converting an 04gt to manual...... i know i know.

[541NTT]

yes well i know alot of you will jump on and say "sell and buy a manual" and the likes BUT i really love my car, and its just a pipe dream to see what kind of process i would go through to convert her to manual.

so my main question is what parts are needed? obviously gearbox, clutch pedal/box and clutch itself, does the ECU need to be changed or can the original just be flashed to tell it its now a manual? also im aware il need the interior shifter boot and the like.

now being that im running an EJ20 is it possibly to source the parts from an equally powered WRX? would the drive shaft and rear diff stay the same or is a manual system required?

my reasons for not wanting to sell the car to buy a same manual is mainly the fact that with 130,000 klms a mear tank of fuel away and the current car market i think i would lose to much money on the change to an 05+ manual, in the end if i can do the conversion for under 5k i think i would be better off doing it financially.

ALSO when i purchased the car the fact it was auto was a plus as it was to be used as my work vehicle in heavy traffic and also my GF can only drive auto, now im in a different job where i am not required to use it for work, and my GF has only drivin the car a total of 3 times so it seems to have lost its practicallity.

any one with any info would be appreciated, as i said its really a pipe dream and it may be a "start hoarding parts for a few years" job.

[Adrian2627]

Have you thought about talking to an auto specialist. You could have a shift kit installed, TCU tweaked, and probably even a higher stall converter.

[tangcla]

I've thought about it, and asked. Not worth it - ECU is totally different, as is a lot of other things. Better off selling your car and buying an 05GT in manual.

[541NTT]

Have you thought about talking to an auto specialist. You could have a shift kit installed, TCU tweaked, and probably even a higher stall converter.

no i havent yet, this will be the next call- over here there just doenst seem to be anyone who has experiences tweaking these boxes. theres a bit about it on legacygt.com tho.

I've thought about it, and asked. Not worth it - ECU is totally different, as is a lot of other things. Better off selling your car and buying an 05GT in manual.

i just cant justify the loss, in my opinion if i tried to sell my lib (stripped to stock) i would only get the high teens and an 05 gt manual would cost about 5-10g ontop of that.

[tangcla]

i just cant justify the loss, in my opinion if i tried to sell my lib (stripped to stock) i would only get the high teens and an 05 gt manual would cost about 5-10g ontop of that.

And the conversion would cost more than $7K, easily.

[tangcla]

Have you thought about talking to an auto specialist. You could have a shift kit installed, TCU tweaked, and probably even a higher stall converter.

Noone's found a way into the TCU yet, sadly... otherwise the auto could be made a bit more RWD biased

[541NTT]

And the conversion would cost more than $7K, easily.

i realise it would be very costly if i were buying brand spanker parts for the liberty, hence why i would like to know if the older cars that carry the ej20 could be used for donor parts? unlike the electronics in the auto im almost certain a manual from any ej20 subaru would fit. then its just a matter of getitng the clutch gear together (obviously brand new clutch) and doing something about the ECU- could you even use a haltech piggy back or something like that to program it in for the manual?

ive never understood the difference in an auto ECU or a manual, i understand you couldnt go to auto from manual without the appropriate ECU but auto to manual should be do-able, the only difference would be the ECU telling the auto to shift but not getting a signal rite?

Noone's found a way into the TCU yet, sadly... otherwise the auto could be made a bit more RWD biased

drift lib......

[subnub]

I believe the diff ratios are different too, auto is 3.2 vs manual 3.9, something like that anyway. It'd be a very tall-geared manual.

As far as ECUs go, the Liberty ECUs might be a bit harder to trick but in the cars I've seen converted from auto to manual (mainly Skylines) it simply involved shorting the neutral cut-out switch (to allow the car to start without it having to be in P or N). That means that the car always idled high and the car thinking it's in neutral but seeing load conditions apparently confuses them a bit. I can't honestly say I've free-revved mine (what's the point?) but I've heard that some Libs have a rev limit in neutral, where you can't free-rev to more than (say) 4000 rpm. In this case, if you just do the trick above to the ECU then the car will have a 4000rpm rev limit because it thinks it's always in neutral.

Also, speedo calibration and the dash (do the autos have in-dash gear indicators?) might need some attention.

[tangcla]

I think the ECU would have a major panic attack, since the whole drive by wire system requires an electronic input, which is dependent on what gear you have selected. A number of sensors would give null readings, which would probably put the car into limp mode.

You could possibly get a manual ECU and get it re-paired to your engine and key, but then you'd probably want the larger turbo from the manual too... and that's adding up more to the cost.

Not to mention, your car would be so butchered and bastardized with Frankenstein parts, by the time you need to sell it, nobody would want to buy it... AND if you had to do servicing you need to remember where your parts are from (one reason I wouldn't want to get custom bits fabricated)

[Spec B Wgn]

what starts off as a dream unfortunately can turn into a nightmare..

lots of issues need to be resolved before doing this project..

are the tailshafts the same size ??

[smythie]

but I've heard that some Libs have a rev limit in neutral, where you can't free-rev to more than (say) 4000 rpm.

Mine seems to

[zorbaru]

the difference in price between the auto and the manual shouldnt be that high.

at most you would be looking at around 2 - 3 i rekon. esp if you sell it in adelaide then buy in nsw. cars are a lot dearer down here.

[541NTT]

yeah the more i think about it the more i realize needs to be done, i think the only way id do it would be if i still owned the car in about 5 years time and the value had come down.

[tangcla]

Bite the bullet and start putting your car for sale... or even EOI a swap for a manual one with cash changeover.

[mattlib12]

I have a mate who converted a VS Clubsport from auto to manual and it was a nightmare. Ended up costing him bucketloads after the conversion was done. As easy as it is for all of us to say it, might be best to sell your auto and buy another manual.