whats up HT, so heres the deal, im rollin around with an auto tranny right now, WHACK. I wanna swap to manual, my question is, is it worth it to just drop 1G and have a local shop do it and keep my stock motor, OR buy a JDM D15B with manaul ttranny and do it myself. This car is my daily so it has to pass smog and easily be repaired ya know. any help appreciated

 

I say do the trans swap yourself. You didn't specify what kind of car you had, but the D15B doesn't really offer more power than the Z6 - it will be more powerful than the B7 if you have a DX (your sig says 95 coupe, so I'm guessing it's an EX or an DX) - but not really a lot, you'll be happy for like a week, then just pissed that you spent all that money on it and want more. Though the B7 + the auto trans makes things weak, I say go for the 5sp and spice things up a bit.

Get a Z6 manual trans too, over the B7/B8/Z1, it offers shorter gearing.

I also say screw letting a shop do it, do it yourself. It's not too hard, just un-do the side and the rear trans mount, unbolt the starter/trans. You'll need the clutch/flywheel from a 5th gen ('92-'95) manual D series transmission, the transmission itself, master & slave cylinders, 3rd pedal or manual pedal assembly, clutch lines, shift linkage, shifter, and a manual ECU. Unless I missed something everything else is the same - and if you've never done it but are remotely technically inclined you can do it in a weekend, maximum.

Some people say drop the engine to remove the trans, I say don't, it's not needed, just a waste of time. Maybe it's different if you have a hoist, I don't. Simply jack it up and remove the trans that way, though getting it back up is a bit of a trick, I suggest removing wheels / bumper, it's easier then, it's also easier if you have power tools, but gotta use what you got.

Good luck, I say swap the trans is your best bet.

 

thanks for the input yeah i have a 95 DX i also have a Z6 head to go on their when i swap to manual. i also have the linkage and shifter and as soon as my friend comes up on a EX tranny from an ek he"s just gonna give me his DX tranny haha