Auto to manual swap price question - Honda Prelude Forum

Pepsuber · 01-18-2012, 11:06 PM

So I somehow managed to miss all the dire warnings about the SS auto transmission before buying my 2001 prelude (130k miles) a week ago. I got it for $4000 (and it's mostly in great shape, except for a few leaks) and was willing to spend a couple thousand more, so I'm considering doing an auto to manual swap soon. I've heard price ranges on the job, parts and labor included, ranging from $1500 to $3500 in different forum threads dating from 2003 to the present.

Can I realistically get it swapped for under $2000 net (how much, for that matter, can you sell the auto transmission for?) parts & labor in the Houston area? Would it be a better idea to just try to sell the car (please do not answer this particular question unless you also answer at least one more of the questions)?

The transmission is working fine right now, but from what I've read, that's no indication it won't go out all at once in the next few weeks, especially with 130k...

dblair · 01-19-2012, 07:46 AM

If you decide to go ahead with this you have one advantage going for you. Your tranny is still working so you can take your time. From the wording in your post it sounds like you don't plan on doing the work yourself. That doesn't mean you can't source the parts yourself which can be a huge $ saver. Doing the work myself, I also parted out a M/T car, got all the parts I needed, sold the rest and actually made money on the deal. The down side of that is it's a huge amount of work (parting a car) and took lots of time. My car is very low mileage so I was able to sell the SS for $1000. I can't speak to the cost of labor for the swap.

Keep in mind while the problems with the SS are very real the forms tend to exagerate them a bit. There are plenty of SS cars around with lots more miles than yours, especially the later one's. I think honda changed the stall speed and some of the shift points on the later cars. They were certainly slower than the early SS. If the early owners of your car were aware of the problems and changed the ATF frequently, and if they added a tranny cooler your chances are that much better.

If you do decide to swap I can also tell you the MT will make the car a lot more fun to drive.

Pepsuber · 01-19-2012, 04:38 PM

I would like to do it myself, but I'm a college student with no garage during the school year. Is it feasible to finish it over one summer, and is it at all feasible to do without prior car-fixing experience?

Thanks for your help.

dblair · 01-19-2012, 05:04 PM

A whole summer is way more than you'd need. As far as feasible for a novice, probably not unless you have some experienced help. You'd also need a good selection of tools, a way to get the car up in the air etc.

Search the forums for information on the job and you'll find a lot. Parts lists and so on. One thing that's pretty much necessary is a Helm's manual.

Since you got a deal on your car I'd give some serious thought to fixing the oil leak etc, selling it and buying a manual car. Pretty much any 10 year old car you buy will provide plenty of opportunities to learn to be a mechanic at a bit slower pace. What you're considering is a bit like throwing a kid in the lake to teach him how to swim!

Kronn 98SH · 01-20-2012, 12:42 AM

I'm surprised you never found the correct answer with all your searching.

Sell the POS and buy one that already has a 5spd. The end.

Asianpoet · 01-24-2012, 10:22 PM

having the right tools, a place to work, and some help. will make things alot easier to do the conversion. for 2k, as a budget, is more than enough to get all the pats that you need for this conversion. Especially if you buy it all in one shot from a partout or something..