R32 Manual Conversion

[gaffa]

Hey guys I have only just finished this conversion today on a four door R32 and thought I would share some of the important stuff

Parts needed (I also used all R32 coupe parts)

Gearbox (make sure you get the bell housing bolts too as these are a different length to the autos)

Gearbox cross member (and yes two of the bolts don’t fit)

Manual Gearbox loom (if you can, but you can just cut them off the old gearbox too)

Manual spigot bush (yes $15 from Nissan or cheaper if you have a bearing specialist local as it is only a brass cylinder)

Flywheel with bolts (New is better for the bolts)

Clutch and pressure plate

Thrust bearing and holder

Manual tail shaft (as the auto one will not fit, its too short and manual yoke that

Fits in the gear box is different

Clutch master cylinder

Clutch slave cylinder

Clutch master-slave line (don’t bother with the clutch loop it just makes it harder to bleed up latter just hook the master directly to the slave with the one line)

Clutch fork

Clutch Pedal with rubber (boot although boots are only $5 from Nissan)

Manual brake pedal (or you can just cut the auto one to the right size)

Rubber boot for gearstick with metal frame to hold it down

Shifter

Gear knob

Manual gear stick surround (for the centre console)

Leather gear boot for manual shifter

I also got a manual dash cluster surround to lose the old auto selector but not really needed

Sounds like a lot but its not really as its all little parts mainly

Start by removing the tail shaft and drain the auto trans fluid

Start undoing the bell housing bolts including the starter motor ones. Now there are two bolts on the top of the bell housing the one buy the driver’s side is a prick to get to

Also undo your trans oil cooler lines that go to your box

Now once you have all the bell housing bolts undone gearbox xmember watch out cause the gear box will drop down a bit I put a jack under it before I started undoing. Once the cross member is removed

You could be able slide the gear box back a few inches now you have to undo the torque converter bolts from memory there are only 3.

You have to spin the torque converter to get to each bolt once they are done the auto should slide out DONT LAY UNDER IT AND SLIDE OUT when your laying on your back this bitch is heavy I just let mine drop cause it was shagged.

Anyway you will be left looking at a stupid looking disk with ring gear that resembles a flywheel remove that by getting something to lock up on the front of the crank.

Now comes your biggest enemy the spigot bush don’t let any mechanic tell you that autos don’t have spigot bushes because these bastards do the spigot bush is pushed into the back of the crank now I tried everything to get it out and in my opinion there’s only 1 using a pilot bush puller $60 for most specialists I have heard of using grease and filling it then get a socket that’s a tight fit and bash the socket in and it will pop the bush out.

Now you get your manual spigot bush and hit it in it goes in allot further than the auto one I used a 14mm socket with an extension and a hammer to gently tap it in.

Once that’s done fit your manual flywheel clutch and pressure plate on then slide your manual gearbox on (obviously it isn’t this easy you will need to put up a fight to get the gearbox on) now your cross member wont bolt up if your using the auto or manual one only 2 out of the 4 blot holes will line up what you do here is up to you. (I just modified the manual bracket but apparently a s14 Silvia one bolts right up) fit the manual tail shaft back on and you should be rolling

Auto wiring is easy inhibiter is on (telling your computer not to start cause you are in drive) there are two wires by the fuse box that need to be bridged

inhibiter

My reverse wire colours were (Black and Green but still in the same locations as the image)

reverse

When putting in the clutch pedal in you will find a Auto shift lock control mounted right where you need to put the pedal (unplug it and put it on the ground get a very large hammer and hit it as many times as you like that fixes the auto reversing beep and make's you feel good at the same time) (or move it and every time you select reverse with it still fitted the car will beep if you like that?)

Every thing else is strait forward just use your common sense

Most if all if possible use a hoist as doing it on a garage floor is a really stupid idea as it make things take twice as long

Oh and just for all of those that though the four doors were longer wheel base no they are not this is the second four door conversion I have been involved in now one on a R32 and one on a R33 and both have used Coupe parts

[Abo Bob]

I know this is not constructive but nice write up mate.

This is what I used to get those two bolts on the top of the bell housing. The long extension bar cost me $10 from a cheapo tools place. That's a universal joint bit in between the extension bars and the socket.

I think there would be 4 bolts holding the torque converter on rather than 3 unless it's different between models but I'm sure people will figure that out when they get there.

[predator]

There's only 3 on R32 torque converter.. did it the other week..

We used bar similar to yours bob.. but like 5 or something extenders stacked up

From what i can tell there is no such thing as a "manual" cross member on the 32.. my auto one was same shape as the manual one i bought... and then I got another, which was the same. All that *might* be different is the actual bush.. and like wise, only 2 out of 4 bolts fitted on.

You will also need a set of longer bolts for the manual box, as I expected to be able to use the old auto ones. You can't.. too short.

Technically the 'sandwich' plate between the engine and gearbox are different manual and auto.. auto is 2 piece, manual is one piece. But I have used the 2 piece, and it seems to be work ok.

I've got photos of nearly everything.. will be up on my website sometime soon.

There may be possible issues with tailshafts and rb25 engine and rb20 box into r32 gts-t.. but thats another story.. which I think I have sorted.

[Guest Xinhua]

Does it matter if i use a rb20det gearbox in my GTS25 engine? RB25DE

[gaffa]

Does it matter if i use a rb20det gearbox in my GTS25 engine? RB25DE

Well on my conversion in my R32 I used a Rb20det box on the Rb25de so I know that will fit, but if your trying to fit a Rb20det box in to a r33 I don’t think so

[someonestolecc]

Just a quick question - I need to plug up my reverse sensor. I know where it is on the gearbox... where do the wires lead to from there? Anyone know which loom/colour wires etc go back to the ECU? (i'd rather not have to re-wire it to the ECU but splice it into the loom where it should go)..

[Guest Xinhua]

No it's already done, i've converted it, just need a new cluster.. althought i feel the car is very sluggish now. could be the ecu? i didn't change the ecu

[B0oStEr]

Just a quick question - I need to plug up my reverse sensor. I know where it is on the gearbox... where do the wires lead to from there? Anyone know which loom/colour wires etc go back to the ECU? (i'd rather not have to re-wire it to the ECU but splice it into the loom where it should go)..

My old thread when I did this.

There was a more comprehesive thread but my search failed to find it.

http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/in...topic=91245&hl=

[B0oStEr]

No it's already done, i've converted it, just need a new cluster.. althought i feel the car is very sluggish now. could be the ecu? i didn't change the ecu

I left the auto ecu when I did my conversion.

It has more low down grunt than my original manual.

I was told it is because the auto ecu uses 20 degrees base timing where the manual ecu runs 15 degrees.

[grigor]

Adjust your base timing to 15 BTDC on the CAS

Either fit the neutral switch wiring or ground pin 44 with a stock ecu. It needs that signal.

[Guest Xinhua]

is there a user friendly way of explaining that, because i didn't understand a f**king word you said lol.. sorry

[predator]

I connected up my reverse sensor to the red and green w/stripe near the fusebox.. But it kind of works the opposite to what you'd expect.. In all other gears it beeps/reverse lights go on, but in reverse all goes off!

If I bridge the red (12v) and green white/stripe on the fusebox end it goes into reverse mode properly though.

Anybody help?

[B0oStEr]

Gordon go back to post #8 and click on the link to my old thread on this.

It should help you sort it out.

[predator]

hmm.. never helped

Ended up using a n/c 12v relay .. If anybody is having problems, refer to this... All is sweet now.

http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/in...howtopic=117731

Maybe it's just because my manual loom was cut on the gearbox, and it contains an inbuilt relay or something in the loom a bit further up? Anyhow, I don't care why really now.. just that it is now working as it should.

My reverse sensor (back of gearbox) basically just had two wires coming out of it.. a green, and green/orange stripey.

[TTT]

quick question...

lets say you hav no room or tools to do this.

How much would it cost (parts and labour) for a drive in drive out job.

and to be more specific, how much when doing it for an R33 gtst?

throw in a $600 clutch too for example.

[predator]

Would probably be around the $2800 mark?

~$1300 for gearbox, $600 for clutch + $400 for "Extras" (pedals, flywheel, tailshaft, etc). Maybe $500 labour for somebody to spend the day putting it all in. Would add up.

When I added it up it cost around $1400 on my R32.. and that's just using a povo R32 box for a while and my own labour.e

[xxstuxx]

My 4 door 32 gtst had this mod done to it before i purchased it, just a question guys, every time i take my foot off the clutch there is a click noise in the back end near the diff, it sounds almost like two gears are together but they are a little far apart and every time i engage the transmission they sort of lock in place....(not saying thats what it is, just thats what it sounds like) The previous owner said it never made that sound before they had it converted. Doesnt really feel crook or anything, everything feels pretty solid when i drive it but its there and wondering if any of you guys know what it is????

Thanks for any help.

[Psymon]

Roughly what has it cost everyone in parts for this conversion??

[clakka]

Mate I scored the parts all up for $800 and had installed by a great mechanic at GT Auto Garage in Newstead (BRISBANE) for $1000 as I am not mechanically minded so I would have broken something lol.

But the general price I have found for parts is between $1000 to $1600 depending on the meat on the clutch clutch and whether you get a custom tailshaft.

[Psymon]

Thought i'd add my experience with the spigot bush. I tried both methods listed above, grease in the hole and knocking it out and using a pilot bush puller. None of these worked. After 2 days of trying we ended up getting a Dremel and using a nice sharp cutting bit to cut a slit in the bush. Once this was done i grabbed it with vice grips and it literally fell out in my hands. Took about 20 mins of cutting.