alright guys, my car is a 99 Sunfire GT....has around 50k miles soo i decided to go and put money into it....it is automatic and i would like a standard....ive been saving up now should i go for a tranny swap or turbo kit first....and please if any of you have gotten a tranny swap please tell me how much of a cost it was, and yes i realize its about a week process.
Swapping from an auto to a manual is a lot of work. New radiator, the actual transmission swap, and clutch pedal installation.
You could easily go for your turbo, and get a higher stall torque converter. I don't know of the available rebuild kit parts for the autos, but if you can install better bands and clutches in addition to the higher stall coverter, you'll like it better than any standard.
your car has reasionable mileage on it so your trannys prolly going to be fine behind the power you can make with the turbo. + its much easier to get a good launch with the turbo. itl spin all the way into 3rd gear and it comes fast. my trans has over 200 k on it and its holding up OK under boost but the 2 - 3 shift slips now as does 4th gear if i roll onto the throttle. i thought bout puttin a new auto in but ive decided like you to with the 5 speed instead. i dont know what to tell you on cost cuz i got all my stuff here and there used. the biggest issue your going to have is the trans mounts. the auto cars have a completly different set of trans brackets welded to the car.. you will have to cut them off another car and weld them onto yours. you will also need he clutch pedal assy, clutch master cyl, clutch slave (should be on trans) the trans itself, shifter assy, shifter cables, center console for a 5 speed, new 5 speed mounts. and all the little odds and ends that go with it. the ecu is setup for the auto now and if ya just swap it out it wont work right. there is a yellow wire for the clutch safety switch that needs to be hooked up and you will need an ecu reflash for a 5 speed car to work right. i have a standalone in mine so the ecu thing isint an issue. if you plan to go that route with the turbo setup (standalone) the ecu part wont matter for you either. good luck!
99 Turbo Sunfire GT | Ram 2500 | International Rollback | Mr Hanky the Suburban
Mitch Davis wrote:Swapping from an auto to a manual is a lot of work. New radiator, the actual transmission swap, and clutch pedal installation.
You could easily go for your turbo, and get a higher stall torque converter. I don't know of the available rebuild kit parts for the autos, but if you can install better bands and clutches in addition to the higher stall coverter, you'll like it better than any standard.
You don't have to change the radiator. Just unscrew the tranny cooler lines from the radiator. No problem just leaving them open like that. It's just a little side core on the radiator, that isn't too big. When I did my auto to manual, that's what i did. And it's been fine for over a year now.
hey i emailed you with all the parts and price i can get you for your swap if interested hit me back.
I think of it this way...
Spend $2000-2500 (possibly more) on a tranny swap for a mild amount of power.
Spend $2500-3500 on a turbo setup that will yield you way more power.
Of course, prices vary but it's in the same area. I'm assuming you're having a professional do the Transmission swap for you as well.
www.kronosperformance.com / 732-742-8837
given that a turbo will give you way more power and something on your car to brag about, NO ONE ON HERE wants to see a f ucking automatic with performance stuff done to it. honestly get the manual conversion and at least have some dignity when you do finally get the turbo.
05cavalier07 wrote:given that a turbo will give you way more power and something on your car to brag about, NO ONE ON HERE wants to see a f ucking automatic with performance stuff done to it. honestly get the manual conversion and at least have some dignity when you do finally get the turbo.
That is truely an ignorant thing to say. There are pros and cons to have an automatic and all everyone ever thinks of is the cons. Honestly, if you care anything about performance, it doesn't matter what type of transmission you have, it's about how much power you're making to the wheels.
And might I ask, what is so unappealing about a Turbo'd Automatic? Cause you don't have a nifty shifter and can't change gears yourself?
I don't know...I think there is more BRAG about having a Turbo Automatic than a basically stock manual car...maybe that's just me.
www.kronosperformance.com / 732-742-8837
trany swap should cost any more then 1100 dollars
I did the swap but i went from 2200 auto to ecotec 5 speed
only cost 1100
shop around you'll get a good deal if you know how to install it yourself
i think tranny swap should be first in order as it will make installing the turbo TONS easier trust me on this one plus he will be able to install a LSD insert into the tranny to distribute the power to the wheels better.
Wrench Monkey wrote:i think tranny swap should be first in order as it will make installing the turbo TONS easier trust me on this one plus he will be able to install a LSD insert into the tranny to distribute the power to the wheels better.
That might be true but say he only has the amount of money to do one or the other for now and then the next thing 6 months to a year later...would you rather be fast and not shift your own gears or spend all that money to gain back 5% of your drivetrain loss? That's where I'm coming from.
www.kronosperformance.com / 732-742-8837
gotcha but if in the end you are doing all wether its all at once or 1 yr down teh road i think the tranny first. but i do agree that getting the power back from the horsepower robbing auto is a good idea if that makes any sense
yeah $2,500 for a tranny swap is a bit high i can get a hole ecotec with tranny swap plus extra goodies for that price $1,100 is a good price up to around no more than $1,400 depending on the quality of the parts, thats how much i sell my swaps for anyways. and if you go turbo first then go back and swap to manual me personally it would be alot of hassel having to deal with all the turbo components and rewiring for manual. but then again thats just me.
www.visionboy.com has an auto supra on it that runs 9 second quarters...nothing wrong with an auto
