How much effortis required to take out an auto and put a manual in a VL Calais. How much is a manual worth and how much to install it? I'd really like to know the total cost and the effort involved. Cheers

hey dude... its a bit of piss farting around but the power gain is worth it.. that along with the thrill of driving a manual. as for cost.. it depends on where you go... if you went to a mechanic... they'll most likely charge a ****load... but then i was lucky enough to puck up the components for my conversion chap (about $650). basically what you need is flywheel, box + bell housing, tailshaft (manual one) pedals (there a pian in the ass to get in... but fun..), master/slave cylinders. and don't forget that little hose that connects the 2 togeather. oh yeah and crossmember.. need a new one of them. and the clutch, pressure plate and the throwout bearing and a new spigeot bearing/bush... then your all set.. its not that hard, the only thing i found tricky was putting the master in... casue one of the bolts is sorta hidden behind the brake booster.. and for a person with chubby hands its a pain in the ass... one other thing... you could buy a manual computer, but you don't realy need to... theres a small proceedure that you perform to short a few wires out and away we go! somthing to do with not being able to start the car in any ther gear but "P" and "N" on auto... but thats all easy ****! HAVE FUN Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

Thanx for the reply ****, sounds like a ****load of work for someone who doesnt know all that much about engines! How much would it cost to get a mechanic in?

why the **** do people post this stuff in the for sale section?

You'll also need a different speedo cable. I was quoted $1000 for the complete kit from a wreckers in adelaide, although my mate picked up one for $900. I later bought it off him after his car was written off for $450. a good deal i think. I believe you'll be looking at at least $500 to get a mechanic to fit the box for you, its a fairly large job. I converted my VL with the help of two friends, we did it in 14 hours, or in one day. The hardest part of the entire conversion was swapping the pedals around! (oh and getting out the auto spigeot bush!)