Well, it has been over 2 months since my 98 lude has been in the garage unused due to the auto tranny going bad. I've been contemplating on whether i should get the swap or fix up the auto tranny and sell it to buy a new one. But i choose to do the swap after all from careful studying. I'd really like to get started...though i don't really know how.

I'm sure the two most important things are getting all the parts first and finding a reliable/decent costing mechanic for the job (considering i will not do it because im not mechanically inclined).

What I'm truly seeking is for someone to point me towards a reliable/decent mechanic in California, specifically in the Bay Area. It would also be great if someone would create/point me out to a list of some sort for the specific parts. I've done some searching, and i found something similar in the delsol section. I got the jist of what i need, though the specifics for my car would be much more helpful.

Thanks.

 

firstly, find yourself an alternate means of transportation, this is one of those things that you wont finish in one shot. you're gonna need the following:
-a manual transmission obviously
-pedal assembly
-shifter assembly
-clutch system - master cylinder, slave cylinder, clutch line
-shifter cables
-interior pieces around manual shifter so figure out how to take apart the dash
-new ignition cylinder possibly
-possibly ecu from a manual prelude. if so, it will need to be reprogrammed for the immobilizer by a dealer and new keys
and of course all the bolts, nuts, screws to mount that **** to the car
expect this to take 20+ hours at least

i did a similiar project with my friend on his 93 eagle talon, granted its not a prelude, but the idea is the same...we spent 16-17 hours straight one day to put everything together, drill the firewall etc and another 10 to put the interior, pedals, shifter in and iron out the quirks. good luck with this, its definitely worth it...i couldnt stand an auto prelude

 

You could start at the search, next time.

THE OFFICIAL 4th Generation Prelude Auto To Manual Swap Thread

Last post is a link to a 5g writeup as well.

 

Wow, Thank you very very much guys. I appreciate it. That link to the 5th gen helped out a bunch! Though i did do i search...perhaps i need to learn how to use it more effectively, which ill make sure i'll do next time.

Hm...so anyone from Cali. know a good mechanic? =o

 

Alright so i found a shop in my area called BlackTrax. Here's the reply from my request for a quote:

"For this particular conversion, we only warranty the job if we supply the
parts. There are too many parts needed for the swap including brackets,
bolts, hydraulics etc. besides the "big stuff".

We quote a standard pricing at $3000 with no manual gauge cluster. $3250
with and $3600 without gauge cluster but with our own lightened flywheel and
clutch kit."

Hm...it seems somewhat pricy. Considering the "rule" you get what you pay for...I't bothers me that if i provide the parts myself, they wont do a very good job since they know that it's not covered by their warranty. Guess i have to do some more searching? or would it be worth the 3G to get it swapped?

 

That is a RIPOFF

<FONT SIZE="20">BIGTIME</FONT>

 

lmfao. from what i've read isnt the cost for the swap pretty much around half that price, parts costing from 700+ and labor 800+?

 

**** for that price, you could sell your prelude as is, and invest that 3000 into another prelude already manual

 

i did it myself it was in a fourth gen but it cost me around 1000 with all the parts. it takes quite a long time when doing it yourself. find a friend that is willing to help you out and you could get it done in a week end

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by pprowler6 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">it takes quite a long time when doing it yourself. find a friend that is willing to help you out and you could get it done in a week end</TD></TR></TABLE>

I could do a manual conversion in a day, probably 8 hours max. The only part I'd need a hand with is getting the transmissions in and out. This job is a lot easier than people make it out to be.

 

I have some friends who are most likely capable of doing it...only thing is, they might not be willing to. lol