why the hell would this minivan be in a build section? well, my brother picked this jewel up for a song a while ago, but the 3 speed auto tranny was just terrible for anything other that burning excess gas.
this car came equipped with an 8valve sohc 4g63, so the next question was: could we swap a turbo 63t in it?
PROBABLY!
Instead we decided to transplant a quality F5M33 from a 90 talon donor car.
now this auto to 5 speed conversion is not for the faint of heart, as the stock 5 speed versions of these only came in AWD format. The relative rarity of these "spacewagons" makes sourcing clutch pedal parts difficult, if not near improssibuh! BE PREPARED TO FABRICATE!
So on with it then!
parts used:
F5M33, early models with large splined diff.
stock vista wagon axles! <---was a big worry, but the diff offset and depth were spot on between the new and old tranny
slave cylinder and all hydraulic lines from above tranny
clutch and flywheel from above tranny
FWD starter alignment plate (auto/awd ones have wrong starter hole position)
shifter box/cable from above trans
vista wagon clutch master cylinder
talon clutch master cylinder reservoir (vista reservoir is a separate unit with a hose)
talon water pipe
DC integra clutch pedal with bracketry (<---is that even a word?)
shifter extenstion of some sort
well here it is!
take out the old tranny, it's pretty straightforward
my brother, into the wine before we even start...
license plate VS prybar + sledgehammer.... hmmm
remove the starter plate and install the 5 speed version
remove the torque converter pilot bushing, it's pressed onto the cranshaft, and you'll have to do the punch/grease trick to hydraulically remove it
put in new tranny, it's not at all straightforward, you'll have to drain the coolant and remove the lower rad hose, and unbolt the front crossmember as it is very cramped in the engine bay once the talon clutch ass'y is installed.
clearance? yup, one pinky finger worth
you'll have to modify the stock tranny mount to work with the new tranny. just a simple ovaling the bolt holes, and adding new steel to the upper portion and drilling a hole does the trick.
another issue is the tranny end case clearance to the frame rail. The talon tranny is longer than colt turbo/hyundai sonata unit as they have a reverse syncro instead of a simple block off plate. You'll have to cut it out and tack weld the 3 layers of sheet metal together once you have clearance. I used an airsaw for the main cuts, and a die grinder with a lolipop cutter for fine cuts.
you'll have to mod the lower rad hose to clear the shift mechanism. i cut up a spare talon steel water tube and used the bend to clear the shifter.
the shifter cables are straightforward, just remove the stock gear selector from the car and pull the auto cable through the hole. feed in the 5 speed cable from the engine bay to the cabin as the hole is too small to fit the tranny end through. The cables will be long and the shifter box will want to sit almost behind you but you can make em work in the stock location. The holes won't line up, but a drillbit helps. bolt her down and extend the shifter to reach. I used a honda shifter, cut it and slid it over the stock shifter, and welded it up
unmodded shifter, before i added height
OK here's the shitty part:
Clutch pedal
this took me 6 hours of pissing around to make work. I took an integra pedal, cut it up to fit around a factory wiring harness, cut up the underdash support ass'y, and made the damned thing work. ugh, just writing about it makes me angry! hahahaha! you'll need to die grind the clutch master cylinder hole and upper bolt hole in the firewall.
talon MC i had, used for the reservoir:
integra pedal pivot box:
uncut stock bracing
finished
The clutch line was just a stock FWD talon line, that i bent the master cylinder end 180* to match up to the vista master.
installed, with the engine having a slight gangsta lean a la VW style. boooo!
bleed the clutch, adjust the clutch travel making sure not to bottom out the master cylinder. Using the floorboard as a clutch stop worked well. add coolant, trans oil, and GO!
recommendations for those wanting to do this:
1- DON'T DO IT!
2- maybe use a sonata transmission for less framerail cutting
3- DON'T DO IT!
4- find a wrecked vista wagon (canada only) with a 5 speed and get the brake/clutch pedal assembly from it
5- DON'T DO IT!
hoped you enjoyed it, I didn't! hahahaha!
phil