Auto to manual conversion?

[Connor]

Hi,
I may or may not have come into luck but at the end of the month I'm hoping to be a proud owner of a 87' 1.0L K10. The only "worry" I have is that it's automatic.
Auto cars and generally easier to drive apparently, it wouldn't bother me as much but as it's my first car I believe it would be better to have a manual gear box for experience and to get a 'feel' for any future cars I may have.

So after browsing/researching and finding unfinished threads I thought I'd just make a post. I just need to ask, is it possible for a auto > 4/5-speed conversion for this K10? If so, what would be the processes of doing so (Possibly a link to a build thread or something)?

Thanks,
Connor

 

[sn31]

Re changing to manual

hi there it can be done quite easily if you have both cars .the shells are the same on the fittings .you need the pedal box ,clutch cable gear linkage throttle cable engine and box drive shafts, its poss exhaust is dif /.i have used a couple of auto shells for racing now and it's a straight swap if you have all the bits .not easy if you dont have the knowledge i guess ,it is quite a big job

 

[Connor]

Thanks for the info man, but might have to think about that in the long-term.
I think automatic will be fine and should give me time to save up money :grinning: It'll happen though aha

 

[porkpie700]

If you haven't bought the car yet then i would advise saving yourself the time, money and general hassle of messing around with a manual conversion. That sort of thing comes later down the line.
I currently have a k10 auto in my collection and i think it's excellent, very enjoyable to drive and very precise. It's very easy to move the car just 10mm at a time without shooting off, fantasic for parking. The top gear in the auto, which is third gear, is a longer ratio than 4th gear in the 4speed manual box, so it is noticable quiter on the motorway than a 4speed.

After having made the mistake of fitting a 5speed box to a 1L k10 before i can tell you that it kills performance, due to the extra weight, and 5th is almost un-useable. Even on the motorway at 65-70mph a head wind or a hill will kill the power and you will have to drop down into 4th, especially to overtake anything. I eventually replaced the engine with a 1.2L because it was so bad.
So i wouldn't reccomend that for a 1L, only a 4speed is worth it really but then you'de be reving higher in top gear than you would with the autobox, so... pointless.

The process of the conversion is an extremely difficult thing to do, but the less k10 mechanical skills/experience you have, the more difficult it becomes. Electrical modification it needed to bypass the starter selonoid and to connect the reverse light wiring on the automatic engine bay wiring loom to the gearbox wiring.

To be honest the most difficult thing about the conversion is the availability of parts, or lack of. Check the buy/sell section and you'll find a long list of wanted ads for k10 5speed gearboxs. Five of so years ago you'd have been in a better time for doing conversion & upgrade work on a k10, these days, with the lack of parts of there, it's just a bit too late in the game.
It's best to get the car that's exactly what you want it to be, rather than one that needs alteration. I think it's best to keep looking and don't buy with your heart, always the the good old head.

 

[Connor]

Cheers for that, I decided today that I may just keep it as auto and possibly fit a larger auto engine in later. I don't really care about speed but it's the aesthetics I bought the car for But yeah thanks for the info man

 

[organdonor]

I currently have a k10 auto in my collection and i think it's excellent, very enjoyable to drive and very precise. It's very easy to move the car just 10mm at a time without shooting off, fantasic for parking. The top gear in the auto, which is third gear, is a longer ratio than 4th gear in the 4speed manual box, so it is noticable quiter on the motorway than a 4speed.

100% agree with this! I have a k10 1.2 auto and its easy to drive and bloody good on fuel! I do mainly motorway driving so its not even like I would be using the gears too much. The only downside is you will go through pads/disc a little quicker as you wont have any engine braking. They make good first cars as they are easy to service and all the parts minus the fluids costs me under £50! (not genuine Nissan obviously!)

 

[RTLkyuubi]

also the rear mounts are different so you will need an manual mount. I found this out on my 1st micra (was also my 1st car and 1st time I had taken an engine out to convert to manual) the auto one fits but doesnt give enough support, I ended up snapping the gearbox casing:


DSCN2068 by rtlkyuubi, on Flickr