How can you swap a automatic transmission for a manual in a Chevy S10?

Answer 1

It's a real pain, I'm nearing the end of this swap right now with one main problem still unresolved. First what you need to do is go to a junkyard and get yourself the complete steering column and brake/clutch pedal assembly from an S10 or Blazer from around the same year as the one you are doing this swap on. The only thing you really need to worry about there is to make sure the brake/clutch pedal assembly you pull comes from the same brake setup you currently have (ie, power or manual brakes.....the mounting setup on them are different.) You will need to cut a hole in the transmission tunnel for the shifter (this is a little easier if you have a 4x4 because you will have a better reference point for where the hole goes). Whatever vehicle you get your steering column/pedal assembly from, take measurements on the hole and its distance from the firewall, this will make things alot easier for you. Unless you are going for some transmission not available on S10s (ie an older tranny that would have a cable operated clutch) you are going to have a hydraulically operated clutch. That being the case, you will need to purchase a clutch slave and master cylinder setup specific to the transmission you are using. The S10 transmission you are going to use is dependent on the engine size (2.8l V6 engines had a Borg Warner T5 4.3l V6 engines either had a T5 or an NV3500, so you will need to know what you are dealing with). You will also need to either make a hydraulic line to connect the master and slave cylinders, but you may be able to buy one direct from Chevy (best to make one though, I paid $130 for my line direct from Chevy) From there, it is basically just putting things into place. The only issue I have unresolved as of yet with my swap is getting the reverse lights to work, If I end up finding a solution to that problem, I will re-post here and let you know. Hope this helps! Good Luck!

Just my 2cents worth but i just did a manual swap on my 1993 s10 4wd. all you really need is the trans,pedal assembly,clutch, master slave and line. Before my swap i read i needed transcrossmember and y pipe and drive shafts. I used the auto y pipe and driveshafts and transcrossmember. i used an nv3500 out of a 95. pedal assembly was from a 92 4wd. I am unsure about other years and 2wd but the 93 auto trans and 95 manual are the same exact length. oh and i used the auto column. i just popped the pin in the column shifter out and yes i have to manually active the reverse lights and yes there is no neutral safety switch. so yes the swap can be done on the cheap. i spent roughly $350 on clutch kit slave new u joints and fluids and ect. The truck i got the trans from was free after i scrapped the body. i took the master from a 92, slave was junk so i bought a new slave. clutch line was from a 95, yes they are longer but my truck has a 3 inch body lift so it fit perfectly. the only real problem i have is i am using the auto ecu and when i shift the engine doesnt idle down until the clutch is let out. i think this is due to some sort of electric signal from the trans like a kick down that is now missing. either way i have the manual ecu that will be installed soon.