When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
The Camry has gone under the knife for the 6 speed swap. This might take quite a while to get finished because they get pretty involved. I've done it once before but not on a car thats quite as technical as the Aristo.
So far I got the exhaust and driveshaft out. It was super easy because there isn't a spot of rust to speak of. The automatic transmission cooler lines took me a good hour to disconnect. Now I'm unbolting the transmission. Its really tight in the transmission tunnel. I'm not sure how I will get the top bolts. It almost looks like I will have to get them from the top of the engine or I'll have to unbolt the entire catalytic converter/downpipe. I don't think I'd have to drop the entire engine but that wouldn't be a bad option either because there's an entire cradle bolted in 4 spots with this car rather than the standard 2 subframes.
I found that my flywheel inspection hole cover or dust cover was missing. Part number 90950-01809 'plug hole'. That could be a catastrophe if a rock got in there.
The transmission requires a 36" long (no more no less) 1/2" drive socket extension to reach the top bolts. You have to hit them from the top. See pics (black bar is the extension):
Dakota Digital SGI-5E ordered for the speedometer. I might just scale it down to MPH so its easier to drive legally, calculate fuel mileage etc. That will be a 320 MPH meter. Technically I could get a second unit for the odometer and keep it KPH but it wouldn't be hard to record the KM's and count miles from there.
Auto trans is out. There was a mess in the bell housing probably because the rear main seal was leaking and the dust cover let water in there. The auto trans is actually smaller than I would've thought considering the power level it handles. It's not even that heavy even with the torque converter on it which is amazing. I don't have a scale so I'll have to borrow one to check in with a weight savings number.
The new flywheel dust cover came in already too so I can just pop that on tomorrow along with the new flywheel.
Gunk heavy duty gel plus brake kleen and a rag cleaned up the back of the engine:
This is what the firewall looks like with the foot brake removed. There is no way to get the clutch installed with the foot brake installed.
This is what the firewall looks like with a few layers of that fiberglass insulation (conspicuously marked HW-R) pulled back:
That spot totally sucks for the clutch pedal because its not at all flat. The clutch pedal needs to bolt to a flat spot and it needs to be secure so it doesn't wobble around etc. Not only that but the brake pedal is still too wide and the two pedals are touching:
This is very tricky because this car doesn't have the cut out on the firewall for a clutch pedal. I've done this before on a car that had an MT option and the clutch pedal part was a breeze. Not only is the clutch pedal a pain but the brake pedal is really wide and too far to the left. It needs to be cut down but I can't remove it. It's hinged by a bolt at the top and I got the nut off but the bolt won't back out without hitting a bulkhead. That bulkhead is welded to a piece that is bolted in. It looks like I'd have to remove the entire dashboard and steering column to get the brake pedal off. This might be on purpose.
I intend to cut that plastic bracket for the HVAC system where the red lines are. The blue box is where I think there is a flat spot in the firewall. The 350z clutch pedal is 3 1/2" wide and the bolt holes are 2 1/2" across center to center. They're also at a 45 degree angle. That might be a wide enough spot to mount the clutch pedal. The question after that is if there is enough room on the other side of the firewall for the clutch master cylinder. The master cylinder is 4" long and has a remote reservoir but the rear turbo is very close to the firewall so it might not fit. As you can tell this is very very tricky.
I got that bracket cut out today but its not as flat of a spot as I was hoping. I'll still have to do some modifications to make the clutch pedal and master cylinder lay flat.
Instead of trying to modify the Aristo pedal I decided to cut the end of the 350Z brake pedal off and see how it lines up. It curves more in the correct direction so I think I can just the the end of the old pedal off and weld the 350Z pedal end on. It may look a bit far to the right however the steering wheel is offset to the left and the steering column is even further offset. This is going to be a more natural pedal position.
The reason for the clutch and throttle pedal being close together is for the ability to heel-toe downshift which is basically like breathing for me. I can't really live with myself if I can't heel-toe.
I weighed the components just because I was curious how much weight the manual would save.
Manual:
Maverick Motorsports adapater plate with Spec twin plate Clutch Kit 39.5 lbs
CD009 transmission, 122 lbs
Cross Member 5 lbs.
Transmission Mount 1 lbs.
Total 167.5 lbs
Automatic:
Torque Converter 40.2 lbs
Automatic Transmission with crossmember and mount, no fluid 137 lbs
Total 177.2 lbs
I'm not really calculating the weight of the fluid, flex plate, modifications to the driveshaft, shifter etc. The clutch pedal and master cylinder add some weight but you have to remove the foot brake to install the clutch. You can also remove the automatic transmission cooler lines. Overall its almost a draw with a slight advantage going to the manual transmission.
Kind of off topic but I've been looking for a coilover upgrade. Right now I have the TRD coilovers and they're nice, but could be better. I Ideally, I would get Ohlins R&T or DFV but since they aren't available, I have to settle for something else. Stance is offering the XR-1 and advertises it with digressive valving which is interesting. Here is a shock dyno plot they provided:
I'm guessing this isn't the actual shock absorber and more of a marketing tool but its more than most manufacturers will provide. I know someone with a shock dyno but I kind of doubt Stance would let me borrow a shock to dyno. I'd probably have to buy it first and then dyno it. It would be an interesting comparison with the TRD shock. I wasn't planning on upgrading suspension this soon but it looks like I've found what I want to buy.
I didn't get much done yesterday, just the rear main seal. The kit I bought, Felpro BS40695, is for a 1994 Toyota Supra and it includes a paper gasket for the rear main seal housing to block seal. The original housing was installed with just sealant and it has a groove around the rim which is usually used with a sealant:
I just used Permatex Right Stuff instead of the paper gasket. The bottom edge seals against an aluminum cradle thats bolted to the block. There's a couple sharp corners where that cradle meets the block and this seal but as you can see, the curve of the crankshaft is smooth on this housing. I'm hoping it doesn't leak but I was dumb and didn't spread the sealant on both surfaces before mating them. I just spread it on the cradle for the bottom part. For the part that mounts against the engine block vertically, I spread the sealant on the seal housing. I'm sure that'll be fine because it bolts in. The bottom piece doesn't bolt in though as you can see. There actually wasn't a ton of sealant on it when I took it off so I'm sure the space is pretty tight and I put a generous bead on that lip, but I worry that its going to leak. I might end up just pulling the seal off and resealing it again. There's nothing worse than a leaky rear main seal.
04-29-17, 10:24 PM
