Remember I mentioned the SVX is my DD, so the swap had to be done over a three day weekend. I tried planning and ordered many things weeks before the swap was done to have this done smoothly. However, unforeseen issues happened. That is the reason why some parts had to be overnighted.
Two weeks before the swap I ordered the ACT Clutch Kit, Kartboy shifter bushings, Master Cylinder Hard Line/Soft Line Bracket, STI Shifter Trim Bezel and the Motul 300:
ACT Clutch Kit
Kartboy Shifter Bushings
Master Cylinder Hard Line, Soft Line Bracket
04-07 STI Shifter Trim Bezel
Moutl Gear 300
The week before the swap I ordered Flywheel bolts, the SVX torque converter bolts are not long enough, pressure plate bolts and the STI Leather Shift Knob:
Flywheel Bolts
Pressure Plate Bolts
STI Leather Shift Knob 1
STI Leather Shift Knob 2
STI Leather Shift Knob 3
I also had a local shop resurface the flywheel and install the ACT pilot bearing for me:
2008 Flywheel (Rusty)
2008 Flywheel (Resurfaced)
Everything was at the shop, and I was ready to tackle the swap. The car rolled onto the lift at 5:45PM and by 11:30PM the entire drivetrain was out. I mean everything! Engine, 4.44 trans, all axles, driveshaft, R160, and the AT shifter:
Drivetrain Out (Front)
Drivetrain Out (Rear)
Drivetrain out (Engine/Trans)
The reason I pulled the entire drivetrain is because I planned to rebuild the original engine (with forged internals and lower compression) and I figured the extra working room on the firewall would be nice. Months before I even purchased the 6 speed, I purchased a spare engine to which I did a complete reseal. The spare engine would be mated up to the 6MT and put back in the car as one unit.
I cleaned up the inside of the bellhousing but didn't get a picture so the dirty one will do.
6MT Input Shaft
The rear main was replaced with an OEM one (not pictured)
Rear Main Seal
The flywheel was installed using NEW OEM bolts (55.3 ft/lbs of torque)
Flywheel Installed
The pressure plate was installed using NEW OEM bolts (11.8 ft/lbs of torque)
ACT Clutch Installed
The 6MT waiting to go in as one piece with the engine for ease of install.
2 EG33's
I started with the R180 and fitting the axles. I first swapped the R160 flange onto the R180. This is so that we can use the SVX driveshaft. The R180 mounting studs were a direct fit. I mention this because based on research I did before the swap, 05-07 R180 studs were too short. It was a very direct fit, an exhaust hanger bracket had to be bent a little to accommodate the larger differential. The axles were fitted next and here is where I ran into issues. The 08 STI axles slid right into the hub, so I knew the spline count was correct. However, when it came time to secure the knuckle to the strut assembly it just would NOT line up. (see pics below) After about 20 mins of pushing and shoving I realized they were just too long.(see comparison pics) I went ahead and called the local Autozone and had them Overnight a pair of rear 07 STI axles. Luckily for me they had a set at the "Distribution HUB", which is about 1hr away from my town, so I got them pretty early Saturday morning and they were installed within 10 minutes. Rear-end DONE!
Thank god for lifts and hydraulic jacks, the R180 is a heavy sucker!
R180 Installed
R180 Installed (Rear)
Here the 08 STI axle was fully seated in the Hub.
08 STI Axle in Hub
This was the closest I could get it to line up.
Knuckle/Hub Alignment
From left to right: 07 STI, 08 STI, 95 SVX
3 Axles Compared
From left to right: 08 STI, 07 STI
STI Axles
Since I hit a road block in the rear end, I decided to move into the interior for the rest of the night and removed everything I thought would be in the way for the pedal fabrication. Started by pulling the center console, then the AT shifter followed by the driver seat, lower kick panel, pedals and (the following day after dealing with maneuverability limitations) even went ahead and removed the steering wheel column!
Complete AT Interior
Center Console Removed
AT Shifter Removed
AT Shifter
Lower Kick Panel Removed
SVX PARTS EVERYWHERE
After installing the 07 STI axles in the R180 differential all of Saturday was fabrication and I mean
all freaking day. To make it short and sweet, it was a very busy weekend! I got very little breaks and ate only here and there, mostly pizza.
The fabrication process is very tedious and to even have to think about it gives me headaches. The mount for the transmission is fairly easy and straightforward. The difficult part is the pedal assembly, due to many factors such as: distance, height, and angle. Instead of typing it out step by step I will provide pictures with short descriptions of what was being done.
Pictures to follow:
Fabrication Supplies
I used the rubber boot from the AT shifter as a template
Shifter Boot Plate
Plate Installed
Shifter Plate Installed
Template for master hole in firewall
Master Firewall Plate
This rod was used to extend the master cylinder rod as well as the reverse lockout eyelet. 1/4"x 3 ft
Steel Rod
This is the starting point of the Pedal Assembly.
Clutch/Brake Pedal Assembly (Original)
This is the starting point of the Pedal Assembly. Notice where the clutch linkage attaches to the bracing of the brake booster. I had to find a way to extend the assembly without disrupting the current mechanism.
Clutch/Brake Pedal Assembly (Original Rear)
This is the starting point of the Shift Linkage. Every rod/cable and the reverse lockout had to be extended a couple inches. (Exact measurements will come soon)
Shifter Linkage (Original)
The Sharpie markings indicate where I went ahead and cut to extend the rods.
Shifter Linkage Markings
This is the starting point of the Reverse Lockout. Notice the sharpie, that is where I went ahead and cut with a Dremel. For the Eyelet go ahead and remove the inner rubber grommet, otherwise it will deform with the heat from the Dremel (Don't ask me how I know)
Reverse Lockout Original
Reverse Lockout Eyelet
Unfortunately I did not take any pictures of the finalized shift linkage assembly. It's one of the last things I did and I was starting to get crunched for time. Maybe someday I will be able to get pictures of that stuff. The engine and transmission were dropped in next, and it was a very easy straightforward install. I proceeded to make the transmission mount.
I started with the original mount and then just started tacking rods and plates for support:
6MT supported by 2x4
6MT Mount Tacked
6MT Mount Tacked (Side P)
6MT Finalized Tacking
6MT Mount Finalized(Bottom)
6MT Mount Finalized (Top)
I went ahead and bolted the pedal assembly, front most section, to the column where the SVX brake bolted to. Then proceeded to take measurements of how much material I had to add to the rear. Adding the material allows the rear of the pedal assembly to reach the bolts, coming through the firewall, from the brake booster. (Actual measurements will be added later) I decided to cut the original SVX brake assembly at the required length and then weld the STI assembly and what I took from the SVX assembly to obtain my final piece. The clutch rod had to be extended as well, cut between the threads and plain rod. (Actual measurements will be added later) It worked out very well and one year later it's still as solid as day one. I'm very happy with how it turned out!
SVX Brake Cut (Side)
SVX Brake Cut (Top)
STI Pedal Clutch Arm Sharpie
STI Pedal Clutch Arm Cut
Welded Assembly (Side)
Welded Assembly (Side P)
Welded Assembly (Rear)
Clutch Rod Extension:
Original Clutch Rod
Extended Clutch Rod
After all the welds were finalized I went ahead and sprayed the entire pedal assembly with Flat black paint and allowed it to dry for a couple hours before final install.
Pedal Assembly Paint (Side)
Pedal Assembly Paint (Side P)
Pedal Assembly Paint (Rear)
The Pedals were fitted and all clearances were good. Finally installed.
Pedal Assembly Fitting
Pedal Assembly Fitted
Pedal Assembly Finalized
Clutch Master:
Clutch Master Installed
The Slave Cylinder and clutch line were attached to the transmission before dropping it into place. I proceeded to bleed the clutch lines, or I attempted too. The slave busted the moment pressure started to build up in the pedal. I found some very unusual wear in the piston. So I called and overnighted the Slave Cylinder $$$ Take My Money $$$.
Broken Slave
Unusual Wear On Slave Piston and Busted O-ring
New(left) and Busted Slave (right)
The slave from Autozone looked identical, aside from the weird looking bleeder valve, and was fairly cheap. Installing the new slave was a major pain with the limited space. To make matters worse I had to remove and install everything once more. I had to bench bleed the system because there was so much air and after about 30 minutes of attempting to bleed the system in the car I realized I wasn't getting anywhere. After I bled the system it was smooth sailing and everything bolted/firmed up nicely.
The wiring for the ABS to VSS, DCCD,
Park switch and
Reverse lights was finished up in the early hours of Monday morning. I feel like wiring can be a separate thread, so in case I have extra time and really feel ambitious I will go ahead and do a write up and
add a link here **Not a link right now**
The last thing done was topping off fluids. The car was rolled out of the shop at 4AM Monday morning, all that was preventing me from starting the car was a broken clutch switch
, which I failed to notice until it was time to plug it in (Noticed it Saturday night at about 7pm). The remainder of the early morning Monday I waited for the FEDEX truck to pull into my driveway and deliver the switch so I could ride my bike back down to the shop and install it. It was the longest 6 hours of my life!!!!
The switch went in after 30 mins of cursing, it's tight up there with all the wiring, and plugged it in. I did one final check through on fluids, looked for any misplaced tools in the engine bay and it was time to go home to sleep for several hours so that I could make it through a 12hr shift that night. The reasons I didn't start the car were: 1) I wanted to build up oil pressure without fuel "new" engine 2) Allow it to run in incremental heat cycles due to the "new" engine I had installed and 3) To burp out any air pockets in the coolant system (this alone took an entire Hr). I just didn't have anymore time. I was patient, came back the following day and did the above mentioned things. Everything worked out well!
First Start Post 6MT Swap
I drove the vehicle without any trim around the shifter for a couple days.
6MT Installed
After a couple days I put the stock trim back in place, I just couldn't bring myself to cut it up to fit the STI bezel.
Stock Shifter Trim
Here is how the shifter area looks now, in its finished state.
6MT STI Bezel
**Until I can get measurements this thread is finalized. Post away and feel free to ask questions**
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