Auto to Manual Gearbox Change

[Ozmerc]

I have a 76 W114 Coupe and are interested in turning it into a more sporty car. Here in Australia Auto was standard so you can't by a manual version.

How hard is it to convert to a 5speed manual?
Is it just a matter of getting the gearbox, pedal cluster, gearstick and a few hoses etc. or is there more to it?

 

[190]

There are quite a few changes when changing from automatic to manual

Apart from the items you mention you would need the following items gear selector rods spigot bush for rear of crankshaft, flywheel clutch assembly possibly a starter motor and prop shaft , Speedo cable and maybe a radiator and gearbox mounting and cross member and you will need to rewire the inhibiter switch so the car starts as there is no P or N To make the connection and the reversing lights

 

[Ozmerc]

So there is a bit more to it. Sounds like a bit of stuffing around

Is it hard to do for someone that is qualified?

 

[paulcallender]

I think its worth taking a good look at the costs here. the most cost effective way would be (under normal circumstances) to source a complete donor car and take whichever parts are required, off this. But, if you are sure they never sold manual W114s (how about the saloons?) then this will be a huge problem. You might have to source it from abroad and "import" another car into Australia.

I don't even know if they made manual W115 250E, 280E, 250CE or 280CEs. Even if they did, I bet its not a popular car. If you found a 4 cylinder model, I bet the gear ratios would be all wrong, negating any 'advantage' gained from swapping in the first place.

The work would involve swapping a large number of components, as 190 has listed, in addition to the gearbox.

You might also find that the items taken from the donor car are too worn, or that removing them damages them, remember, you'd be working on a 30 year old, possibly UK, rusty car, here.

Additionally, you might find that fabrication work is required to modify mounting points, etc on the bodywork.

So......if you are after a performance improvement, then the £3000-4000 or so estimate, could probably be more wisely spent elsewhere. For example, rebore to larger capacity, high-performance carburettor conversion, fabricated free flow exhaust, head porting & polishing, wilder cam, etc could probably be done with that amount of money, and I'd look for 20-30% gain in performance - a worthwhile boost over the 5-10% or so that the auto box could perceivably take away over a manual?