69muscle

I just finished my auto to manual swap in my F250. Just thought i'd give a huge thanks to the guys here that answered some of my questions. Here's a brief list of how i made it happen.

COST LIST:
-parts $2300 (all from same guy listed below)
-trans fluid $50
-Fuel in my buddies powerstroke for the 800 mile trip $150.
TOTAL- $2500.
*(ALL LABOR DONE MYSELF)

Found a guy doing the opposite swap and i got all of my parts from him:
-zf6 manual trans
-shifter
-clutch and flywheel assembly
-clutch master and slave cyl
-transfer case input shaft (couldnt swap the whole thing b/c i have manual t-case shifter and his was electric)
-rear driveshaft
-clutch and brake pedal assembly

no need to go into elaborate detail about how i did it. I did NOT swap the floor humps. i just used a floor jack, some 6x6 blocks, and little patience and "finessed" it up. (had to jack it up to clear the zf6). then i measured and cut the hole for the shifter, it looks great and the carpet hides any minor imperfections in the metal work.

i also didnt swap the steering column. i just removed the old shift lever, and will be getting new covers soon to cover the hole. I will also be getting a new wiring harness for the trans, but for now i have just spliced the 4 wires that needed to be connected to "fool" the old computer into thinking that the trans is in park or neutral to enable it to start.

all in all, everything is working fine so far, and my only regret is that i didnt do this 3 years ago when my first of what would be 3 automatic transmissions went out.

A FEW OTHER NOTES:
your truck should already be "prepped" to take the manual set up. mine already had the holes through the firewall for the clutch pedal to bolt to and the master cyl to go through. it also was already wired for the plug that is on the clutch pedal (i believe to be the neutral safety switch). it was really a very basic transmission swap that isnt too hard for the average do-it-yourselfer thats a little mechanically inclined.

BEFORE PICS:





COLUMN REMOVED, (i later found out this wasnt required, but you do need to do it access the shift indicator to remove it.)

SHIFT INDICATOR REMOVED. (2 plastic squeeze tabs on either side and it slides right out.)


SHIFT INDICATOR COVERED WITH BLACK ELECTRICAL TAPE. (looks like a stock 6-spd dash!)

CLUTCH, BRAKE PEDAL INSTALLED.

SHIFTER INSTALLED.

quick26

why would you want to do that? for what you spent doing the swap you could of put good guts in the auto and never had an issue with it.

UrGrlGveMeDkBrn

We have already been down that road in another thread and tried to talk him out of it. But......... He wanted a manual.



But any hoot good job and it looks good even tho I don't agree with what you did but hey its your truck

Zack

Congrats on the swap. I'll admit I cuss my ZF6 sometimes, but both trucks I've built were 6 speeds. I spent an extra 3 months finding the truck I wanted both times just to stay away from the auto. Hard to come by a 4x4 reg cab 6 speed 7.3, really hard to find them in good shape. You will love the manual, just remember sitting in traffic your left leg hates you.

69muscle

haha. i understand all of your opinions. i had been through 3 autos total (one that was in it when i bought it, then i put one in from ford with warranty, then they had to replace it with another one.) i've just come to my understanding that i think the 4r100 is a huge piece of crap. lol. i've never been a huge fan of automatics anyways, not because i want to slam gears, but mainly because i feel like i know what gear i need to be in better than some computer. the auto would always downshift when it didnt need to, etc etc etc.

and im RARELY in any traffic. (maybe once every 3-4 months)....so thats definitely not an issue.

all in all, i trully believe i came out ahead in the long run....and if anyone is considering it i'll be the first to say that finding the parts is the HARD part. everything else is easy.

**oh and also...it is hard to find 7.3l's with the 6-speed...but EVEN HARDER to find a lariat with a 6-speed. actually, i think the only way you can find those is if the original owner ordered it that way from ford. (thats what my father did when he ordered his '99 brand new.)

quick26

it does look good, and i figured you had been though the autos but i had to ask. its ashame the tranny out the 6.0 will not bolt up to the 7.3.

69muscle

yea i will say that ford has definitely stepped up their game since the 4r100/7.3 combo....(havent personally owned or driven anything newer than '03, but i've heard from others that the new trannys are alot tougher.)

chevota

Hey 69, just read your post about converting your ford from the auto to the manual. I have had it with the auto in my 1999 f350 dually 4x4 as well and went out and purchased a zf 6 speed, pedals ect. to do the swap. The question I have is the wiring portion you mentioned four wires from the auto that you had to deal with to make it work and was wondering if you could elaborate for me. The more your willing to share the better. Thanks in advance, Randy

shell_racer

My husband and I just finished the ZF6 swap on my 2000 F250.
I found the factory neutral safety switch tucked under the dash. I plugged in neutral safety switch
but no start and no crank. Did you have to wire in additional wires your your switch?