The owner of this 2002 Honda Odyssey took a different approach to the van’s potential trans troubles. He eliminated the auto entirely, replacing it with a 5-speed stick and three pedal arrangement in the funzone footwell.

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It’s the transmission that’s big story here, however. The Odyssey’s platform is derived from that of the Accord and hence there’s a lot of parts the sedan could offer that do fit the van just fine. The transaxle is one of those although there may have been some custom work needed to mount the box in the Odyssey. There certainly was some fabrication needed to add a manual shifter to the dash, that’s for sure. A charcoal-colored box extends from the center stack and out of that sprouts a stubby shifter that looks well positioned for what it’s called upon to do.

The switch to stick doesn’t look factory, but it doesn’t look half-assed either. The seller says the work was done by Auto Imports as though that’s supposed to mean something. At least it wasn’t done in someone’s backyard and “just needs some adjustment to be right.” Instead, the seller says the van “Runs and drives like better than new!” and that the 3.5-litre VTEC V6 goes like a champ.