Day 14 no work as out to my "real" job, but Sue picked up the reverse light switch from Nissan. Day 15 (today), another good one. Finished separating the halves of the tailshaft (yes I marked it first) and then found that the grease inside the cv joint was really black and dodgy. Checked the manual and noticed that to change the boot I needed to remove the cv joint, and that needed adaptor plates that I didn't have. OK, off to local transmission specialist (Belconnen Transmission & Driveline Services, who have been a great help), who didn't like the look of the centre bearing. I was pretty unimpressed with the general condition of the shaft anyway (I could see myself needing a new cv joint as well) so we decided the best option was for me to drop off the auto tailshaft (which I knew was OK) and get him to just swap over the manual yoke. He'll also check it over and hopefully it will be ready on Saturday morning. While out bought a couple of tools (including syringe for filling the gearbox and a new pop riveter). When I got home I fitted the reverse light switch then filled up the gearbox. Thought I'd stripped threads in the bellhousing with the clutch slave cylinder bolts (which weren't original) being too long, but checked it out and realised that they were actually too *short* and there hadn't been enough thread to take the torque. Fortunately the threads cleaned up OK. Fitted the clutch boot while I was at it. Back inside the car, fitted the shifter, but I didn't have all the original bolts and the two short ones I'd bought were too short. Also tightened up the nut connecting the pedal box to the steering column which I found I'd left loose. Under the bonnet, a couple of non-conversion jobs. Replaced the accelerator cable (the old one had broken on the plastic bit where the two adjusting nuts are). Removed the windscreen washer/overflow tank to get access, and while it was out decided to check out the windscreen washer motor, which had been making nasty squeaking sounds when it started. Pulled said motor apart, lubricated, checked brushes and reassembled. Hopefully have saved myself the c. $36 for a new one Another trip in the afternoon to drop off the auto tailshaft, and get some longer bolts for the slave cylinder and shifter and a few other bits. Fitted the bolts, then a blanking rubber for the now no-longer needed vacuum port on the back of the intake (bought a pack from Repco) and called it a day One bummer: I was due to receive my manual floor plate and gearbox harness from Comcar Parts in Victoria which I'd ordered last Friday via post yesterday. Didn't get anything in today's delivery, so rang them. They'd only posted the stuff yesterday and expected me to get it on Monday. NOT IMPRESSED!!! Re. flywheel bolts: I got mine from Nissan. Pretty cheap and I imagine worth getting new ones for peace of mine anyway. Re. the time it's taking: I should have prepared better and done more things in parallel. A lot of the time I've been waiting for bits to come in. Moral: check that you've got everything beforehand (especially if, as I did, you haven't bought a complete kit), especially fasteners and other small bits. Also don't assume anything about the condition of parts; I'd assumed fitting the manual tailshaft would be a formality so didn't bother checking it so it wasn't until I was ready to fit it that I realised what bad condition it was in. Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

It has been a while since i converted mine to manual, but if i remember correctly, the auto and manual NA tailshafts are the same? (including yoke) Keep the updates coming...good reading.

No, the yokes that go into the transmission are definately different between auto and manual. Manual is longer and wider, and probably has a different spline count.

Lol, shows how much i remember.

oldf@rt, I've been looking for a manual gearbox loom for my conversion. I rang comcar after you put their number in the thread. He didn't have another but on chatting with the guy he couldn't work out why soo many people had been ringing looking for them lately. Funny stuff. Quote: Replaced the accelerator cable (the old one had broken on the plastic bit where the two adjusting nuts are I currently work for a place that makes these sorts of cables but on a bigger scale (gearshift cable for kenworth) if anyone is looking for some custom cable work eg, accelerator, cruise control etc there is a place in SA, consolidated wire. we send all our small stuff to them to do. They also have a distributor somewhere around melbourne.

Quote: Originally Posted by VLWAGONIT i have found the easyest way to swap boxes on a vl is to just pull the motor and box out in one go, bold up the box on the ground and then drop the lot back in as one. it saves lieing on the ground lifting the box off your chest and having to rotate it around. it only takes about an hour 2 get the motor and box out and then 30min of stuffing around to bolt up the new manual box and then maby another hour 2 drop it all back in and another 30min to do peddal box and all the little bits and pices I don't think it's necessary for the MF5 - the gearbox is light enough to man-handle fairly easily. Getting it in easily requires (1) jacking up the front of the engine to tilt the back down (2) two more jacks, one to take most of the weight of the gearbox and another to tilt the front at the same angle as the engine. Doesn't need much twisting to get it in. HOWEVER, I imagine the much heavier and bigger MX7 and Skyline boxes would be a different matter, and it might well be easier to remove the engine. Quote: Originally Posted by Bigj90 oldf@rt, I've been looking for a manual gearbox loom for my conversion. I rang comcar after you put their number in the thread. He didn't have another but on chatting with the guy he couldn't work out why soo many people had been ringing looking for them lately. Funny stuff. People who've converted to manual, bridged the purple wires to get them started, then get sick of trying to get the reverse lights working? Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

Day 16 (Saturday) I was going to pick up the tailshaft and do a lot more, but got called into work for the day. Did nothing in the evening or after work on Sunday. So today I got back onto it (with time limited by a long weekly shopping trip and a long afternoon snooze). Had some auxiliary wires (eg tacho) which formerly had gone through the hole now occupied by the clutch master cylinder. I had the coolant overflow/washer tank out, and drilled holes in the big rubber fitting underneath same that the bonnet release and main wiring harness come through, then sent the wries through said holes. Fitted the tailshaft; straightforward except I'm not sure how to tighten up the flange bolts enough (see separate message in drivetrain section). Fitted a long bolt through the hole in the auto reinforcing bracket that goes to a hole (non-threaded) in the manual bellhousing and fastened with nut and washer (again, see separate message in drivetrain section). More work on electrics inside, re-connected the battery for the first time in a fortnight and ran some tests. And the manual harness and floor plate due to arrive today? You guessed it, still haven't turned up. Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

So what have you got left?

Just did some more electrical stuff not relevant to the conversion, while I waited for the manual harness and floorplate to arrive. They didn't... Rang Comcar Parts again. This time the story was that the first harness they'd gotten out had been cut, so they had to get another. They'd sent the bits yesterday and should reach me on Wednesday. Now to put this in perspective: Friday 24th April, rang Comcar re. the parts. They had them and I ordered. I was told delivery would be the next Wednesday. The next Wednesday they hadn't turned up. Gave them another day, and after they didn't arrive I rang Comcar up. Told that they had posted the bits on Tuesday and I should get them by Monday (4th May). Monday 4th May came and went and sure enough the parts didn't turn up. Once again gave them a day's grace, still no show, so I rang them and got the message above. So they told me last Thursday that they had posted the parts the previous Tuesday, and now tell me that they only posted them yesterday. I would like to think they have been posted this time and I'm not being bullsh*tted again... I can understand delays and stuff-ups, but I don't like being lied to. This is the first and last time I'll deal with these clowns. Meanwhile the car is sitting ready to go. Yes I could cross over the purple wires etc to get the engine running but I don't want to stuff around when the proper harness is only a day away. It is, isn't it? Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

There are a number of ways to get it started without the manual harness, even without doing the purple wire bridge. I removed the auto selector switch off the auto gearbox, and simply had it selected in N or P for ages, which tricked the car into starting. Then I got serious - cut the loom off that goes to the auto box, and bridged a pair of wires that ran to the selector switch (permanently putting it in either P or N). Taped it al up neatly, tuckled it all behind the brake booster.

ok all thats need to be done is by using the original auto loom cut all the wires except the wires that connect to terminals 1,3 and 4. connect 1 and 3 connect 1 and 4 then rewire the na box's two connectors with Narva connectors and join it up to the loom! this will provide neutral when in neutral and reverse when in reverse! can't remember if 1,3 or 1,4 is reverse or neutral!, but it says if the VL service manual! good luck!

Page 2 post no. 44 of this thread has a detailed write up on wiring up the neutral lockout circuit, reverse lights and the park "bypass" circuit. I made my loom ages ago but fitted it up tonight and works perfectly. (I found some of the wire colours didn't match mine in regards to there position on the plug so i just disregarded the colours and went by the positions of the wires themselves) ie. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 (Thanks 2 mrclean86 for the write up)

has anyone made a detailed list of all the parts needed for the conversion, as i would like to know if im missing anything in my kit. cheers fellas

Numerous times, please look through the thread. Also check the "R33 and R34 boxes in VLs" thread.

Quote: Originally Posted by 5spdvl You need: -gearbox (with crossmember) -manual tailshaft -shifter (with knob) -manual surround (trim in cabin) -clutch fork (with bearing) -manual spigot (get new from Repco etc) -manual sandwich plate -starter motor (N/A auto, manual & turbo manual are all the same) -flywheel -clutch (pressure plate, friction plate) -master cylinder/slave cylinder -clutch pedal (pedal boxes are the same, simply add the clutch pedal in & swap brake pedals) -brake pedal -manual ECU cool mate sorry for not reading this earlier. the kit i have seems to be missing the flywheel, manual surround which isnt a real problem, real easy to get my hands on. im not quite sure what a sandwich plate and clutch fork is could be there. help me out? Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

Got home from work yesterday to find a card from the local post office saying that the parts from Comcar had finally arrived. Picked up package this morning. To my relief, sure enough both the floor plate and the manual harness were there. Floor plate installed fine once I found out that my shiny new pop riveter (steel compatible) from Superc*ap was slipping on the steel rivets. Went back to my old pop riveter, which is an ergonomic disaster but at least grips the rivets properly, and got it on without further problems. Then reinstalled the console. The gearbox came with the boot, so all I have to get now is the surround. But they seem to cost the earth, so I might try to make one out of plywood and varnish it to add a bit of class. Fitting the manual harness was easy. With great anticipation stuck in the keys and tried to start it and... nothing happened. The fuel pump runs, the lights and other electrics work, you can hear the starter solonoid click and all the wires seem in place but it still won't turn over. I've put this in a message in the electrical area. But at least the conversion is now complete, and it's just tinkering (I hope!) needed to get it started. Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

Did you do any wiring? Sorry, I cbf going back through the posts to check. ESH44Y, the clutch fork pokes throught he hole in the side of the bellhousing, and is acted on by the pushrod from the slave cylinder. It actuates the clutch plate. It rests on the pivot ball inside the bellhousing. The sandwich plate is a steel cut out, roughly the shape of the bellhousing "mouth", that sits between the gearbox and engine. It's used to locate the starter motor correctly, and maintain correct clearances between the box and motor. They differ considerably between auto and manual.

Quote: Originally Posted by OldF@rt ...... Fitting the manual harness was easy. With great anticipation stuck in the keys and tried to start it and... nothing happened. The fuel pump runs, the lights and other electrics work, you can hear the starter solonoid click and all the wires seem in place but it still won't turn over. I've put this in a message in the electrical area. But at least the conversion is now complete, and it's just tinkering (I hope!) needed to get it started. i think i read b4 that u didnt do anything with the neutral relay next to the battery - bridge the thick purple wires there and it should start by the sounds of things. by the sounds of things you have power to the ecu and everything else so it should only be the neutral switch. if that fails try just giving power to the starter solanoid and it should start Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

Yep, it was the purple wires. I'd erroneously thought that the manual harness handled that. Anyway, I just disconnected the connector with the two purple wires from its relay behind the battery, made up a short jumper wire with spade clips on each end and inserted same in the socket where the purple wires connected. And the car started! Checked for leaks etc, shut down, then for the first time in three weeks got it off the axle stands and back on its tyres as nature intended. Took the car out for a test run, including up to 100kph and fifth gear. Without the manual insert in the console there's a fair bit of noise as you'd expect, but that's for later. Some teething problems: the car is a bit cranky when cold (feels like a carby car without the choke) and stalled a couple of times and it feels like the clutch cylinders need another bleed (I had to push the clutch pedal right to the floor to change gears smoothly). Wasn't able to look at the car again today but I'll check it out tomorrow. But I'm STOKED with the results even at this early stage. I've had cars with autos before that have been quite satisfactory, but they've been either big V8s (a pair of Kingswoods years ago) or my garage queen '71 Jag XJ6, all with masses of low-end torque. The VL never felt quite as happy, even with a four-speed auto, presumably because it's a higher-revving engine. With the manual it's like a new car; far more responsive and fun to drive. May be my imagination, but the steering feels lighter as well, due to less weight than the auto? Even though there's still some rough edges the car is now drivable so I declare project over, with just tidying up to come. Thanks everyone for your help and encouragement! Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

Well done! I knew it would be the wiring. I drove around for a short period without a manual insert, and it is a really odd sensation. The manual box is lighter.