how much would it cost to swap a manuel into an auto?
or would it be cheaper to build a nice auto?

 

I have both a manual and auto truck, and there are things I like about both.

It would be cheaper and obviously way less labor intensive to just build the auto. Not to mention you'd have a way faster truck you could actually have fun at the track with (if you care for speed that is).

My auto truck runs the 1/4 mile faster than my manual truck...and it does it consistantly and it does it with 200 less hp than my manual truck.

 

Not all the truth. The swap can be done cheaper than a full built auto. A fully built auto trans can be upwards of 6k while I did the 5spd swap in my truck with a south bend dual disk for 4k. The autos do have there place at the race track but if you want to tow swap in a 5 spd as it will probably cost the same as building a trans that will hold decent power without grenading.
Evan

 

Cost me $2500 for the swap with a good clutch.

 

define a good clutch? A south bend dual disk with upgraded input shaft will run ya more around $2200 All depends on what you plan on using the truck for. Pulling and how much HP you are wanting to run. You could do the swap for 2k or a little more with a stock clutch depends on how much you show around for parts.
Evan

 

cost me about 2000 for the 5spd swap with a stock clutch.

 

5500 bucks will get you a stout auto that will throw it to the ground. a good tranny makes a huge difference in putting power to the ground both have ups and downs... you dont have to replace a converter every 40k miles which might save you in the long run and when the tripple discs lockup its just like having a manual.

 

You dont have spend 2k to get a good clutch.......Valair

 

Not into valair clutchs the one guy I know who has one in his 6spd is already wanting to upgrade to a sb dual disk as it chatters and slips and all he has is a fueling box and a set of injectors. To each his own not saying its not a decent clutch but I dont think you can go wrong with a south bend. If you want to get into heavy towing and sled pulling. Plus their customer support is great. Always willing to talk with you and solve any problems you might have even when its not their products fault.
Evan

 

There are many other things to factor in...

No way am I swapping in a stock unmodified 5spd trans. If I have it in front of me, I'd be doing a 1-3/8 input shaft, and fully splined mainshaft with new 5th gear nut. After all, the swap is being done because it needs to hold more power and be more reliable...right? Right.
Then theres the clutch....define "a good clutch". I have broken high dollar single disc clutches and have broken two dual disc clutches. So, at least for me, a 'good clutch' isn't cheap. Valair doesn't make anything I can use.
So in my eyes, a swap isn't cheap.

If I want a 5spd truck, I'd also want the Dana 80 to go with it, not a Dana 70.
So this is the part I get real funny about my feeling on converted trucks...to me their value has dimished greatly. I wouldn't buy someone's conversion.
But some people can live with that.

 

As stated by others, there are many things to take into consideration. My brother had his converted for $2500 and his original tranny and transfer case to boot. That being said, the conversion can require some tuning and may lower the resale value of the truck. Some folks don't like things very far from factory, and understandably so. However, this is a transmission that is a factory option, and as attested to by others who have completed the swap, is not a overly difficult swap. If the truck is a 2nd gen 4X4 it will have the Dana 80 rearend, so no worries there. Also, many transmission vendors sell NV4500 with the updated 5th gear nut and 1 3/8 fully splined mainshaft, the only problem being that you don't have a core..but you could solve that by getting a core from a junkyard, or just rebuild and update a used transmission yourself. It just depends on what you want.

Blackbanshee

 

It sounds to me like it doesnt matter if you have a auto,5spd,factory or swapped in, your going to beat it to death regardless.

 

I think we could all break any trans we put in our trucks if we really wanted to, but if you steer clear of unnecessary trauma (if ur goal is to have it for awhile), then u can keep a stock 5spd going for along time with a good amount of power. 3rd gear launches, or boosted lauches choose ur pick will kill something pretty fast, auto or manual. So if ur goal is longevity, choose ur pick. Its all in how u drive, and if Valair's stock $225 clutch performs like it has for me, then i gotta think there better clutches are great.

But my choice would be a built auto if I could afford it, the 5spd is fun, but im doing more city driving than I thought so a nice auto would work out well.

 

If your budy is complaining of the Valvairs clutch chattering then wait til he gets that DD in.


Anyways I'd say deffintly cheaper to do 5spd swap depending on which clutch you decide to run.