[holymoo]

Currently, I have a 1988 Manual Legend Coupe, which in addition to being pretty beat it has some rust damage on the frame. In the process of cleaning this vehicle up, I acquired a 1989 Automatic Legend L Coupe. The 1989 Legend has a pretty clean interior and the engine starts right up, it's just the transmission is just about dead.

After perusing the forums for a bit, I did find some guides for people who have done very similar swaps. My question is, would it be possible to swap the 1988 Manual Transmission into the 1989 Automatic Legend.

Will I run into some issues with the different years?

Currently, I only have some various wrenches, sockets, screwdrivers, a jack, and two jack stands. What other tools will I need to acquire to complete this project?

 

[awelliott]

Currently, I have a 1988 Manual Legend Coupe, which in addition to being pretty beat it has some rust damage on the frame. In the process of cleaning this vehicle up, I acquired a 1989 Automatic Legend L Coupe. The 1989 Legend has a pretty clean interior and the engine starts right up, it's just the transmission is just about dead.

After perusing the forums for a bit, I did find some guides for people who have done very similar swaps. My question is, would it be possible to swap the 1988 Manual Transmission into the 1989 Automatic Legend.

Will I run into some issues with the different years?

Currently, I only have some various wrenches, sockets, screwdrivers, a jack, and two jack stands. What other tools will I need to acquire to complete this project?

Pretty broad question, but I'll try to handle part of it. The transmission itself will bolt in. You'll also need the flywheel (make sure you have it trued before you reinstall it), master/slave clutch cylinders, pedal assemblies. The manual tranny engines also use a different harmonic balancer; I don't think it's critical, but since you already have a complete donor car, I'd go ahead and swap it. The ECUs are also different, I'm not sure that they absolutely have to be changed, but you might as well since you have the donor car. I'm sure some of the other threads address those issues specifically.

Unless you know your way around a car pretty well, I'd let a pro handle this - or at least have someone with some experience help you out. Be very careful with the clutch; buy a quality clutch/pressure plate/throwout bearing, and make sure you have the flywheel trued by a machine shop that knows what it's doing. If it's not just right, you'll have a very annoying clutch chatter when you're finished. You can drive with a chattering clutch, but it takes about 99% of the fun out of owning a stick shift. Also, since you'll have the transmission out, it probably wouldn't hurt to replace the rear main seal. Good luck....

 

[holymoo]

Thank you for your response. I need to do some more inspection on the recipient vehicle, but I feel confident that could pull this swap off. In the next few days I will also be meeting with my cohorts who are more mechanically incline than I, who will probably give me advice or tell me I'm crazy.

 

[telafonic]

I say go for it. Of course be safe, take your time, and use the proper tools for the job.
When I did it, one of the most difficult things was separating the lower ball joints. They just would not budge after trying several tools 'made' for the job. A torch and a sledgehammer borrowed from the neighbor did the trick but man. The clutch pedal was extremely difficult to do by myself. You'll want someone to help you line things up while you're upside down underneath the dash with your arms getting sore and all the blood running to your head.
Depending on the age/mileage of the bolts you'll probably want to replace the flywheel bolts also. They are pretty cheap at the dealer.

Also, lining up the transmission was difficult. When you put the clutch pressure plate back on (you'll probably want a new clutch) make sure to use one of those clutch line-up tools to get aligned (they sometimes come with new clutches).
I still haven't wired the reverse lights! But it shouldn't be too hard.
Anyway good luck. This is the place to come for help.
Oh and if your axles or cv joints are bad this is the time to change them. Make sure you get the halfshaft from the manual car as well. This is not the axle but the piece the axle fits into on the passenger side of the car. They are not the same on both cars even though they look like they may be.

 

[holymoo]

Wow, everyone has been so helpful.

Anyway, I'll be taking a trip out tomorrow to check out the vehicle. This is a possibility that there is some rust on it, so I'm going to have the size that up before I make any more preparations.

Also, I think it might be adventagous to remove the drivers seat when installing the pedals. Though, that's just pure speculation.

 

[awelliott]

Wow, everyone has been so helpful.

Anyway, I'll be taking a trip out tomorrow to check out the vehicle. This is a possibility that there is some rust on it, so I'm going to have the size that up before I make any more preparations.

Also, I think it might be adventagous to remove the drivers seat when installing the pedals. Though, that's just pure speculation.

Yup, but I would describe it as "essential" rather than "advantageous". However, that may a product of my middle age....