I have an 89 F150 5.0 EFI and the truck is in the shop because it was spilling A LOT of fluild on the ground. So far they have to replace a few things like hoses and a few seals, but that's all they can tell for the time being until they get that done.

Question is how much will it cost to have someone else swap out an automatic transmission to a manual? I know that the fly wheel will need to be replaced and that's several hundred dollars alone, but beyond that I'm clueless. I know something will have to be done with the column shifter, and that a hole'll need to be cut in the cabin for stick, so I'm aware that it'll be a very labor intensive upgrade. I'm guessing that I'm looking at over $1500 but that's just a guess.

How much am I off by?

 

Depends on how quick your mechanic is. You could pick up a 5-speed from a junk yard, including flywheel, pedals, etc. etc. for as little as $150 or as high as $500+ Just depends where you look.

 

How much for new? I don't know if I will have the time or the money to have a junk yard tranny repaired or rebuilt in the future, so I need something that will work now.

 

The 5-speed to auto is much easier than the way you are considering. The little stuff is what gets crazy expensive. Slave cylinder mounting, things like back-up lights, safety switch, drive-line mods, all little stuff that most people overlook, and the mechanic will get a pretty penny for. I trhink you could have that auto trans re-built at least two times for what it will cost a mechanic (shop) to do that swap.

 

if you do not plain on swapping this yourself i would save the money and buy a truck that has a
manual in it. it would coast a hella lot to pay someone else to do it. i do all my work myself to cut the hungry greaddy hands out of my money. but it can be done. you might have to change out your exhust also. im not for sure. i hhave headers on my 86 f250 400 c6 4x4 and i know when i put them headers on i got them for a auto tranny. i was going to put a t18 in there later on but im not going to buy another set of headers for this.

 

Is dropping the automatic transmission and putting the manual transmission on the least complicated and involved of swapping from an automatic to a manual? I don't like having anyone else doing the work if I can to do it, either; the cost skyrockets once that happens.

I got the truck back and the hoses, a seal, and some other thing that was small was replaced. They didn't find a reason to do anything with the transmission in terms of replacing or rebuilding so I guess I can plan this out more in detail and not have to worry about the HUGE initial cost all at once.

 

i would do some real good research. i know it can be done. i took a 1986 f250 that had a 6.9 diesel in it with a 5 speed tranny. i bought just the truck. i put a 351m in it and a c6 2wd in it. done some wiring and runs good.
i just put a new engine in there around 3500 ago and a new c6 4x4 tranny in there about 2 weeks ago. i was going to put this t18 tranny in there but when i order my headers i got them for a auto, and also i didnt want to keep looking around for a big block bell housing for this tranny.
if you are going to do it yourself it dont think it would be real bad. might get pissed a few times but thats the fun part. you will have to change out where you peddeal goes which you get one from the junk yard with the clutch pedeal. it bolts right up. you will have to cut out for the slave cylinder for the clutch, the shifter coming out the floor, remove or pull back the carpet and remove the handfull bolts and pull that whole cover up. you can eaither cut a whole in there or get on from the junkyard with the hole in it already. now that should be all in the cab. now i see you have a 89 5.0. ok so when you are getting a flywheel you need to get one that has a 50 or 52 oz encounter weight. i know from 84 and earlier they used a 28 oz enconter weight. you have to get the right weight you you mess your engine up. well after that its all a matter of getting the tranny up in there. i know this much if you need any parts a 302, inline 6 and the 351w all use the same bellhousing. but the inline 6 is enternally ballanced, so the flywheel will not work. the 351w and 302 will work but from 84 and up.

 

I noticed that in order to swap from an auto to a manual that the brake/clutch pedal bracket might need to be replaced. I can't tell from the picture, but I would assume that the brake pedal and the clutch rotate on 2 separate shafts. Am I missing something here? I'm not entirely sure if the brake bracket is the same for an automatic transmission and a manual transmission.

 

jr27 when i was going to go back to a manual in my 86 f250 i went to the bone yard and got another bracket for the pedals becuase on the left side a auto does not have a clutch pedal. not hard to swap out

 

Yeah, I was looking through the catalog earlier today to get an idea of what all is needed for the swap. It is surprising how many little pieces are involved in the swap. I don't anticipate swapping it anytime soon since I don't have another vehicle to drive while the truck is getting a new transmission, either. But it is good to know what I'm getting into in advance.

 

yea, my truck used to have a 6.9 diesel with a 5spd. i bought just the cab and bed nothing else with it. i put a 400 from a 81 in the truck and a c6. i had replace the pedal braket then. but later down the years years i got a manual with granny. i was going to put a 351m bell housing on it and put it in my truck, but i realized then i was going to need a new flywheel, clutch, and slave cylinder pluse the pedal braket. well i got the pedal braket and clutch and then quit. im keeping my c6.

 

jr27:

You really need to have a parts truck to do it economically. You can put it together piece by piece (I did) but it's a lot easier to find a $500 parts truck and swap all the parts. I know from experience the 87-91 clutch/brake ***'y is different from the 92-96 so choose your parts truck keeping that in mind. Also keep in mind that your driveshaft length may be different. Since you've been given a reprieve you will have time to get things together if that's the way you want to go.

 

I wouldnt look at a manual as an upgrade. I dont understand the need to dump your automatic. Theres a reason there more expensive than manuals. Ahh

 

I prefer a manual trans (and consider it an upgrade) over a slushbox. IMHO it was worth every penny to convert my Mustang and my F150 to manual transmissions.

 

I will be going through this soon, I recently purchased a 1990 F-250SC 4x4 with a 460/5spd for $700. The truck has no title, so I'm not too torn up about tearing up a good truck. I am going to put the 5spd in my 85 which is currently a C6. I sold the engine to a friend for $500 which is going towards getting new hydraulics for the clutch and a new clutch kit. I am going to sell other parts from the truck that I dont need, and probably end up making a small profit on the whole deal.