hi i have a 1999 ford f250 with a v8 5.4 triton how hard would it and how much money would it be to convert my auto to stick ? thanks

 

You are looking at a tranny, clutch, bell housing, pedal, cable, shifter, and master cylinder, for starters. Lot of work involved.

 

Why would you want to????

 

More fun to drive? Thats the reason I'd go an auto to manual swap

 

That's a matter of opinion. There are very very very few times when a manual might have come in handy, but none of those would be because it was fun. I hated the manual in my dad's 911, and I had to deal with one in my friends 150 and my farrier's 2500(cummins). I don't think any one of those would qualify as "fun", but that's an individual preferance.

As to the swap(have to do something to keep it on topic), this swaps usually take a lot of time and typically translates into money as well. Particularly when you start getting more into the computer controlled vehicles. Farther back you go, the less of an issue that is.

 

sell the auto truck and buy a stick truck lot less work and trouble

 

I hate sticks too. I never could grasp the "more fun" idea, all I see is more needless movement. They ARE good for loading hay bales by yourself but you might have to go to Kansas to sell it. I guess you could go through the motions every time your auto shifts but just don't do it with passengers ha ha. Or maybe get out and run around the truck at every stoplight to make up for the lost motion with the automatic. Seriously; it would cost a bunch, it won't look stock, and it would be hard to sell.

 

Sell the auto and get a stick. For the right price I will sell mine

Off topic:
Sticks have their advantages. No real overheating issues, more durable when compared to the 4100 auto, and generally cheaper to work on and buy. Also, when compared to the 4100, better gears.

Actually driving the thing is bit of a PIA. That said, it really isn't that hard and it doesn't really get you from point A to point B any faster or slower.

Manuals are a pretty good choice compared to some of the older transmissions. The new transmissions have fixed those problems with more gears and being "smarter" but god help you if you need to pay to rebuild one.

 

I have noticed that those who hate stick shifts fall into at least one of five categories. 1) They haven't driven a stick long enough to truly come to appreciate the additional capabilities of a stick shift. 2) Those that are content *just* getting from point A to point B, in most circumstances. 3)Lazy. 4) Do not enjoy driving, and want to be able to mess with their cell phone/mp3 player/whatever without having to be distracted by manually shifting, let alone actually being aware of their surroundings and other drivers on the road. 5) have some sort of disability/injury/old wound.

My wife falls into the first four categories, but nobody tell her I said that.

I have been driving manuals of some type for nearly 20 years. There are things I can do with a manual-equipped truck, that I cannot do in an automatic. In addition, judging from the way I have seen automatics abused due to lack of maintenance, I would say most people (majority of this forum's members excluded) would be better served with a manual. On the other hand, those that refuse to do maintenance on their auto trannies are probably the same ones that ride and slip their clutches, and have to replace the clutch every 40k.

 

Sorry for the double post . . .

 

I agree on the more fun aspect, it is fun to shuttle the gearbox when running a Mustang on the race course or shooting the mountains on the Tail of the Dragon, but on a truck I prefer a stick hands down. Instead of the swap, you might want to look at getting a 5 speed car to play around with, a good T-45, bell, clutch, pedal, cable, etc., needed to make the conversion necessary would be about the same as just getting a decent little play toy, plus at the end of the day when you decide to sell or trade you will have two vehicles' values, not just a truck that has been devalued by the auto swap.

 

Does 15 yrs qualify?

Getting from Point A to Point B is the basis for having a vehicle period. Rather or not Point A is the same as Point B(just joyriding), or rather it's hauling a load(which is what most of the time I do) from two different points.

I do enjoy my drives, but I enjoy them a lot more without having to deal with a stick.

Debatable. I think of it as more efficient use of my time and abilities especially when I have to worry about ~16k worth of horseflesh in Dallas and/or Nashville traffic. I have other things to worry about that I don't need the excess motion(rather it's habit or not, it's still more motion on the part of the driver).

I do enjoy driving. Which is a good thing since I spend quite a bit of it with my butt in the seat(thank god for myfi though, otherwise I wouldn't be on here as much as I am). I'm more aware of my surrounds then most as that is imperative for hauling horses since most other people are not aware of me or the distance that I need to properly operate my vehicle.

As of right now, none of those.

I mean bottomline, this debate can(and probably will) rage on long after we are dead and gone unless there have been changes that make it obsolete.

 

6) Don't require sustained motion with a 23.74 final drive ratio.

 

Agreed. I guess driving a stick is so instinctive for me, that even though I've been driving an auto (not by choice) for the past 5 years, I still find myself slamming my left foot down on a clutch that isn't there during panic stops. I don't think about it, it is instinct. I've also never had to think about what gear I'm in, or what gear I need to go to, either.

Sorry I got off topic with my earlier post. In all honesty, it can be done, but it takes a lot of time/money/effort to do a conversion correctly. I have entertained the thought of doing a conversion, but only if my auto goes bad. Part of what I would consider is availability of manual-equipped trucks in your area and the condition of your current truck. On mine, I'm seeing signs of impending rusty doom and approaching 200k miles, so I probably wouldn't do it on my truck. Of course, on the new trucks, if you want a manual, you'll have to do a custom conversion.

 

Do you really want to give up the ability to eat a cheezeburger while driving? haha!

I have a 5.4L truck with a manual transmission, and it's "fun," I guess you could say. It's certainly no short-throw shifter or buttery-smooth shifter like you'll usually find in most sports cars. The old ZF6 has a long throw, tight gates, and shifts kind of "notchy" when cold. But it's a wicked unique experience to drive when almost every other car and light truck on the road out there is a slushbox.

TexasRebel makes a valid point in that "Low" (5.79:1) with a 4.10 axle gets you plenty of ability to go slow in town. What he's missing, however, is the 2.73:1 Low Range in a transfer case which gets you into real creepin' territory- 64.8:1. (haha- joking my 5.4L buddy) I can get out and walk faster than my truck when it's in double low!

But seriously, auto guys can go just as slow without all that gear reduction because of that awesome torque converter. But, then again, that builds heat. Which, I guess is no big deal if you have sufficient coolers...


Back on topic now-
I would suspect doing a manual swap would cost $1500+ simply because finding a good ZF6 is hard (read:expensive) to come by. Also, the same can be said for the pedal assembly. If your truck is 4wd, you'll need to address driveshafts which will most likely need lengthening in the rear and shortening in the front. If you have access to a donor vehicle, you might get by cheap, but if you're piecing this thing together in your driveway, I think it's one of those "if you have to ask, you might get in over your head" kind of questions.

Good luck