98' automatic craving for a 6 speed!
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Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 80
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From: Northport New York
98' automatic craving for a 6 speed!
I have a 98' automatic with 80k on it and I LOVE the car it runs great, its fast, looks awesome silver w/ silver c6 wheels!.......but i hate driving and auto! I have driven stick my entire life this is my first auto and i only bought it b/c of the deal I got on it! I work for a corvette body shop and have a lot of experiences with vettes(mostly older) and I was wondering If it payed to do a trannt swap to a 6 spd and what my be involved in that? or If i should just sell mine and find a 6 spd???? any suggestions?
Racer
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 455
Likes: 11
From: Clovis CA
good thread question. you seem to be in the exact same boat im in. 98, sebring silver, silver c6 wheels, and i would love to switch to a manual if cost effective. i got such a deal on mine that making the switch might not put me upside down as far as money spent vs. value.
im curious about the responses
im curious about the responses
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 8,629
Likes: 16
From: York PA
Pending on which gears & stall convertor you have, may be your problem with an auto. Go for a ride with someone that has 3:42 gears and a 3600 stall convertor. Or better yet go for a ride with someone that has 500 + rwhp, gears & stall convertor.
Spend your money on hp to get your RUSH ! My $.02
Spend your money on hp to get your RUSH ! My $.02
Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 2,228
Likes: 5
From: Gainesville Georgia
Try to sell your's then look for a 6spd with a great deal. They are all over the place so that shouldn't be a problem. My fathers always saying
How can someone buy a Corvette with an auto..He's old school though. I don't mind them as much as he does. If I had an auto I personally would get a 2800 stall 3.42 gears & I would look Into a TransGo shift kit If there available. Only If I couldn't find a MN6.
How can someone buy a Corvette with an auto..He's old school though. I don't mind them as much as he does. If I had an auto I personally would get a 2800 stall 3.42 gears & I would look Into a TransGo shift kit If there available. Only If I couldn't find a MN6.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 2,923
Likes: 1
From: Cleveland Tennessee
Sell the auto and find you a 6 speed like you want. I have done a auto to stick conversion on a Trans Am and even though I got all the correct factory parts to make the conversion about as exact as it would have been from the factory, it still wasn't the same, plus all the time invested. Now is a good time of the year to be buying a speed with winter about upon us, that's my opinion. Good luck.
Good luck.
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Drifting
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,556
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From: Marshall Texas
Originally Posted by 4DRUSH
Pending on which gears & stall convertor you have, may be your problem with an auto. Go for a ride with someone that has 3:42 gears and a 3600 stall convertor. Or better yet go for a ride with someone that has 500 + rwhp, gears & stall convertor.
Spend your money on hp to get your RUSH ! My $.02
Spend your money on hp to get your RUSH ! My $.02
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 2,498
Likes: 4
From: Brentwood TN
Find someone who has a 98 MN6 that wants to trade, offer them your car and $4000 for an otherwise equivalent car and you will come out WAY ahead. There is no way you 'll put a 6 speed in this car for less than 5 grand by the time you buy the tranny, pay for the swap and all the other parts. And after you have done it, you'll still have a '98 that is going to be a bit*ch to sell 'cuz it's a mongrel.
Cliff Notes - don't do the swap.
Cliff Notes - don't do the swap.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 6,276
Likes: 227
From: Farmington CT
Cruise-In VII Veteran
update your location, contact www.rpmtransmissions.com for swap info
TC and gears will make the car really wake up, but still not a stick
TC and gears will make the car really wake up, but still not a stick
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 11,405
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From: Whippany NJ
CI 6-7-8-9 Veteran
St. Jude Donor '08-'09
NCM Sinkhole Donor
Originally Posted by Darksideracer213
I have a 98' automatic with 80k on it and I LOVE the car it runs great, its fast, looks awesome silver w/ silver c6 wheels!.......but i hate driving and auto! I have driven stick my entire life this is my first auto and i only bought it b/c of the deal I got on it! I work for a corvette body shop and have a lot of experiences with vettes(mostly older) and I was wondering If it payed to do a trannt swap to a 6 spd and what my be involved in that? or If i should just sell mine and find a 6 spd???? any suggestions?
Race Director
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 15,960
Likes: 21
From: West Norriton PA
St. Jude Donor '08
Originally Posted by ytwokc5
I would probably sell and get the six speed. I would be leery of buying a Vette that had been converted from auto to six speed... something to think about when you sell someday.
What's the big deal to swap from an auto to a stick. Lots of drag guys have converted from stick to auto.
The hardest apart of the conversion is reflashing the PCM.
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 2,498
Likes: 4
From: Brentwood TN
Originally Posted by ajg1915
The hardest apart of the conversion is reflashing the PCM.
The big deal is installing the linkage, pedals, and other associated hardware. And it is true that cars that will be campaigned are often converted. Those cars, however, are seldom seen on the resale market. Plus the conversion cost, even if done on the cheap with used parts by the owner is still going to be a $3000 project that leaves the owner with some amount of money and a lot of hours sunk into a car that is going to be very difficult to resell, assuming full disclosure to the prospective buyer.
I agree with those who have said sell the car and find a 6 speed to replace it.
Charlie
Racer
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 397
Likes: 3
Originally Posted by ajg1915
What's the big deal to swap from an auto to a stick. Lots of drag guys have converted from stick to auto.
The hardest apart of the conversion is reflashing the PCM.
The hardest apart of the conversion is reflashing the PCM.
Race Director
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 15,960
Likes: 21
From: West Norriton PA
St. Jude Donor '08
Originally Posted by ytwokc5
I don't know whether it's a big deal or not to do the conversion... I would suspect it's not as easy as changing your oil. The point is there are a LOT of people that wouldn't touch a resale vehicle that had undergone an auto to manual conversion (or vice-versa). You are immediately limiting your prospective customer base and probably chopping the value for the remainder of people that would consider buying it.
Number one, I am not worried about reselling my vette as I have no intention to ever do so..
I never said that it was as easy as changing your oil, but it would not be that much different mechanically speaking, than changing a clutch in the car.
The hard part is changing some of the wiring for which one could buy a harness from a junk yard and reprogramming the PCM.
It is probably harder to go to an auto than a stick shift because of the programming needed to set shift points for all of the different tire size combinations, etc..
Dr Phil, RPM and few other places have made the conversions many times without any complications.
I didn't buy my vette for financial reasons, I bought so that I could enjoy my hobby and love of cars. For the most part unless you are collector of rare cars, they are not a very good investment, try the stock market instead.
I guess I'm really screwed for resale with all of mods I have done, including the body kit in process.
Before
Race Director
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 15,960
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From: West Norriton PA
St. Jude Donor '08
Originally Posted by cruisemon
Oh, I'm not sure some would agree with that.
The big deal is installing the linkage, pedals, and other associated hardware. And it is true that cars that will be campaigned are often converted. Those cars, however, are seldom seen on the resale market. Plus the conversion cost, even if done on the cheap with used parts by the owner is still going to be a $3000 project that leaves the owner with some amount of money and a lot of hours sunk into a car that is going to be very difficult to resell, assuming full disclosure to the prospective buyer.
I agree with those who have said sell the car and find a 6 speed to replace it.
Charlie
The big deal is installing the linkage, pedals, and other associated hardware. And it is true that cars that will be campaigned are often converted. Those cars, however, are seldom seen on the resale market. Plus the conversion cost, even if done on the cheap with used parts by the owner is still going to be a $3000 project that leaves the owner with some amount of money and a lot of hours sunk into a car that is going to be very difficult to resell, assuming full disclosure to the prospective buyer.
I agree with those who have said sell the car and find a 6 speed to replace it.
Charlie
It's pretty funny what some of you guys think as all of the vettes run down the same assembly line and depending on the options selected, that is what is installed in your vette.
Members make modifications all of the time to their drive train, interiors, motors, suspensions, etc...
All of you guys keep talking about re-sale value, if you are so concerned about re-sale value you would not make any modifications to your vette as you will never get your money back for them or for the purchase price of the vette, that's depreciation for ya !!!
Oh by the way don't forget to take in the sales tax that you'll have to pay again on the next purchase, unless you buy from a dealer.
Last edited by ajg1915; Dec 1, 2006 at 10:02 AM.