Manual Tranny Questions

[wy3134]

Hey guys, since my mustang deal fell through, ive decided to stay w/ the alero and work on it. My current setup is a 2002 4 door automatic ecotec. Im wanting to switch to the manual, and looking down the road for some serious performance mods/ serious HP numbers. My question is, can the 5 speed that comes with the alero be used to upgrade to a 6 speed with stronger components or does the build need to be off a 6 speed setup? or is a 6 speed even needed, even with the higher horsepower ? lmk just starting to look into this so any help is appreciated. i already have pretty much eliminated buying an alero w/ the 5 speed already built in cause thats a hard find period unless its in a junkyard totalled. thanks for the help and hopefully ill be able to share the knowledge i get out of this with everyone else...

[Oldsman]

there is no 6spd available.

building the 5-spd to handle the hp would be a lot cheaper than a custom built tranny that nobody might not be able to do.

[wy3134]

I know theres not a 6 speed available, but i know springs was building a custom 6 speed for his application so i didnt know what could or couldnt be done with the getrag. I guess theres really no need for a 6 speed, i never really understood why 6 and now the talks of a 7 speed ?

[bigd6983]

allows you to space the gear ratios closer together, moving you through the rpm's faster........

[wy3134]

is there a big difference in that respect bigd?

[Final-Reality]

He wasnt "building" a 6-speed, he wanted to adapt the 6-speed tranny that's in the Saab 9-3's and the new Pontiac G6 GTP's into his alero...

[wy3134]

ahh ok i misunderstood that then....(since im still new to this and dont know much about transmissions) my next question is how do i go about adapting a 6 speed to the engine i have, i know there needs to be a reprogram of the ECU and all, and then to beef it up.

1. do i need to worry about finding a 6 speed w/ close to the same gear ratios as the 5 speed that comes on the ecotec?

2. does anyone offer custom reprogramming on the ECU for the engine?

3. im still new and dont know where to look for the info i need

thanks for the help guys

[springs fastest alero]

Originally posted by Final-Reality@Jan 27 2005, 07:26 PM
He wasnt "building" a 6-speed, he wanted to adapt the 6-speed tranny that's in the Saab 9-3's and the new Pontiac G6 GTP's into his alero...
umm no. dunno where ya got that info.
susposedly there was a kit to convert the manual I have to a six speed
but I gave up looking for it and just beefed up the 5 speed

[wy3134]

ok thanks for the clarification springs, i did read the thread and saw a lot was custom, but did u use the five speed from the alero? if so, im still strapped right now on cash but perhaps during the summer u can point me in the direction of some upgrades to the tranny, idk if mantapart has everything ill probably be looking for.

[springs fastest alero]

my trans is for the V6 so it was not from an alero.
depending on how much power you want to develop depends on what trans you want to use.
mantapart is ok for some things but it all depends on what your after
I have some ideas for an eco and would be willing to help

[wy3134]

well i dont know what exactly my full plans are yet, but I know im lookin at some serious power down the road, (im gonna try to go after a seperate engine and a 5speed tranny so i can do the build without having to put the car in the garage) and as funds come along (a nice tax refund in a month or so), i figure those can go towards the manual and perhaps a couple things to beef it up, then during the summer finish upgrading the tranny as funds come along, and then hopefully summer 06 be able to do some engine upgrades and finally a supercharger after all other mods are done to the engine, i know its nothing that will be done overnight since i dont have the extra funds coming in on crates, but i figure its a project that can be done by summer '07, which is when i graduate college. I figure also I can piece a huge project like this together a little at a time better than i would saving all that money up and then doing whatever with that money. example of this is how ive spent almost $2000 not knowing it on just stupid little stuff like this nitrous kit im trying to get rid of, the carputer, and the system i have, so I know its something I can do once i get it planned out

[springs fastest alero]

small stuff you can buy now would be like the pedals, shifter, B&M short throw if you want one, shifter cables, clutch master cylinder, etc.
as for the trans
wait a few months for someone to get a cobalt SS in the junk yard
they have a beefier 5 speed used with the supercharged eco.
heck you may be able to get engine and trans packege.

[wy3134]

good point, i didnt even think of that, now that i remember i did see the ion supercharged w/ a 5 speed on ebay for around $2500 this past week. i guess ill play the waiting game for now and just try to save, roughly what does an engine swap cost? or is it that hard if i have the right tools to do in a couple of days?

[springs fastest alero]

swaping from an eco to an eco will make the cost minimal
but its hard to really say
too many things come into play