A tale of two trannies

I have a dilemna, which really I have little control over.

fact 1: I hate my automatic, Id really like to stuff it with C-4 and send to the hell that it came from.

fact 2: I must tolerate the auto because my wife does not know how to drive stick, it is our only car, and she does not seem too eager to drive stick anyway.

fact 3: I have come across an EX manual transmission that very well could be mine if I decided to buy it.

fact 4: It will be around probably until the end of winter, by which time my wife still wont be able to drive stick :(

So, what should I do? The tranny is fairly new (99) and in good shape, and Id be able to get a good deal as far as price goes. I just dont know when or how long before Id be able to use it. How long can you store these things, and what is involved in preserving it? What should I do guys, get it and sit on it, or just cool out and wait? Help me out, spew your random thoughts here:

If your wife is the problem, then don't worry about that. Learning a 5 speed takes some time but I've never heard ONE single person who learned to drive manual that didn't say "THIS IS FRIGGIN AWESOME, I LOVE IT!!!" :) I used to be auto lover but I can tell you one thing, the only car I'll ever have again auto is gonna be the one that hauls my kids around. But I like heel-toe shifting and precise RPM control, this might not be for everyone ;) But the MPG are defenitly better.

If storage is a concern, dont worry about that as well. You can store those things for years with the proper precautions.

If money is a problem then yeah, I'd hesitate. You need a few more things then just the new tranny and most of them are labor hours. If you don't have the money and/or don't have a friend that would be willing to help, I'd think twice.

I got it! You can buy my Sol Si for the wife (it's bright green...even better), which is an auto, and then you can happily go ahead with the manual swaping. Seriously. Or, if that's not quite what you want to do, I say go ahead and pick up the tranny. If you can get it at a good price, do it. Unless of course you are planning to swap engines (which I don't think you are...).

I had the same problem w/ my girlfriend,she didn't want to learn how to drive stick.My car was a auto too until I blew it up sprayin'.After that I switched it to stick and threw a b18b in it.Now my GF says she'd never buy a auto again.I think you should buy the tranny or just swap the motor.

i definitely swap it out....youll wish you'd done it sooner....hell buy ur wife a beater or something....hehe!!!

I assume you know that doing a tranny swap isn't something you'd probably do in a few hours or anything. At any rate, if you're comfortable doing the swap, just do it. That's what a man would do. She'll learn to drive stick damn fast after a couple days of walkin! Seriously though, maybe you could buy the tranny and store it, then get a beater for her to learn how to drive stick on. It's not gonna take her very long to learn, you wouldn't have to deal with the controversy of just doing it to your only vehicle, and like everyone else has said, who wants to go back to automatic once you've learned manual? Your wife is more than likely gonna feel the same.

Off-Topic but still involved with the thread:

craz_e_99, your car looks tight, but do you think you could skip the like 35 lines of mods in your signature? Why not post a picture instead? It would look a lot cleaner, and be post-friendly!

:p

Originally posted by CivicRacerX
I assume you know that doing a tranny swap isn't something you'd probably do in a few hours or anything. At any rate, if you're comfortable doing the swap, just do it. That's what a man would do......

Off-Topic but still involved with the thread:

craz_e_99, your car looks tight, but do you think you could skip the like 35 lines of mods in your signature? Why not post a picture instead? It would look a lot cleaner, and be post-friendly!

:p

u wish i would condense my mods list...hehe!! naw i prolly will though....but anyway....me and a guy that has done a few motor swaps did this in about 2 days...we worked the first day for 10 hrs(over half way done)....the next day for 4hrs....then one more day about 2 hrs fixing some wiring probs i had dealing with the ignition. if u can get with someone who's possibly done a motor swap or has a good handle on car things...go for it!!!!

Triptronic? Or I think thats what it's called. I think they have them on the volkswagons and some like higher model cars. Oh well. It's like manumatic. you leave it in D and it's auto and then theres gears and u shift in the gears only problem theres no clutch......

Just get the tranny Rob! Then, all you need to do is add boost! Turbo D16Y8... WOOHOO! :) Or, you could build up the engine to take more than 8psi! :eek: Now, that's what I'm talking about!

Perhaps, the Dirty D will be called... The Dirty D! :hehe:
Forget a manumatic! Keep your eyes on the goal! ;)

Originally posted by Belldandy
Triptronic? Or I think thats what it's called. I think they have them on the volkswagons and some like higher model cars. Oh well. It's like manumatic. you leave it in D and it's auto and then theres gears and u shift in the gears only problem theres no clutch......

How would you go about doing this? I have a feeling it would be pretty much impossible.

Considering there is no manumatic, tiptronic or any other fancy transmission system that actually BOLTS up to the D-series motors, it wouldn't be impossible, but WAY out of rob's budget.

Thanks for the help guys, my friend will probably have the transmission for a while, so I have some time to decide. I should be able to get a good deal, and he definitely would know how to do the swap. Perhaps I could just trade straight up, since autos are more expensive anyway.

Originally posted by xivera
Just get the tranny Rob! Then, all you need to do is add boost! Turbo D16Y8... WOOHOO! :) Or, you could build up the engine to take more than 8psi! :eek: Now, that's what I'm talking about!

Perhaps, the Dirty D will be called... The Dirty D! :hehe:
Forget a manumatic! Keep your eyes on the goal! ;)

Just browsing through old posts in my boredom. I didn't remember reading this one, but it has inspired me. Thanks xivera, I have a rejuvenated enthusiasm for my d16 now! :D

****UPDATE****

By the way, the tranny was not installed, and I told my friend just to sell it to someone else. Hopefully, there will be others in the near future, I kinda regret letting this one go. Oh well, in the meantime I continue to save up for whatever lies ahead.

And it still seems like you're undecided based on that Honda-Tech thread. I'm sure you'll figure out what you want, or as most often is the case, fate will figure it out for you (e.g. your tranny suddenly decides to fail, or you win the lottery, etc.).

Nah, I have a renewed enthusiasm for my d16 like I said. Its just that I have to wait before I can do anything serious as far as power. Its just killing me to be so patient for now. I will admit wavering for a bit, and I was considering the B18 swap, but as I started looking into swaps, I became less intrigued. Ive never really been out for monster horsepower, even from the begining, so I think my D will be just fine. Like you said though, maybe fate will decide, hopefully in the form of a lottery prize (which would be hard considering I dont play!) Its all just a waiting game now.











hmm, perhaps that tranny failing is another option :devil:

Neutral drop that biotch! That should take care of your problem :D.

Originally posted by delsolguy
Neutral drop that biotch! That should take care of your problem :D.

:devil: :devil: :devil: :devil: :devil: :devil: :devil: :devil: :devil:

No....I couldn't do that! :D

sell the wife for a swap

Originally posted by piscorpio
hmm, perhaps that tranny failing is another option :devil:

red line it, then drop it in drive and drop your foot.
BURN IN HELL AUTOMATIC! Mhuahha :devil:

DISCLAIMER: Yes, i do condone the intentional destruction of automatic transmissions so go for it ;)

by the way listen to what this did to a std transmission, imagine the damage on an automatic, it would be beautiful :) :

Originally posted by enginerd
A year or so ago I was a tech at a dealership and this woman let her son drive her brand new Mustang Cobra. He destroyed teh transmissison by "side-stepping the clutch" which is where your let the enigne rev to redline and slip your foot sideways and let the clutch bang home. The ecm told us the engine was at 6500 rpm, first gear, 3 mph :eek: That trans was complete trash. The woman insisted that her son was not responsible and the fault was with the transmission. We pointed to the trashed rear tires (with about 10,000 miles), the ecm reading, and the worn marks on the trans console indictating that the gear selector had been repedetly slammed into first. She took the hint. PS-be nice to your transimission!