Auto -> Manual Transmission Conversion.
 

To do list:

Transmission swap 300TD

First, dyno the car with the automatic transmission (http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?threadid=88501&highlight=rollers)

Second, Confirm availability of all needed parts:
Clutch disk
Pressure plate
Release bearing
Shift bushings and shift rod retainer clips
Pilot bearing
Rear engine support cross piece
Rear engine mount (rubber)
Hydraulic fluid tubing
Brake fluid
Gearbox lube
Fasteners (engine to bell housing, etc.)


Third…
1. Done — Power wash underside of vehicle
2. Done —Support car securely on stands
3. Done —Disconnect Bowden cable at engine
4. Done —Disconnect vacuum line at engine
5. Done —Disconnect and drain AT cooler lines
6. Done —Support car securely on stands
7. Done —Drain torque converter and AT pan
8. Done —Remove AT cooler lines
9. Done —Remove exhaust support
10. Done —Remove driveshaft
11. Done —Disconnect torque converter from flywheel
12. Done —Support transmission
13. Done —Remove rear engine support
14. Done —Disconnect speedo cable from transmission
15. Done —Disconnect neutral safety switch from transmission
16. Done —Remove transmission
17. Done —Remove flywheel
18. Done —Identify witness marks on crank and flywheel
19. Done —Install flywheel
20. Done —Install disk and pressure plate
21. Done —Install transmission
22. Done —Establish location of rear cross member
23. Done —Modify body/cross member and install
24. Done —Establish correct length for driveshaft
25. Done —Get driveshaft modified
26. Done —Modify shifter rods
27. Done —onnect rods to shifter and transmission, adjust as necessary
28. Done —Remove trim around shifter
29. Done —Protect or remove driver’s and passenger’s seats
30. Done —Remove valence above pedals
31. Done —Remove floor mats and carpeting from driver’s footwell
32. Done —Install pedal group
33. Done —Connect hydraulic lines
34. Done — Bleed system, flush brake fluid
35. Done —Install driveshaft
36. Done —Fluid in transmission
37. Modify wiring to accomodate clutch safety and reverse lights
38. Done —Road test
39. Reinstall all trim and carpeting
40. Run on dyno

Safety first:

The manual:

Remove transcooler lines...

The toughest bolt in this operation is removing the cap screw that goes where the arrow points. It supports part of the driver's side transcooler line and is directly above the front frame member.

You have to modify an allen wrench like this to be able to get it out.

...tranny comin' out. Doing this one time before makes all the difference in the world. Having three feet worth of extensions to get to those bolts on top of the hump doesn't hurt either.

I wonder if any of these holes can be used for the new rear crossmember?

Gyno view...

Comparison...there's still an adapter plate on the back of the engine but, this was what I set out do do today so I'm quitting for now. I'll post more as I make progress.

Oh , YES, it is 75 clear degrees.... you are working outside.... Don't want to get more done today than was on the schedule..... LOLOLOL....
" Safety first" .... so you are changing your methodology after that last escapade with the rear suspension spring ? where is your sense of adventure ?

Hah!

Keeping in the spirit of Area 51, I did manage to hit myself in the side of the head with a machinist's hammer. Don't ask how.

Looks great so far!
What is the weight difference between the two?
The transmission is from a 240D right?

How high does the car have to be off the ground to be abe to slide out the old transmission & in with the new? Interesting story & pictures - good luck
STeve

Randy,

LMK if you get stuck on something, I've done this before and had two trannies in and out since.

Take an inside mic or calipers to the ID of the crank and make DARN sure it's close to the same size as the pilot bearing (press fit, but not .080 press!)
Just to make sure you don't have to do something like I had to!

http://home.comcast.net/~tomj/images/bearing9.JPG

Also, you'll need to use the crossmember from the donor 240. It'll have to be ground down a bit on one side to clear the edge of the tranny (pic below.)

http://home.comcast.net/~tomj/images/trannymt_mod2a.JPG

Also, while it's out and easy to get to, cut off the starboard side exhaust mount ear (not going to be used anyway - use the one from your vehicle mounted at the bell housing) - pics below:

http://home.comcast.net/~tomj/images/trannymt_mod1a.JPG

Also, might as well steam-clean the tranny, do all the seals on it and paint it while it's out and easy:

http://home.comcast.net/~tomj/images/tranny3a.JPG

Oh yeah, the shift LEVER seals are just O-rings, un bolt the shift levers, lift out, then pry the O-ring out with a seal pick, go the local Hdwr store and match up (or maybe you already have an O-ring kit you can match them out of.)

http://home.comcast.net/~tomj/images/shiftseals9.JPG

Let us know how it progresses. I got tired of trying to document it, so I don't have good pics of each step.

One thing though, if you have a good 4-speed (sometimes you just don't know till you get it on the highway if it's a junkyard donor - I know, I've been playing musical trannies with mine), it'll make the car feel downright "peppy"! Whoa...!!! Wait...., did you say a TD???? Never mind.

BTW, if you're ever up in Colo, come by and take my 300D Turbo for a drive, with the 4-speed, from 2k to 4500, it doesn't give anything up to most cars!

One more thing, the secretary for Boulder Biodiesel has a wagon with a bad auto. She wants me to do the 4-speed swap into hers, maybe I'll wait and see how yours comes out before I do it to hers. Also need to procure a few more parts for another swap anyway (need pedal assy and crossmember, have the rest.)

Speaking from experience (recent and too much!) of doing these mods myself, the 4-speed is a one-man job, drop it on your chest, roll it off and shove out from under car.

Sans fluid, it probably weighs 50-60lbs max.

The auto on the other hand, is enough for a hernia. I can fling aroung the 4-speeds all day, not break a sweat.

The auto is half the weight of the friggin' car (OK, not quite...., but the first time you do a routine drop-the-tranny-on-the-chest-to-remove, you'll understand the term "precordial thump"!)

As far as height, jackstands or ramp height at all four corners is adequate. A shop with a hydraulic lift and a german mechanic works MUCH better though..., so I'm told.

BTW, sorry Randy, didn't mean to hijack your thread. Just got excited about it again as this is the first week I've had the 300 on the road with the latest 4-speed (which also has a problem, won't downshift into 2nd - upshifts fine.)

As you can see, TomJ's transmission is nothing like the one I have...my donor was an early 1980 240D. The bell housing on mine is aluminum but the gearbox is cast iron. The full meal deal is 75-90 lbs. The automatic weighs at least 150-175 lbs.

And, if this particlular box is a stinker, I also have a parts car with a decent manual that I can rob.

Tom,BTW, thanks for the pointers, I'm going to do those o-rings before installing my box. One more thing: what model did your transmission come out of?

I have the car about 18"-20" off the ground. That's enough to get the transmission out but not with it staying on the jack...once I had the jack down to the ground, I slid the tranny onto the floor and dragged it out from under the car.

your manual transmission is a 3-piece and your engine is
a post 1980.
i am told that an adapter plate between the two might be
needed. without the adapter plate they will bolt up, but
not align.

dont know

don

I wonder how hard this would be to do this to a '79 SD? All the 6 cylinder 116s were available with 4 spd.'s so I wouldn't think it would be THAT bad. Mine is still a 617. Congratulations and good luck.
Thanks
David

The donor was an '82 240D. I think what you have is the older (stouter) one, but I think you'll need the alum plate to adapt to the engine and align it with the crank as someone else pointed out. Haven't done the swap with an older tranny like yours, so I don't know for sure.

Grim gaunt has one of those earlier trannys and I might take the other bad alum tranny down to his place and see what the exact differences are.

Keep us up to date on this, I'm looking at a TD this AM that reportedly has a bad tranny (lady wants me to repair or convert it.)

The difference between your tranny and mine had me fretting last night so, I searched everything I could find in the Forum about these swaps.

No joy finding any pics other than ours...but I think Larry Bible said in one thread that the adapter plate for the auto is essentially the same as the one for the manual. I'll have it out tonight and will compare the two.

Sidebar: the casting numbers on the tranny I have start with "115" so it's the older iteration.

FWIW, I have both adapters (the one with the auto and, I got the one from the donor 240D as well....with all that, I'm pretty sure that I can make it go.

Shop floor
 

I want to see a picture of that shop floor about three hours after you got Marlene up on stands. Oh thats right I bet you cant even see it!

S Leo, is RLeo practicing for your yellow bird ?

Excellent! You should be golden then.

Wish I were closer, we'd have that in and running in one day.

BTW, having a torch helps with bending the shifter linkages to fit (this is mandatory as the stock linkages are not even close - tranny is furthur back with the 5cyl, but due to the stock bends, you can't just cut off the length of the 5cyl over the 4.)

Also, having a 10mm (or maybe 12? Don't remember which?) die helps with re-threading the rods for the adjuster nuts once you've figured out the lenths and cut the linkage.

Once I had mine all properly bent with none touching and working right, I removed them and painted them with rust-stop enigine paint. I HATE anything that even LOOKS like rust!

One more thing, since it's out and easy to do, might as well take the shifter apart and clean/lube and replace any worn parts, then paint that too as it is exposed to the elements under the car.

Before:
http://home.comcast.net/~tomj/images/shifter4.JPG

Assy after ultrasonic cleaning and paint:

http://home.comcast.net/~tomj/images/shifter7a.JPG

On mine, all the friction surfaces were coated with a lubricant before re-assy (I use a dry graphite spray since it's under the car and would attract dirt/grime if a wet lube or grease is used):

http://home.comcast.net/~tomj/images/shifter9a.JPG

Re: Shop floor
 

Dude,
Needing those long extensions wasn't the only thing I learned from swapping the tranny on Passion Flower <GRIN>
Check out the first post, segment three, item #1 "power wash underside of car". Once Passion Flower left the building, you could eat off my shop floor but, then you'd feel guilty because you got it dirty.

BTW, remember those fractious cap-head screws that hold the starter? My car doesn't have them...it's got regular bolts.

What about the clutch pedal? Or are you going to use a hand clutch from a motorcycle:D I just had to change my clutch master so that part is fresh with me.

Randy, since you are a computer graphic artist... can you Photoshop those pictures of your transmission ? TomJ's pictures sure make your transmission look dirty.....even though it wasn't very.....

Pressure washed the manual last night and installed the slave cylinder. I can also report that this model of transmission does not have the O-ring seals under the shifter arms like the one-piece gearbox.

What a difference a fistfull of quarters makes:

Yeah. I'm going to see what all goes wrong, cause you know it will, then when the money bird lands at my house it'll be a smooth swap. but then again one reason this is sliding in so easy is cause we just did a tranny swap on my wagon. a dead auto for a soon-to-be-dead-because-water-got-in-it-auto.(just a hint of bitterness there) bad combo: bowdin cable not having a good seal and deep puddles.

Paybacks are h*ll...
 

Remember changing the clutch in the blue pick-up? You're just bitter because you'll have to lay on your back in the SNOW instead of me.

DrPhil.com time?

I knew things were going too well...

All but two of the flywheel bolts came out (relatively easy). The last two have resisted all efforts including the notorious Craftsman, Bolt-Out™ Damaged Bolt/Nut Remover Set. Without a doubt, a "tool-of-last-resort." Grrrr...I'm bitter. Thing One has jinxed me on this, I know it.

The only option left to me is to invade and "smoke 'em off" with the terrifying DeWalt GMD — "Grinder-of-mass-destruction."

First why don't you try welding a head on them with High Alloy rod.... the combination of the heating and a better grip usually works.... as a last resort...

Hitting with heat and letting them cool usually helps.

If you use the grinder DON'T let it touch the flywheel whatever you do.

Wait...., you mean the flywheel on the car you're converting?? Is it going from an auto to a manual??? If it's the auto flywheel (what would be the flexplate on a US vehicle), then grind away, who cares. Then take vice grips to the stub ends that's left of the bolts.

Remember, the bolts are thinner at the center sections, so you could possibly break them off flush with the crank (bad news.)

If nothing else works and you have a cutting torch, you can usually heat up JUST the bolt material and blast it when cherry red. I've had good luck doing this and not affecting the surrouinding material (might need to run a cleaning tap in to chase the thdds.)

BTW, had this same thing happen while pulling the flywheel out of a junkyard donor. Twisted the heads right off two of the bolts. Luckily I still got the tranny and the engine was shot anyway.

Thanks for the tips...they're all good ones too!

I should clarify, I don't think these particular bolts were any tighter, it's just that the socket didn't seem to fit all that tight on them so, when I applied pressure they rounded off. The flexplate bolt heads are significantly shallower than the manual flywheel's bolts and there's no good place to get the Craftsman bolt remover to dig in either.

Sidebar: I'm beginning to think that my metric sockets (which BTW, are barely a year old) are out of spec or, aren't manufactured to particularly close tolerances.

More about this as it becomes available.

ThankGawd! Once I ground off the bolt heads, they were finger-tight and they backed right out.

Here's a shot after I finished off the first one.

Here's the old (automatic) adapter plate.

This is the adapter that came with the manual transmission. Interestingly, it has the same part number as the one that was already on the car.

No way will you ever see me bench pressing one of these transmissions in place. Not when I have a welder and a pile of scrap steel.

I made a nifty transmission holding fixture thingus that bolts onto the top of my floor jack so that I can raise the tranny without breaking a sweat or fearing that it may fall and crush my noggin.

I determined the correct length last night and this morning, the driveshaft went to Thrash Driveline (Thrash Drive Shaft Inc 4838 West Ave; San Antonio, TX 78213 Phone: (210) 342-6622) in San Antonio. I should have it back in a week or so.

Meanwhile, I need to modify the cross-member, modify and adjust the shift linkages, install the pedals and hook up the hydraulics. By the time the shaft is done, it should be ready to roll.

One more thing...
I have made a real effort to keep this conversion reversible...that is, if I decide that manual tranny turbos aren't all they're cracked-up to be, I can go back to where I came from.

Thus, the driveshaft modification is being done by shortening the front piece of the driveline (from the splines forward) from the donor 240D. That way, if I need to go back to the auto, all I need to do is reinstall the front piece of the auto's driveshaft.

I'm wondering if you're concerned about driveshaft balancing, since that has been mentioned a number of times before. Such as, did you mark both parts of the 300TD shaft before separating it? And does the driveline shop have both pieces of the driveshaft, and is balancing included in the job? Inquiring minds want to know.

Valid question. Yes, balancing the entire assembly (both pieces together) is included as part of the modification. The original wagon driveshaft had witness marks to aid in correctly reassembling the shaft if it was taken apart. I'll add similar marks to the modified shaft too.

Rear crossmember modification is complete.
 

Here's the modified rear crossmember in place on the car:

This is how I had to modify the righthand side of the mount to make it work/fit (it's laying upside down in this shot). Please excuse the welding spatter; I'm using a Miller AC SMAW machine unearthed from a late iron age midden...a MIG welder would have made this soooo much easier...and neater too.

Randy is a pretty stubborn do it yourselfer.... I offered him the use of my Army Surplus 10 TON Truck transmission jack... which will put the bottom of the trans at 36 inches off the floor (think about how high that puts the roof of the car )....but he had to make his own ' thingus'.....

Next time you are out here I will teach you how to weld.... LOL

You are a computer graphics artist...you could at least fix (photoshop) the weld in the picture before posting it....

Once I finished work on the crossmember last night, I fitted the shifter rods. Remarkably, they're too long and don't need to be bent to fit. I will have to find the proper metric die to extend the adjustment threading further along the rod and then I'll trim off the end of the rod. I should be good to go on the linkage at that point.

Guilty as charged and already serving my sentence.

And I'm a damned good one too, thank you very much. But, what makes you think that weld pic hasn't already been retouched? Remember, the most important thing about altering photos is retaining believeability.

proper metric die .....
Not easy in Austin, as you know... but Austin Bolt, etc...... but more likely if you check in SA when you are down there... or do you have any "authorized representatives' in SA ? LOL

Here's where the old automatic's neutral safety, kickdown and reverse switch wiring exits the cabin and heads out to the tranny. Those clever Bosche decided to use the same orfice for the hydraulic line from the clutch master cylinder to the slave cylinder; I'll take a shot of it when the install is complete.

Almost directly above where the loose connector is in this shot, is the female side of the neutral saftey wiring. I'm thinking seriously about wiring a starter kill switch into that circuit.

Just obtained the necessary 10mm x 1.5 die and a cheapo handle for $14.00+change from American Bolt (5214 Burleson Rd # 304; 512/443-8521) here in Austin.