Chapter 4

The Transmission

The transmission work isn't hard at all. The automatic is one heavy son of a gun, so you are going to shave off a lot of weight. COOL! You are going to have to replace the transmission mount. Not a big deal, but it's around $80 new. If you can, get one when pulling the transmission out. Basically follow a repair manual for getting the transmission out. Pull the starter, speedometer cable, splash shields, passenger CV axle, lower control arm stiffener, cross member, torque converter cover, and block support. Pull the converter bolts, mount bolts, and then the bell-housing bolts. Pretty plain and straight forward removal. I didn't remove my passenger axle but you may want to for easier installation. I recommend cleaning out the trans cooler at this point so it doesn't drip on you forever.

Now remove the flex plate and slap on the manual flywheel with the longer flywheel bolts. Set up the clutch assembly with the new pressure plate bolts.

Under carriage with auto in place	Cross-member and converter cover removed
Clutch and flywheel in place	Manual transmission installed

Once the Flywheel and clutch assembly are in place, install a new throw-out bearing. Now install the transmission. Use the three longer bell-housing bolts and remember that the 14mm bell housing bolt next to the axle is the same on both auto and manual. Install the transmission mount. After the transmission is locked in, you can reinstall the lower converter cover and block support. There was a 12mm bolt in the dust shield on the back of the block above the axle, that one has upsized to a 14mm. Install the driver's axle, starter, speedometer cable, cross members, and DON'T FORGET TO FILL THE TRANSMISSION. Leave the driver's splash shield off for the electrical work.

Next: Chapter 5: Wiring for Dummies