Anybody done this?
Donor aerostars with Manual transmissions are difficult to find, but I got a guy who says he owns three aerostars and he said he did it with each one of them. Said he did it using Ranger parts, no problem. I've seen one of his aeros with the stickshift and the telltale steering column showing it used to be an auto-- that's how we got to talking. He said he'd help me for a fee. Comments? Concerns?

 

is it josh?

 

This dude named Aurellio, I think. His accent was pretty thick.

 

Yes, the Mazda M5OD transmission used in Rangers was an option on 1991 and earlier Aerostars with the 2.3 I4 and 3.0 v6. The column shift came on 1992 and later models, so converting those will mean cutting a hole in the floor for the shifter. The later models (96 or 97) had an integrated drivetrain computer that controlled both the engine and the transmission. That might throw codes if you replaced the automatic with a manual.

 

Do you know if the pedal assembly will bolt right on/fit with some drilling?

 

I have a 94 3 L. I thought that I saw a rubber cover over a hole in the place where a floor shifter would go once when I was under there. I may have been mistaken...

 

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