Jump to content
SAU Community

Recommended Posts

Hey guys,

Just wondering, if anybody here had got this done on their car before? I'm looking at getting it done on my R33 GTS-T - it currently has the standard auto gearbox in it, with a shiftkit installed - its fun to drive at the moment, but I think I'd prefer to have a manual instead.

I've looked around for a bit but I can't find many reccomendations or places in QLD listed here who would be able to do one - does anybody have any ideas of who I could call up to get an idea of cost/time etc?

Cheers!

Phil

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/149111-auto-to-manual-conversion/
Share on other sites

Pretty much any import garage will do the conversion i think. Just ring around.

I'd assume the auto with shift kit would be faster than a manual (with the same mods).

I'd recommend driving a manual R33 like yours, just to make sure you prefer it over the auto - Before anything else.

Definately ring around and get quotes. You can save plenty of money just by shopping around.

Good luck!

I have done a auto manual conversion before and I swore to myself that I would never do it again...

I mean the hassel involved is huge... In many cases its easier to just buy a manual...

Is the car worth allot to you??? I mean is it any thing special in terms of paint or non-removable modifications???

Oh i do encourage anyone to modify their car and dont get me wrong, I would do it again if it made sence to do so...

Im just asking if its not too late to just buy a manual R33???

Dont forget going from auto to manual you need an LB3 modification plate from QLD transport dept and your insurance will be higher than a factory manual...

' date='29 Dec 2006, 07:33 PM' post='2781674']

Pretty much any import garage will do the conversion i think. Just ring around.

I'd assume the auto with shift kit would be faster than a manual (with the same mods).

I'd recommend driving a manual R33 like yours, just to make sure you prefer it over the auto - Before anything else.

Definately ring around and get quotes. You can save plenty of money just by shopping around.

Good luck!

Hey mate,

Ahh fair enough, I'll give a few a call in the next few days.

The shift kit really does add an extra element I guess - in a straight line (drags, whatever else) yeah I'll beat a lot of stuff, but put in on a circuit (like I want to do a lot more of next year) and its harder - little to no control over the gears, I can't really use engine braking much etc.

I've driven a friends R32 with 200rwkw and another mates R32 with around 160rwkw and I've found them both very enjoyable, and a lot quicker than my car.

I have done a auto manual conversion before and I swore to myself that I would never do it again...

I mean the hassel involved is huge... In many cases its easier to just buy a manual...

Is the car worth allot to you??? I mean is it any thing special in terms of paint or non-removable modifications???

I realise there will probably be a fair bit of drama involved, and cost - but I figured I'd check it out first before making my mind up completely.

To be honest, I thought about selling the car and buying a new one, but the market seems to have fallen out of the r33's in recent (and no so recent) times. For me to be able to do this normally, I need around $13k for my current car, which I have had it advertised recently and recieved 0 phonecalls/enquiries about it, and I see a lot of similar R33's which are younger and have more features, for cheaper - eg $11k ish sort of price range.

I'm pretty happy with the R33 at the moment, its a fun car, clean and straight, so I figured I'd keep it as is. I didn't realise about the mod plate thing though, and insurance, I'll check that out as well before I procede with anything.

Thanks again guys - if anybody has any reccomendations for people I can call apart from the well known ones (Mercury, Allstar, etc, I'll call them as a given) please let me know!

Cheers

To be honest, I thought about selling the car and buying a new one, but the market seems to have fallen out of the r33's in recent (and no so recent) times.

Yeap totally with you... I was going to invest in another GTR...

But it would be a waste of money... With that money im spending it on the GTS-T instead...

I have got to a point where my car has cost me double what i coudl sell it for, so i may as well just run it into the ground... I mean I do 2500kms per annum and its pretty much all on the track...

hi phil

ive had a few mates get their cars converted from auto to manual and they werent overly happy with it (just small niggling problems, they also had other work done at the same time (engine swaps))

i guess u have to decide if your car is worth spending that extra cash on

u'll never ever see it again, and imo an auto converted to manual is worth even less than either an original auto or manual . .. . .

id probably stick with the auto

drive it for a few more years until you can afford to get rid of of it for whatever u can get for it and next time buy a manual

love spook

Edited by Spook's_Skyline

I looked into it and priced up everything, I found it was going to cost about $4000 to $5000 depending on the clutch you wanted to get. So I decided to keep the auto.

You will need the following;

Gearbox

Gearbox crossmember

Tailshaft

pedal assembley

clutch master cylinder

clutch slave cylinder

clutch

flywheel

bell housing

center console

dash cluster

computer

some fluid lines

manual spigot bush

And there are a few things I am sure I have missed.

Really in the long run it would be best to keep it an Auto and maybe get the auto box rebuilt and it will be lots tougher.

just a thought.

Chris

i did a little research back in the day when i was looking to buy a skyline and was faced with the possibility of having an auto

as far as i figured it wasn't THAT much of a hassle, though there could be a couple minor technical bits that i wouldn't know about anyway

but 5k ? surely thats a wee bit on the pessimistic side?

When I looked into it I was looking $3000 for a gearbox with warranty, about $1000 for clutch and master and slave cylinders and then about $1000 for all the extra bits including labour. That was 18 months ago.

That was a fair price at the time.

When I looked into it I was looking $3000 for a gearbox with warranty, about $1000 for clutch and master and slave cylinders and then about $1000 for all the extra bits including labour. That was 18 months ago.

That was a fair price at the time.

Im not sure who gave you those prices but they are WAYYYYYYYY too expensive

tentative quotes from people who knew their stuff was around the 2-2.5k mark to convert a 34

bit cheaper if you hocked your old transmission

in the end? probably is a hassle, as is a fair bit of car tinkering, just pay someone else to do it

Honest to god prices would say a r33 rb25det 5 speed is worth $1500 second hand any day of the week, with some sort of warranty. Allow at leat another 1.5k for stuff as mentioned like pedal box and lines, clutch and flywheel, new flywheel nuts, gear box crossmember, tail shaft (or modify exsisting, around $350 mark last time ive done it) manual shifter surround, gear knob, and then labour to fit, dont forget reverse and neutral switch wiring, and thats for the standard gear. if you want a decent clutch and flywheel, id say costs would be around $4500- 6000 depending on clutch and how complete the conversion kit you get is.

Ive always found cars converted from manual seem to be better cars, maybe because they have had a easier life and bought by a different type of owner from new. Both my S13 were autos converted, were at the time a lot tidier than others that i looked at.

Ive always found cars converted from manual seem to be better cars, maybe because they have had a easier life and bought by a different type of owner from new

Why I imported an auto and then converted it..

I converted my r32 to manual.. and it isn't very hard once you have th parts.. in fact it's all very much plug and play as long as you know how your car is screwed together. You also have the opportunity to install new and/or performance bits rather than standard (new m/s cylinders, braided clutch line, lightened flywheel) so if you do it properly it should behave as well as any factory manual, and then some. Unfortunately the hardest part is just getting a decent box.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Similar Content

  • Latest Posts

    • The rain is the best time to push to the edge of the grip limit. Water lubrication reduces the consumption of rubber without reducing the fun. I take pleasure in driving around the outside of numpties in Audis, WRXs, BRZs, etc, because they get all worried in the wet. They warm up faster than the engine oil does.
    • When they're dead cold, and in the wet, they're not very fun. RE003 are alright, they do harden very quickly and turn into literally $50 Pace tyres.
    • Yeah, I thought that Reedy's video was quite good because he compared old and new (as in, well used and quite new) AD09s, with what is generally considered to be the fast Yokohama in this category (ie, sporty road/track tyres) and a tyre that people might be able to use to extend the comparo out into the space of more expensive European tyres, being the Cup 2. No-one would ever agree that the Cup 2 is a poor tyre - many would suggest that it is close to the very top of the category. And, for them all to come out so close to each other, and for the cheaper tyre in the test to do so well against the others, in some cases being even faster, shows that (good, non-linglong) tyres are reaching a plateau in terms of how good they can get, and they're all sitting on that same plateau. Anyway, on the AD08R, AD09, RS4 that I've had on the car in recent years, I've never had a problem in the cold and wet. SA gets down to 0-10°C in winter. Not so often, but it was only 4°C when I got in the car this morning. Once the tyres are warm (ie, after about 2km), you can start to lay into them. I've never aquaplaned or suffered serious off-corner understeer or anything like that in the wet, that I would not have expected to happen with a more normal tyre. I had some RE003s, and they were shit in the dry, shit in the wet, shit everywhere. I would rate the RS4 and AD0x as being more trustworthy in the wet, once the rubber is warm. Bridgestone should be ashamed of the RE003.
    • This is why I gave the disclaimer about how I drive in the wet which I feel is pretty important. I have heard people think RS4's are horrible in the rain, but I have this feeling they must be driving (or attempting to drive) anywhere close to the grip limit. I legitimately drive at the speed limit/below speed the limit 100% of the time in the rain. More than happy to just commute along at 50kmh behind a train of cars in 5th gear etc. I do agree with you with regards to the temp and the 'quality' of the tyre Dose. Most UHP tyres aren't even up to temperature on the road anyway, even when going mad initial D canyon carving. It would be interesting to see a not-up-to-temp UHP tyre compared against a mere... normal...HP tyre at these temperatures. I don't think you're (or me in this case) is actually picking up grip with an RS4/AD09 on the road relative to something like a RE003 because the RS4/AD09 is not up to temp and the RE003 is closer to it's optimal operating window.
    • Either the bearing has been installed backwards OR the gearbox input shaft bearing is loosey goosey.   When in doubt, just put in a Samsonas in.
×
×
  • Create New...