Thinking of doing a 5spd manual swap!

[AmTeC]

So I was pretty firm on leaving my clean, CB7, totally stock. But you guys convinced me otherwise. I love my CB7 but one thing about it has always bothered me, Its an automatic, and I've always wanted a manual for the driving experience. I'm thinking of doing this next summer, I need some time to save up the money. I was also thinking about going the "donor car" route instead of buying all the parts separately, because I've never done a transmission swap before, and I feel that the experience of removing the tranny and shift cables/selector from the donor would help me get to know where everything fits in. Would be a great source of replacement parts too, incase something goes wrong with my pride and joy. I need to start looking for a manual donor car, they're not so common where I live, and anyone who has one seems to think its worth way more than it really is.

I'm a little intimidated because I've never done a transmission swap, I've seen a few done in person on a BMW 325i, but that wasn't a CB7, and seeing isn't the same as doing.

How was you guys's first auto-to-manual swap experience? How'd it go? Any tips for someone who's doing this for the first time? Anything that went wrong? Any moments where something didnt work right and after hours of trouble shooting it ended up being something like "D'oh, I forgot to hook up the shift cables!"

I'm curious to hear your stories

[Tishock]

This DIY will be very helpful

ENG : 5 Speed Transmission Conversion
http://www.cb7tuner.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=204130

[Crankshaft]

So I was pretty firm on leaving my clean, CB7, totally stock. But you guys convinced me otherwise. I love my CB7 but one thing about it has always bothered me, Its an automatic, and I've always wanted a manual for the driving experience. I'm thinking of doing this next summer, I need some time to save up the money. I was also thinking about going the "donor car" route instead of buying all the parts separately, because I've never done a transmission swap before, and I feel that the experience of removing the tranny and shift cables/selector from the donor would help me get to know where everything fits in. Would be a great source of replacement parts too, incase something goes wrong with my pride and joy. I need to start looking for a manual donor car, they're not so common where I live, and anyone who has one seems to think its worth way more than it really is.

I'm a little intimidated because I've never done a transmission swap, I've seen a few done in person on a BMW 325i, but that wasn't a CB7, and seeing isn't the same as doing.

How was you guys's first auto-to-manual swap experience? How'd it go? Any tips for someone who's doing this for the first time? Anything that went wrong? Any moments where something didnt work right and after hours of trouble shooting it ended up being something like "D'oh, I forgot to hook up the shift cables!"

I'm curious to hear your stories

I am also planning the auto to manual swap, i already got the transmission and am waiting for the rest of the stuff so i can tackle all at once. I had planned to also boost the car so with said plans it would make sense to do it at the same time so i can have an empty bay to work around in. My advise is plan what you want first,research the process, budget for said expense, create a shopping list expecting unexpected items to come up(hope that makes sense) and this will be better if you have a backup car as gremlins are a by product of custom work.

[AmTeC]

I am also planning the auto to manual swap, i already got the transmission and am waiting for the rest of the stuff so i can tackle all at once. I had planned to also boost the car so with said plans it would make sense to do it at the same time so i can have an empty bay to work around in. My advise is plan what you want first,research the process, budget for said expense, create a shopping list expecting unexpected items to come up(hope that makes sense) and this will be better if you have a backup car as gremlins are a by product of custom work.

I'm planning on doing the swap next summer, I have a long time to research, I looked up threads on the swap, I got a helms repair manual and I'm getting myself familiar with the way everything fits together. I'm going to start saving for the donor car and all the tools and whatnot after I pay off the rust repair. What would you guys say a good amount of money to save for a simple auto-manual swap?

I'm thinking
$200-600 for a donor car
$110 for the EST 5spd motormount
$250 for various tools, of which I can borrow some from friends (a jack, torque wrench, jackstands, sockets, breaker bar)
$200 for clutch parts
$500 for reserve in case I break something or forget something important?

Am I missing anything or being too conservative with the costs? These are just my estimates at the moment, Could be totally off.

[Crankshaft]

I'm planning on doing the swap next summer, I have a long time to research, I looked up threads on the swap, I got a helms repair manual and I'm getting myself familiar with the way everything fits together. I'm going to start saving for the donor car and all the tools and whatnot after I pay off the rust repair. What would you guys say a good amount of money to save for a simple auto-manual swap?

I'm thinking
$200-600 for a donor car
$110 for the EST 5spd motormount
$250 for various tools, of which I can borrow some from friends (a jack, torque wrench, jackstands, sockets, breaker bar)
$500 for reserve in case I break something or forget something important?

Am I missing anything or being too conservative with the costs? These are just my estimates at the moment, Could be totally off.

Are you planning on adding more power down the line? a good clutch for whatever power levels you are expecting will be a great addition and so would upgraded axles. Dont think of the swap itself but rather what the ultimate goal will be, if you are finished at the swap then it would be fine; but if you are planning more upgrades down the road then do necessary upgrades now. A rear main seal will be a great preventive measure too, but it all depends on how much $$$ you want to drop; that is why i never really liked to go by others shopping list or expect others to go by mine, i just hate tearing stuff down twice to replace stuff i could of done the first time.

[AmTeC]

Are you planning on adding more power down the line? a good clutch for whatever power levels you are expecting will be a great addition and so would upgraded axles. Dont think of the swap itself but rather what the ultimate goal will be, if you are finished at the swap then it would be fine; but if you are planning more upgrades down the road then do necessary upgrades now. A rear main seal will be a great preventive measure too, but it all depends on how much $$$ you want to drop; that is why i never really liked to go by others shopping list or expect others to go by mine, i just hate tearing stuff down twice to replace stuff i could of done the first time.

I want to keep it stock, I won't be adding power, I may get a civic for that, or another cb7. this CB7 is my beloved daily and I don't wanna blow it up by accident, Plus I actually think its fun to drive even with the stock f22a1

[Crankshaft]

I want to keep it stock, I won't be adding power, I may get a civic for that, or another cb7. this CB7 is my beloved daily and I don't wanna blow it up by accident, Plus I actually think its fun to drive even with the stock f22a1

In that case i would be looking at getting atleast a rear main seal, a clutch kit(exedy will do), mounts for the swap and new axles. The rest you will get from the donor, although personally i would get slave cylinder and clutch master cylinder just to have a new hydraulic system. Balljoints, bearings and such would be a good idea to save up for since its better to have money and not have to replace than the opposite; one question that you have to ask yourself is what are you gonna do with the harnesses as manual and auto have different plugs and such, instead of plugging adding and jumping like everyone does i would swap the harness from one car onto the other and avoid headaches.

[Fleetw00d]

I have all the parts from a 93 LX 5 speed. I'm only 500 miles away.

[AmTeC]

I have all the parts from a 93 LX 5 speed. I'm only 500 miles away.

I was hoping to get an entire donor car to get to see how everything works and is put together, and I was planning on doing this sometime next summer. But I will certainly keep this in mind incase I can't find a suitable donor