When I started my swap I didn't think to document it but thought I would share anyway. Maybe some of the stuff I had to research will help other people.
Let me start by saying I'm not a drag race guy which should explain why I'm going back to a manual trans. I like the road race scene and take my car to the mountains on a regular basis. I have a 2003 10th anv edition I traded a guy for last year. I traded him a Factory Five Racing MK3 I build in 2006 but that is besides the point. The cobra has a 4r70w auto transmission now and I am putting a T56 magnum in it. Before I get too deep into this post I want to say I'm not a mechanic professionally (I'm a computer guy) but I like working on my cars. So anyone else out there that is considering this job its not really that difficult but it is heavy work.
Collecting parts:
I thought I was going to get lucky to find a trans on craigslist but it turned out to be a TR3650 (5 speed), word to the wise, make sure you know what you are looking at before you buy. I wanted a 6speed so I bought a new T56 from American Muscle (AM).
Bellhousing is a stock T56, the quicktime is not required but if you want a scatter shield that is the best option.
Clutch again I went to AM and they hooked me up with a RAM single disc clutch. I initially ordered a 10 spline for the other trans before I found out it was not a T56 and they took it back no questions.
Foot pedals I had from the original setup
Bolts - what a PITA. I spent hours on ford part sites figuring out what bolts I needed. AM had some of them but not all of them and I had to get the ones they didn't have from other sources like Jegs or boltdepot.
clutch cable, fork, throw out bearing and pilot bearing all came from AM.
The swap:
I started with the foot pedals, I thought this would be the hard part because the work is upside down under the dash. I got the auto pedal out pretty easy. The clutch pedals went in with some work, I had to remove the clutch pedal to get the assembly under the dash. The clutch assembly is a little bigger than the auto. Once I got bolts up I rewired everything. Just pay attention to the way things come apart and its easy to put them back together. With all the work done under the dash I'm ready to do the actual trans swap. I'm heading to a friends house this weekend to borrow a lift and trans jack. Lucky for me he is a Ford tech and knows what he is doing.
I'll post again after this weekend. I'll try to remember to take a few pictures.
Thanks to everyone on this site for previous posts that have answered numerous questions I had.
Let me start by saying I'm not a drag race guy which should explain why I'm going back to a manual trans. I like the road race scene and take my car to the mountains on a regular basis. I have a 2003 10th anv edition I traded a guy for last year. I traded him a Factory Five Racing MK3 I build in 2006 but that is besides the point. The cobra has a 4r70w auto transmission now and I am putting a T56 magnum in it. Before I get too deep into this post I want to say I'm not a mechanic professionally (I'm a computer guy) but I like working on my cars. So anyone else out there that is considering this job its not really that difficult but it is heavy work.
Collecting parts:
I thought I was going to get lucky to find a trans on craigslist but it turned out to be a TR3650 (5 speed), word to the wise, make sure you know what you are looking at before you buy. I wanted a 6speed so I bought a new T56 from American Muscle (AM).
Bellhousing is a stock T56, the quicktime is not required but if you want a scatter shield that is the best option.
Clutch again I went to AM and they hooked me up with a RAM single disc clutch. I initially ordered a 10 spline for the other trans before I found out it was not a T56 and they took it back no questions.
Foot pedals I had from the original setup
Bolts - what a PITA. I spent hours on ford part sites figuring out what bolts I needed. AM had some of them but not all of them and I had to get the ones they didn't have from other sources like Jegs or boltdepot.
clutch cable, fork, throw out bearing and pilot bearing all came from AM.
The swap:
I started with the foot pedals, I thought this would be the hard part because the work is upside down under the dash. I got the auto pedal out pretty easy. The clutch pedals went in with some work, I had to remove the clutch pedal to get the assembly under the dash. The clutch assembly is a little bigger than the auto. Once I got bolts up I rewired everything. Just pay attention to the way things come apart and its easy to put them back together. With all the work done under the dash I'm ready to do the actual trans swap. I'm heading to a friends house this weekend to borrow a lift and trans jack. Lucky for me he is a Ford tech and knows what he is doing.
I'll post again after this weekend. I'll try to remember to take a few pictures.
Thanks to everyone on this site for previous posts that have answered numerous questions I had.
