We started the conversion from an automatic transmission to a manual on Saturday. We unbolted the starter, pulled out the front axles and the driveshaft and started unbolting the transmission from the engine. An interuption in power to the shop meant that work was put on hold until Monday, when we could again use the 220v-powered Rotary lift and lower the car down to a safe height to remove the transmission.
With the automatic transmission on the ground, we weighed both boxes. We weren’t too surprised that the automatic is indeed one heavy mother at 203 pounds. The manual, in comparison, weighs 129 pounds, including the shift linkage assembly. Since the Subaru is all-wheel-drive, those transmissions include the front differential.
The torque converter and flex plate were then unbolted and we installed our new (used) flywheel. We using a street/sport clutch from Advanced Clutch.
Now we are waiting on a few clips to attach the throw-out bearing to the clutch fork and a pair of exhaust manifold gaskets (yep, the exhaust system has to be removed as well for this work.) Meanwhile, the driveshaft is at Gary’s Driveline getting extending about 2 3/8”, as the manual transmission is a little shorter than the automatic. We’ve got the driveshaft from a Legacy that we might use for ‘parts’ in this work.
We also installed a shift linkage assembly from a 1998 Impreza RS, which allows us to upgrade our shifter with a short shift kit from Kart Boy
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