Convert automatic trans to standard

[Todd]

Has anyone tried this before? I looked at a 82' spider that is in great condition, but it has a AT. So, I was wondering how feasible it is to convert to standard tranny.

[So Cal Mark]

no problem if you've got all of the parts; pedal assy, clutch cable, tranny and mount, shift assy, driveshaft, center console insert, flywheel and clutch. The rear axle is a 3.58 ratio instead of a 3.9 but it's not necessary to change that to make the car a driver

[mbouse]

depending on where you live, you prolly will be better off just buying the manual transmission vehicle you'd rather have than spending all that time, effort, money and frustration making the conversion.

Spiders aren't seen everywhere everyday, but they are far from rare, unique or exhotic.

[spiderrey]

what frustration?? everything bolts right up. i actully had an automatic, 79', nice car. the auto was actully a plus to that car in my opinion. fun to drive. i was actully thinking about converting my 68 to auto because my girlfriend wont drive my stick. when buying a car the most important thing to me is the condition of the body. everthing else is easy.

[manoa matt]

The frustration you speek of is: Trying to source all the individuall parts for LESS than the price of a COMPLETE manual trans car. You could buy two 5 speed manual fiats for the price of one rebuilt trans from a vendor.

I had a car dealer offer me 2 spiders for $700 a 77' and an 80' both run and drive. If I only had a garage.

[mbouse]

thanks matt. that supports my opinion nicely. buy it and drive it is easier than buy it, find and buy all the other parts, pull all the old parts and install, tweak, repair, and adjust all the "new" parts.

spiders aren't that rare that we cannot find the nice car with the transmission we desire.... unless you are looking for a REALLY nice car with an auto trans.

We're talking about actually taking something that is fairly rare....an auto trans NICE Spider....and converting it to a VERY common manual transmission vehicle. Why?

[So Cal Mark]

despite the auto version being rare, virtually no one wants them. Sort of like buying a nice plasma tv and watching it thru a shower curtain

[spiderrey]

that all depends whos in the shower with you?

[manoa matt]

I got a friend who bought a $2300 plasma TV. Went over his house durring Christmas and he only has the "Air" channels. Of the 10 or so channels he gets only 1 broadcasts in HD.

[Todd]

Even though I see your point on not doing a conversion, I've been looking for a while and can't find a really nice manual (80-83). This one has 32k original miles on it, which is really rare. Probably be less problematic in the long run, so might be worth it to due a conversion?

[mbouse]

i appear to be in the minority here, especially when it comes to the perceived value of the unmolested vehicle. but you asked for my opinion.

i suggest two things:
1. your scope in searching for that "great condition" 80-83 manual transmission Spider is not wide enough, especially this time of year.
2. since you feel impelled to procede with the conversion, create a budget. How much to purchase the car, purchase and deliver the acceptable transmission, the pedals, the shift console? How much to rent the garage, tools, lift, and assistance? How much to dispose of the old transmission, parts? How much to adjust or rebuild the std tranny & install new clutch and clutch cable? please add it all up....I'd like to see that figure. Don't forget a resonable sum for your labor hours equivelant; you're not doing this conversion overnight or without effort.

I'm betting once i know your budget I can find "great condition" manual tranny cars around the country in the same price range. and i'm fairly sure we could calculate getting them in your driveway quicker than performing the conversion.

of course, that doesn't give any satisfaction value to performing the converstion... at some level we all love to tinker and wrench on our cars.

[mbouse]

looks like there is a cherry '81 in the for sale section now, low miles. sounds like a #1 or #2 car. and postively is a manual transmission. might be just what you are looking for with out the hassle of molesting an auto trans vehicle.

[Todd]

Thanks but unfortunately, I don't care for brown cars.

The auto spider I was looking at was on ebay, it sold for $3150, only 32k orig miles. I decided to continue searching, so I didn't bid on it.

[So Cal Mark]

I would think a manual version of that ebay car would fetch nearly double that price

[mbouse]

no offense intended in the following. please don't read anything personal into this. i am just trying to elaborate on my point, and am not inferring that anyone is anything other than an expert mechanic.

if you don't know the seller, don't know his mechanical abilities, and ALL OTHER things being equal....which is "worth" more money:

1. a 1981 "cherry" Fiat Spider with 32,000 miles .. all original car including the factory manual transmission
2. A 1981 "cherry" Fiat Spider with 32,000 miles .. all original except that the manual transmission inserted into factory supplied auto trans body


if both were for sale, and you were in the market and could afford the asking price, and both cars were in your favorite color.....which one would you pay MORE for? and answering honestly, which one would you tend to shy away from?