alright all im new here and i've been reading the board for like 3 months since i purchased my 97 3.0cl. i love my car. i got it at an auction but the only thing that i dont like about my car is that it is...auto!!! its become a bother and i really want the feel and power that comes with the stick. so question to you all is that is it worth droping the money into this car at 102000 miles. i have a buddy that will do it for really cheap for the labor all i need to find is the parts and where and how much...so help me out please!!! i already have invested in a set of 18' konig unknows and then the magnaflow. so i love this car cause its not like everyone has one and i'd like to make this car as nice as i can. so help me.. and how do i post pics?

-wizz-

 

i dont think anyones succesfully swapped in a manual transmission into their 3.0cl...yet. Some people are working on the 6spd tranny from the 2nd gen cl's. Search around and you might find some tips and answers.

As for teh picture thing. I made and stickied a thread at the top of the photogallery section that explains how to post pics

 

the 97-99 3.0 CLs were only offered in automatic, I've heard that the CLS 6 speed transmission will work with our engine, but then you have to get a different ECU for the manual trans. or trick the current ECU somehow into thinking its an auto still, and im not sure how this is done... it'll be a major headache, but it is possible... check www.v6performance.net they know a lot about conversions and swaps like that. Another option you have is to do a complete CLS swap - engine, trans., and ECU... I don't konw of one that's been done on A-CL but it is actually easier to do since you have the engine, trans., and ECU together with waht they were meant to be with - so it's less headache, but i think about $2000 more. I believe I've heard $6000-7000 for a complete CLS swap including labor... as for the parts, try ebay and junkyards, but the 6speed is hard to find.

 

It's $6,000-$7,000 for the 6 speed swap alone......that does not include swapping engines. My swap has ran me $6,000 in parts alone! I haven't even started with the labor or the lil things that will/has been coming up. The total cost for my swap is running me $9,500 if all goes well.

 

Oh, and btw, it took me a total of 4 months to come up with all the parts. My car has been down since April. And I'm still waiting on parts!

 

...and another thing, I got really good deals on most the parts, and was really lucky to find the 6speed with EVERYTHING needed for a great deal. Otherwise expect to pay more, and expect for it to take even longer for you to find the parts.