guys i need some advice. I have a '94 3000GT Base. I know this is really unorthodox, but i want to change my 5spd manual tranny to an automatic. I wont be doing any of the work(way too complicated for me). I just need to know how much this is going to cost me. I know its crazy but im getting a new car, and my mother really likes the 3000GT, and doesnt want me to sell it. She wants me to change it to an automatic for her. So....go figure.
 
#2 ·
it would be a waste and prob chaper to sell it and get a atx 3000gt

if i were her i would tell her "learn how to drive a 5speed"
 
#3 · (Edited)
Hey i have an auto transmission in my car but i was looking to do a 5 speed swap. Ill trade you for your 5 speed. My atx tranny only has 65,000 miles on it. Let me know jdawg9007@charter.net I am going to pm you as well.
 
#4 ·
hmm sounds like a good idea. let me find out how much it would cost me to have the auto tranny put in and ill get back to you monday. also, where are you located?
 
#5 ·
If you need any parts I will have all of the parts needed since Speed Factor is doing my 5spd swap right now. You can have the stuff real cheap.
 
#6 ·
Im located in mass. Shipping shouldnt be all that bad I can ship all the parts you need. My car is in storage for the winter so i can drop the tranny and ship it out to you. Also you will not have to buy any parts off of me we will just do a direct swap. Everything needed included.
 
#8 ·
Hi guys, just thought I would make a few notes. You guys are talking about just swapping out the parts for this, but do you guys know how much labor is involved with doing an auto to manual or manual to auto conversion? Just to give you a ballpark #, we (Speed Factor) charge $40 an hour for labor and we charge a flat rate of $1000 to do an auto to manual conversion and that is cheaper than if we charged our true hourly rate. Plus, not just any ole shop can do that type of job. I'm sure everyone knows how many places will tell you, oh sure, i can do this and that on your car, and then once they get into the 3S and realize they are gonna have their ass handed to them, they dont know what to do.

I already spoke with Daaaaaaaan about doing the conversions for both of you if you decided to trade with him. The labor would be $1000 each, and it would take about a week for each car. And not just as a sales pitch, but that is honestly an AWESOME price. You guys will have done the same conversion that we are doing for Matt (copper2002) right now, and I believe his is costing him roughly $2800-$3000 for everything and that is with an AWESOME deal I got him on a tranny.

If you guys are interested in us doing your conversions for you, we would be more than happy to set something up for you. Shoot me an email if I can help at all or answer any questions. Or if you guys want to make an appointment :D

Good luck guys, and Jdawg82, I didn't mean to cut you out bro, that is good for you and OBL1V1ON too, if you guys wanted to do the conversions. Just making some general statements :) And for all interested, we are located in Philadelphia, PA

Thanks,

Ty
Speed Factor
 
#9 ·
My labor is going to be free. Sure it may take me and my friend a few days to drop the tranny and do the swap but in the end it will be well worth it. I would take advantage of your 1,000 offer but your shop is way too far of a drive for me.
 
#10 ·
ok guys i need some time to think this all over. Thnx jdawg for the info and advice. I might just end up selling the car, but i just hate to see it leave the family because its in such good condition.
 
#11 ·
OBL1V1ON said:
ok guys i need some time to think this all over. Thnx jdawg for the info and advice. I might just end up selling the car, but i just hate to see it leave the family because its in such good condition.
I wouldn't sell my car :nono: heck no, no way in hell!!!! I would tell you to either find one of guys to do a swap with you and worse case scenario pay to have it done, or teach your mother how to drive a manual. I know Dan is really serious about doing the swap with you. He IM'd me last night about it to get some info on the actual conversion, which is what intitially got me to this thread. But for $1000, you cant beat that deal, only thing is that it would be a long drive for you to drop the car off.

But anyway, let me know if I can help guys.

Ty
Speed Factor
 
#12 ·
Hey Ty $1000 is a GREAT price. Are you able to get the parts necessary for the swap or do we have to get them? If you can, how much for parts + labor?
 
#13 ·
Dom. what we did from Matt (copper2002) car is, I sourced the parts for him. I would find them, let him know the pricing and if he thought it was a good price he would send me the payment and I would order the parts and have them shipped to me so they were there for when he dropped the car off. So I can help you find all the parts, but I only do parts sourcing after you send the payment for the parts. Got burnt already doing that and got stuck with a bunch of parts laying around that I will probably have to be burried with ;) But yeah, I can help you get all the parts. I think Matt's is costing roughly $2800 altogether with parts and labor. I found him a rebuilt tranny for like $850, which was an aweseom deal and enabled him to get an ACT2600 and fidanz instead of a stock clutch and FW.

If you are interested and need to try and do it as cheap as possible, I do have a stock NA clutch and FW that we can use and would sell you for pretty cheap :)

Email me if you want to talk about it more in depth. Ty@speedfactor.net or hit me up on AIM: Greedybones

Ty
Speed Factor
 
#15 ·
Just for you information, the manual to auto swap will be more difficult to accomplish then the auto to manual swap.

Some extra work needs to be done in order to do the manual to auto swap.... like the whole engine wiring harness.

GZP also does the swaps as well. I was the innovator of this transmission swap :).
 
#16 ·
The automatic only has about 5 sensors on it. It isn't going to take any more work than puting in the pedals and all the hydraulics in the maual.

1000 dollars sounds like a good deal because of all the hassle is put on a shop. But I assure you it wouldnt be hard for any decent mechanic to do the job. Or for that matter a good DIY'er.

Your whole attitude it takes some godly mechanic to work on a 3s is funny.
 
#17 ·
....

yeah I don't know where people get that idea from that a 3/S is like an alien compared to other cars. No, all the same knowledge and skills that it takes to build any car applies to building a 3/S motor or tranny. The engine is still 4 stroke and the transmission still uses the same components to shift(auto) or be shifted(manual).
 
#18 ·
The automatic control unit wiring is incorporated into the engine wiring harness. It may only be 5 wiring harnesses, but there are about 100-150 wires going into the auto trans control unit. Changing the engine wiring harness is the only way to go.

A decent mechanic could do the job if he knew what parts were required to do such a swap.... that's where my website on this comes in handy for most. I have talked to people's mechanics that they have taken their car to for the swap and walked them through some troubleshooting to get the job done. If it were that easy, they wouldn't need me. A good mechanic is one thing, a mechanic/shop that has done it before and has the experience to do it right the 1st time is another thing.

SamAlam, the transmissions don't use anything close to the same components to be shifted.... that's why one is automatic and one is manual :).

Hostile, who has that "godly mechanic" attitude?
 
#19 ·
Trade?

I've gotta offer up the trade as well. I have been wanting a 5 speed. You have a '94 black gt and I have a '94 black rt. Sounds like a good trade. Also, my car is super clean, in and out.
 
#20 ·
Hans91GT said:
The automatic control unit wiring is incorporated into the engine wiring harness. It may only be 5 wiring harnesses, but there are about 100-150 wires going into the auto trans control unit. Changing the engine wiring harness is the only way to go.

A decent mechanic could do the job if he knew what parts were required to do such a swap.... that's where my website on this comes in handy for most. I have talked to people's mechanics that they have taken their car to for the swap and walked them through some troubleshooting to get the job done. If it were that easy, they wouldn't need me. A good mechanic is one thing, a mechanic/shop that has done it before and has the experience to do it right the 1st time is another thing.

SamAlam, the transmissions don't use anything close to the same components to be shifted.... that's why one is automatic and one is manual :).

Hostile, who has that "godly mechanic" attitude?
Hansey, good points!!! I was gonna reply and basiclly say the same stuff but I thought why even bother. If people think its that easy and they can do it in their driveway, by all means let them do that ;)

And a 3S isn't an alien car, but try to take it to just any ole mechanic and see what 8 out of 10 of them will tell you. You make it seem like you can just take this car anywhere and get it fixed CORRECTLY and that just isn't the case.

And I am wondering aobut that whole godly mechanic thing too.
 
#21 ·
Greedy_Bones said:
I'm sure everyone knows how many places will tell you, oh sure, i can do this and that on your car, and then once they get into the 3S and realize they are gonna have their ass handed to them, they dont know what to do.
Hans this is where I got the whole nobody can work on a 3s attitude.

Gimme a break it isn't like you need to know japanese to work on a mitsubishi. Almost any competent mechanic can do the work if he wants too.
 
#22 ·
Ok, but Ty is right in some aspects. I have heard mechanics say they can do the swap before even looking at the car and then once they get it they say it's impossible... it has happened to me before. There are plenty of mechanics that will do your timing belt for you too, but when it slips 5 miles later....

I'm sure you see my point. Sometimes it pays (saves you money and time) to go with someone that specializes in the car. Just my 2 cents.
 
#23 ·
Hans91GT said:
Ok, but Ty is right in some aspects. I have heard mechanics say they can do the swap before even looking at the car and then once they get it they say it's impossible... it has happened to me before. There are plenty of mechanics that will do your timing belt for you too, but when it slips 5 miles later....

I'm sure you see my point. Sometimes it pays (saves you money and time) to go with someone that specializes in the car. Just my 2 cents.
That's all I meant as well, but Hostle since you are so Mr. anyone can do this and that on your 3S, you are more than welcome to come and help finish this auto to manual conversion that we have in the shop right now. Hell, its even 1/2 way done for you. All you have to do is put all the wiring back together, slap the dash back together, put the clutch, FW and tranny one, run all the lines and put the shifter assembly, cables and the clutch and brake pedal assembly in and poof, you're done ;) Or maybe you should just come over for a weekend and see some of the stuff that your ANY OLE MECHANICS have done to some of these people's cars and what we have to fix, replace or repair on a consistant basis and I guarantee you will have a new appreciation for what we do and why I said what I said. Not trying to start a flame war, but you just gotta see some of the stuff we see to appreciate what other mechanics do to the 3S cars.

Hans: How about the # that mechanic did on that 92 crank pulley from this weekend. A regular ole mechanic, like the ones you are making reference to Hostle, that any of them could fix these cars if they wanted too, decided that he could take a crank pulley from a 92 TT and actually GRIND, with a grinder, out a groove for the V shaped power steering belt that is on the 91 models. Or how about the mechanic that put a new clutch, FW, rebuilt tranny and transfer case on another customers car and didn;t put a gear oil in the tranfer case. Get the point?
 
#24 ·
hey ty it was off a 92 n/a that shit was ssssiiiiiccckkkk:rolleyes: hey what about the valve cover on the 91 and the exaust on my 92, quality baby QUALITY;) it's funny to look back on it and laugh even though it cost me tons of ca$$h. But seriously take that shit to someone who knows what they're doing and you won't have to go through what i did, hell my 92 is still making clunking noises because his dumbass broke the holes that held in the trans mount bracket to the block.
Hey ty anything we can do about that???
 
#25 ·
Ty a regular ole mechanic could be anyone.

I meant a regular (Non specialized) mechanic. I good mechanic is a good mechanic, plain and simple. You take a good mechanic and give him a job he will take all the precautions to do the job right.

You take some half assed mechanic that only knows how to do a tune up and have him try and do a honda motor swap of course it will be ugly.

Matt at dynamic used to work with mustangs. Does that mean the first time he worked on a 3s he had to take it to a 3s only shop. Of course not...
 
#26 ·
I feel the need to jump in here being one of Hans's first swap customers (was I the first aside for your n/a???, don't know)......I wanted to get the swap done and I went EVERYWHERE. I went to my mechanic down the road from me, who is AAA certified, if you know anything about mechanics, that isn't easy. He took a look at it and said that he wouldn't attempt it and any mechanic that does and isn't a specialist will fuck it up. So, I took it to a specialist.....in this case Hans.

Do 3s tuners think they are gods? Nope. They just know our cars better than 99.9% of the mechanics out there. I would rather have them be the ones to do the work on my car and it cost more since i know that they understand the cars and their subtle nuances.

Edit: By the way, most places will laugh at you if you ask them to swap the tranny....try it out at a local mechanic or tranny shop.
 
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