PFF - Pennock's Fiero Forum, PDA Edition

Manual to auto (Page 1/2)

Cameron416

AUG 01, 07:22 PM

I have two fieros, the donor car is a 1987 SE 6cyl with an automatic and the recipient is a 1986 SE4cyl manual. Im using the 6 cylinder because its more powerful, reliable, and has around half the miles. Im wondering if i should set up the recipient to be an automatic and keep the transmission with the engine or swap the manual transmission onto the 6cyl. Which would be less time consuming and which would be less expensive. The manual would definitely need a clutch. Also what wiring harness and ecu should i use?

olejoedad

AUG 01, 07:42 PM

Staying with the manual would be less time consuming.
Use a harness from any 85 - 88 V-6 manual car.

Cameron416

AUG 01, 07:48 PM

Unfortunately that would require tracking down and purchasing a wiring harmess. Is there any way to do this with either of the harnesses that i have?

Dennis LaGrua

AUG 01, 09:12 PM

A Fiero can be changed from a stick to a manual and vice versa. The easier task is manual to auto but if you have both cars you have everything that you need. I just completed a manual to auto conversion and it wasn't difficult.

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Cameron416

AUG 01, 09:26 PM

What had to be done for the swap?

pmbrunelle

AUG 01, 11:01 PM

Considering that you don't even have your driver's license yet, which implies that you're young, my suggestion is that you learn to drive on a standard car, while you're young and still fast at picking up new things.

Don't start right off the bat depending on a crutch to drive; the automatic transmission.

For a first car, I'd just drive the 4-cylinder/manual the way it is, as long as it runs. I'd focus on fixing whatever's broken or needing maintenance rather than worrying about more power.

Cameron416

AUG 01, 11:08 PM

Currently the 4cyl is a decent way from running which is why im stuck with this decision. This car will be serving as a daily driver as it will be far from showroom quality. Most of my trips will be very short, under 5 miles. That is why I am concerned about the manual, Arent they more of a pain to drive when stopping a lot, Im worried it will take away from the fun

pmbrunelle

AUG 01, 11:22 PM

Usually "car guys" find manual is more fun... but the fact that you have two Fieros rather than a Toyota Corolla or similar appliance leads me to believe that you're a car guy.

For a beginner driver, stop-and-go traffic is indeed frustrating.

Think of working a manual transmission like learning to balance on a bike. Before you "get it", balancing is challenging and even frustrating. However, once it clicks, you would never go back to training wheels (aka automatic). Cycling on two wheels is more rewarding.

How messed up is the 4-cylinder? You could do a lot of fixing-up on the original engine before the required effort approaches the effort/cost of an engine swap. Do you have an engine hoist and the experience needed to pull an engine (or have a good experienced helper)?

[This message has been edited by pmbrunelle (edited 08-01-2019).]

AsaBergman

AUG 02, 03:12 AM

quote

Originally posted by Cameron416:

Currently the 4cyl is a decent way from running which is why im stuck with this decision. This car will be serving as a daily driver as it will be far from showroom quality. Most of my trips will be very short, under 5 miles. That is why I am concerned about the manual, Arent they more of a pain to drive when stopping a lot, Im worried it will take away from the fun

Cameron,
First, I commend you for wanting to jump into working on cars this young. I don't want to discourage you but I believe changing a car from manual to auto is likely going to be overwhelming and end up being a dead project. There will be lots of parts you'll want to replace while the car is disassembled, many many broken bolts, lots of tools you'll need, lots of knowledge you'll need to gather, and a decent amount of money that most 16 year olds won't have. At the risk of sounding harsh, if you can't get that 4 cylinder iron puke running(unless it has physical damage) you can't swap an entire drivetrain properly.

Second, I started driving on an automatic but didn't really learn to drive until I started driving manual. Driving a manual forces you to watch ahead for road conditions, think about the route you're going to drive rather than staring at a gps, gauge distance between you and other cars, focus your attention on driving instead of radio/phone/sandwich, and importantly when it's safe to make a turn or pull into traffic. Yes, it's a pain when you have lots of stops and it may make you a nervous wreck starting out but is well worth it down the road. I can't go back to automatic.

You should find out what's wrong with the 4 cylinder and see if it's fixable. The people on this forum(myself included) would provide any info and possibly parts to help you get it running.

Dennis LaGrua

AUG 02, 03:38 AM

quote

Originally posted by Cameron416:

What had to be done for the swap?

Manual to auto. The easy explanation; unbolting the clutch pedal bracket (2 bolts) and removing it and the clutch pedal . Replacing the brake pedal with the larger auto pedal (one bolt, not required but it can be beneficial. Then you must install the auto shifter. Its only four bolts but the console must be removed. Then you drop the cradle and install the V6 on its cradle and use the ECM that came with it adding one wire for the TCC and using the auto chip so that it can activate it. If the V6 is going in a four cylinder caryou can just bolt in the cradle with everything on it.. All this is basic auto repair 101 but you must have some manual skills to get this job done.