looks like a popular idea,the whole auto to 5 speed shuffle
doin it myself right now...on a 96 2wd extended Dakota.had the auto go for a crap and after getting quotes of 2-3000 bucks i thought "on a $1200 truck?nuh uhhhh no thanks"
so i picked up a 95 reg cab 2wd parts truck with a 5 speed,complete V8 stick truck,perfect.now,ive been working on mustangs for 20 years and done the AOD to 5 speed swap 18 times,so im thinking im prepped for this.WOW what a difference...
for starters,putting in the clutch pedal assembly.took under 1/2 hour to swap in the clutch/brake pedals and find the wiring connecter for the start safety switch.once the auto was out,put the 5 gear in,original crossmember bolted right up.so did the starter,the wiring was simple,cut the hole in the floor,bada boom bada bing.then things got difficult
first issue-stock shifter was garbage.previous owner liked to use the shifter as a hand rest.this completely trashed the shifter rod,to the point where you can rotate it 30 degrees when installed.tried getting a Hurst-local speed shop sez "not available any more".none at the wreckers...tried fixing the thing,didnt work.
FYI a Mustang shifter will work PERFECTLY with a few minor mods.feels great too,nice and tight.made a custom shifter arm,extended it up 3 inches from the base and put exactly the arc i wanted on it,fab-u-lous
then came the BIG problem.driveshaft.2 piece...and the parts truck had a single.dang
so i swap the front drive yoke onto the front(auto) shaft with a Neapco 0-527 hybrid u-joint.perfect.slip it into the trans as far as it will go and back off 3/4" to give me lots of room.fabbed an adapter for the center bearing which is now 6-3/4" forward from where it was.this leaves a REAR shaft of 43" in length.time to get one from a 5 speed at the yard and have it shortened.can't find one though.again,dang
guess what?a 1988 mustang 5.0/5 speed driveshaft is 44" long.the stock Dodge u-joints will fit the mustang yokes IF YOU USE THE FORD BEARING CAPS ON 2 OF THE ARMS.did this and the sono***un slipped right in
hopefully gonna drive it in the next couple of days after the exhaust is back on,everything else is done
as to wiring,the only thing about the stock wiring i had to change was to the neutral start safety switch from the auto--the BROWN/WHITE wire is for the starter,just a ground.the 5 speed only uses the other 2 wires
the crank sensor pickup--different connecter,but an x-acto knife fixed THAT issue quickly(trim the male portion of the connecter and it'll slip right in)
wow it's not easy typing this much with 2 fingers,think ill go take a break
so anyhoo i got the thing done today.put all new fluids in it,clamped the exhaust back on front to back,charged up the battery and slapped it in
turn the key...nothing.fortunately i had put a long extension wire on the brown/yellow at the backup light switch.grounded it at the ground wire on the firewall and turned the key again.don't think it turned over 3 revolutions and fired right up
idles like a champ...now remember i didnt change the stock automatic computer out either.it fast idles for about 15 seconds and then settles to 750.with blocks in front of and behind the wheels i try the clutch...feels great.clutch in,i slips it into first.no problem,smooth as butter,no grind,nothing.reverse is the same
blocks away i back it out of the garage,then back to first,drive it back in.again,success is mine
then i back it out of the garage onto the road,slip it into first and let the clutch out easily.good gravy man--took it around the block, 1-2-3 gears,downshifting,goose it in second after the downshift and light up both rears.dang this is awesomeness on a whole new level
back home after the drive,i double check everything,and its dead on perfect.start it up a while later and did it all again,and yep,outstanding.gave er a little harder this time and the thing is just the picture of sweetness,everything worked 100 per cent on the first shot,even the mustang shifter,the mustang driveshaft with the homemade u joints(havent tried it at 100 km/h yet though to see if its balanced),all of it worked excellent the first try,and the thing is a dream to drive,wish my 5.0 LX clutched/shifted as nice
to other posters in this thread,thanks for the info.to others contemplating the swap,i say DO IT NOW,the truck is light years better,faster and more fun
one thing i would whole heartedly recommend--buy a complete parts truck instead of trying to piece it together from a wrecking yard,then you get ALL the parts AND you get to take em apart and see how it all goes back together
been driving it a bit more,still no issues from the old driveshaft frankenstein job i did.after getting it drivable i went back and added up all the hours i had into it--from the moment i pulled the battery cable off,through yanking the auto,to putting the battery back in and firing it.discounting all the futzing around with the driveshaft the whole job took about 7 hours start to finish.WITH the shaft issues add 4 hours...yoiks
hammered on it a few times too and WOW it does work well,slam it into second and pound it and the thing goes nuts.time for traction bars
Well after doing a bit more reading, I realized i must have an AX15, because it came out of a 96 3.9. Is there going to be any differences that anyone knows of ?
The length difference between the automatic and nv3500, and between the automatic and the ax-15 might be different, so just measure the transmissions to determine the new driveshaft length. Otherwise, the swap should still be the same. Just get a clutch, pressure plate and bearings for the v6 manual dakota in case they are different than the v8 manual dakota.
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