Auto to Manual thoughts - I read the articles

[sikbrik]

This will be my first technical question here and I have tried to search as extensively as I could and read as much as possible. Please forgive me if I've missed anything.

I'm pondering the auto-to-manual swap (with a parts car available, rather than sourcing individual parts) and I'm curious of whether you think it would add much time to the process if I just pulled the engine/trans as a combo and did the changeover and put them back in together.

I've got an engine hoist and a decent collection of tools. WAY back in the day I started a BP swap and gave up, so I'm somewhat familiar with the layout.

I know it introduces the added expense of replacing lost coolant and tying a/c parts out of the way, etc but there are wiring changes required as I understand it. Might be easier to just pull both drivetrains, pull the harnesses, and swap everything into the engine bay at once. I also fear it will be tempting to clean/paint everything while it's out but I can probably overcome that desire.

I'm figuring an extra hour or two, since I won't have to struggle with working in the confines of a small engine bay. Thoughts?

[Gforcefd]

Well if you pull the engine and trans together and can keep the axles in that should save you some time from fighting with the axle clips that like to keep the axles from coming out of the trans.

BTW: I have a complete manual parts car with engine and trans still in it if your interested, not sure how far Camp Hill is from Ithaca, NY though.