Hey, Has anyone done this!(well, I am sure!)

Anyway, I may pick up and 93 loyale Automatic..

and I want to put in a five speed from one of

my (wrecks/flower pots)...(they are both 91's)..

    So my question that I pose to the forum....

is  let me know the less obvious things........

that may stymie me.

     Like I noticed the the dashboard panel is different

from Auto to Standard.......

   But like what about  (cross member?)

                                    driveshaft.......

                                    Axles.... same?

             Like I mentioned I have two spare

cars to borrow from.........

 I just would like to be able to plan ahead....

thanks.....

    If you could let me know right away...

that would be great as I am supposed to

go look at this other car.....  tonight.....

Thanks, Micky

 

 

 

it can be done, just swap everything that's needed.

trans, center console/shifter/instrument cluster, rear differential, driveshaft.

 

if you're that capable -  fix a car, flip it, make an extra thousand dollars for less work and then buy an MT loyale.

everyone views time/money differently but you could come out with a MT loyale and making money for the same amount of work you're talking about.

 

if it's not 4WD and you want to install a 4WD MT trans - some vehicles do and some don't - have the drilled out/threaded bosses for the driveshaft carrier bearings.  but those two holes are easily drilled/tapped anyway.

yes, axles are the same if they're all non-turbo vehicles.

 

cross member - leave the rear transmission crossmember attached to respective trans and you've got the right crossmember.

engine cross member is the same, nothing needs changed there.

Good to hear....

I guess there is the rollback brake.....

I guess I could opt out on putting that in, correct?

 

  The MT tranny... I am figuring you are referring

the earlier trannies. with the wonderful  LOW.....

     Are they hard to find?

and what could I figure on paying?

 

Thanks,,, Micky

    keep the input coming, I appreciate it......

no i wasn't referring to the dual range transmissions.

 

i was referring to FWD verses 4WD - you never stated what they were.  if one is FWD (not 4WD is what i said - should have typed FWD i guess) - then reread that comment. some have that issue and some don't. easy anyway.

 

i don't know dual range transmission pricing/availability - post in the parts wanted forum or search www.car-part.com

if you're going through the effort to swap i'd get the "good" dual range - there are two variants, one with a much favorable low range over the other.

if your "northeast" is anything like my northeast these older cars are largely unavailable and went the way of the dinosaur due to rust years ago.  they're still around but not widely/readily available sometimes.

The bolts that hold the tranny crossmember to the body are larger on the auto than the manual, so make sure you keep them.

 

You'll need to sort out the wiring for the reverse lights (on tranny on manual, on gearstick on auto), plus bypassing the auto's neutral safety switch (the 2 largest wires on the gearstick, I think BW & BY) which need to be joined together.

 

Not sure how your LHD clutch pedal assembly bolts up. It may be easier to swap completely.

 

Tailshaft lengths (for the front half) are different auto & manual.

 

You don't need to swap the clusters if you couldn't be bothered. It'll just stop lighting up. Otherwise you're going to need to repin the plugs for the centre display as the auto dash board loom has extra wires & therefore a larger plug.

Thank you.... This is all  most helpful.

I will be looking at the car tomorrow......

And I just can't imagine not having a five speed....

All these nuances... great to know in advance....

 

Yeah,   Harder and harder to find these cars

I guess that is why I am even considering the

tranny swap..... being I have the parts......

If the 3AT is good and not too far away, I might be interested in it if you don't want to keep it.

I believe you will need to swap out the speedo cable as well. I'm pretty sure the automatic speedometer cable is shorter than the manual. At least that's what I found when I did my 3at to 5sp d/r swap.

Miles Fox made the gold standard video series on how to do this. Give it a watch:

 

If you don't hook up the roll back lock, you'll need to rig up a spring cause it acts as a clutch return spring. You won't be able to adjust the clutch correctly without something that pulls it back all the way. And take a good look at the pedal clusters before you swap them. I found that I could have just added the clutch to the existing auto cluster, not swap out the entire thing. Would have been way easier.

3.9 is the more common dual range and had the " lowest " lo. That's in every dual range vehicle post 85 except the 85 and 86 rx. Those were 3.7 with a higher lo. I have a 3.9 that needs rebuilt. Still going when pulled, but lots of bearing noise.

We do bolt the clutch pedal directly onto the auto pedal box all the time, then just trim down the brake pedal to fit the manual's rubber cover over. It's a lot easier on the RHD models cos the clutch pedal is beside the heater box, not the side of the car.

I still would like to see how the LHD clutch pedal works. For the life of me, I can't figure out how you get the cable out passed the strut tower

Edited January 14, 201511 yr by wagonist

The only reason I put any more thought into is because of the full throttle switch next to the gas pedal on the auto cluster. I pulled out the auto (mpfi) cluster and was going to throw in the d/r 5 speed (carb) cluster. I noticed the cluster I was just about to install would need the bracket for the full throttle switch, which was spot welded into the auto cluster. I had the cutting tools out when I decided to step back and take a second look.

The full throttle switch on the gas pedal is only for the kickdown and for the "4wd auto" function where the trans switches to 4wd when braking, kickdown acceleration, or wipers on.

 

The manual doesn't need it, and it won't matter if the switch goes missing.

 

Although, it's useful for disconnecting the A/C compressor on full throttle. These engines need all the help they can sometimes

Yeah,   Harder and harder to find these cars

I guess that is why I am even considering the

tranny swap...

 

Oh right, i hear you there.  Not many left to choose from around here.  I got my XT6 from a non-rust state for the same reason.  So nice having a rust free vehicle - brakes, and suspension all easily come apart, it's crazy.

Woa, good to know about the full throttle switch. I kept everything automatic installed in terms of electronics, and left the switch on the shifter in neutral. That way the car operates as normal, just thinking its in neutral. I had to do that when I swapped my Audi to a 5 speed, the electronics on that car were way to complicated to try and eliminate.