SC300 Auto to 5 spd. conversion - any adveice, tips???
 

I THINK THINK THINK, I'm gonna do the automatic to 5 speed conversion.

I've found someone with ALL the parts I would need (trans., driveshaft, ECU, master/slave cylinders, pedal assembly, fly wheel, clutch - which I would replace, shifter, and boot), I'm just waiting on him to counter-offer.

Anyways, I wanted to know if anyone who has done the conversion has any tips or advice, or knows of any "roadblocks" that I should be aware of... or what price would be reasonable for the parts included.

ANY and ALL input is appreciated.

Thanks!!!

It's pretty straight forward.. my only recommendation would be to have plenty of beer :cool:

Haha, thanks man. :thumbup:

Pry bars, extra jack, and extra sets of hands help alot. Previously mentioned beer also helps too just make sure you don't drink too much or it may turn into a much longer project.

Friends dont let friends wrench on cars drunk!!! :)

but a few cold ones here and there never hurt anyone. when i did my clutch i only needed help to put the trans back on. i took it off on my own and the exhaust as well...one piece from header to tip. its very easy. besides waiting to get my flywheel resurfaced the clutch change too me about 4 hours of work, a pack of smokes, and a few beers. good luck :)

Thanks guys! I'm going to a wedding this weekend, then got finals first half of next week... I'm hoping to make another offer next Tues. or Weds. and pick this stuff up! :thumbup:

An impact wrench will help A LOT. Other than that, make sure you have plenty of extensions. I'm not sure about the SC300, but in my friends mk4 auto-manual swap, we had trouble getting the auto transmission out, but a crow bar would help with that :).

I should be receiving my swap from Aliga on Wednesday... =)) I'm so excited... hopefully I can get it in before Xmas...I'll try and take pics of the procedure...but no guarentees... =)

how about the pedal assembly and clutch master cylinder? i'll be doing my first sc swap here shortly and doing auto to manual at the same time. r&r'ing the tranny's themselves im sure is straight forward, just curious about the other stuff.

i know on a honda its easy just a little bit of a pain in the ass drilling the holes, how about on the sc300's?

yes please baoser... please take many many pics and exactly what you did step by step... i havent seen a thread here on CL yet that shows you how to do it step by step with pictures yet... im planning on doing a auto-to-manual convsersion soon also.

exactly. That was the only thing I found annoying- but it's definately not that difficult. considering there aren't any shift cables that u gotta put thru the firewall, or axles u gotta pop in- it's pretty easy on rwd

The drilling is the only part I'm REALLY nervous about... oh, is the firewall stamped out for the pedal/master cylinder? Somebody told me Hondas are, didn't know if Toyota/Lexus did that too.

Also, how much would expect to pay (or offer) for these parts:

5 spd. Trans.
Driveshaft
Shifter w/boot
ECU (for the 5 speed, of course)
Flywheel
Master Cylinder
Slave Cylinder
Pedal(s)

It's pretty local, so shipping isn't an issue either.


*Judging from the CarFax report, the car probably has around 160k-170,000 miles on it; it was purchased in GA then spent it's whole life in east TN.

http://www.slidestyle.net/SC300/SC300_swap.html
The firewall is stamped for the Clutch pedal assy. Drill the holes accordingly to fit the pedal. Pretty straight forward, didn't take me too long. You will need to cut back some of the carpet padding to get the pedal to sit flush with the firewall.

Damn dude, that's pretty thorough!

What happened to pages 6-12 and the "torque specs" page??

Ive been busy with other things. One of these days when I'm not busy working on our shops website I'll finish the swap pages.