2003 Auto to Manual swap

I got an e Nj aim from Amazon today that my transmission Jack now won’t be delivered until end of month. Ugh. How annoying.

 

:dislike:

I hate it when they do that. Whats the point of buying a prime item if it doesn't show up when you need it?!!

 

Yeah. Redline Engineering has a similar jack in stock, but it is $50 more than Sunex and will cost $150 to ship to NJ.

 

Progress update.

• Removed rear driveshaft
• All electrical connections
• Drained trans
• Removed inspection cover
• Removed auto shifter (all 8 bolts broke)
• Loosened 3/4 trans to trans mount bolts
• Tried removing trans lines from trans but that won’t work, will have to cut lines

 

I was planning on doing the ball joints while I had the truck disassembled. Do you think I should do the lower control arm bushings and the steering arm bushings too?

 

Nice progress.
Lca bushings are "lifetime" parts.
Mine were a nightmare to replace and wish I didn't do whiteline polys. Oem ftw in my opinion. But, if they are not toast, leave them alone. More trouble than they are worth

 

Ok. Good to know. What about the steering rack bushings? I just hate all the rust down there so that was more the driver than any slop. The sway bar end links were toast.

 

How many miles on the truck? Control arm bushings definitely wear out and can contribute to poor alignment and handling, excessive tire wear, and they start making a lot of noise (clunking going over bumps, etc.)
It looks like you have a pretty nice shop set up you’re working in, I’d imagine you have a shop press in there. Pressing out the bushings is pretty easy with a press and some fixtures, you’ll probably also need some penetrating lube and heat to get the sleeves to break loose.
If it were me, I’d do all the bushings, steering rack, ball joints, etc while you’re in there. If your sway bar links were toast, then everything else probably isn’t too far behind.

 

Yeah good point. Don't listen to me haha
I don't have a press so my shit wasn't easy. Had to use a blowtorch and a vice.

Do it all!!!
What's the milage?

 

Truck has 140,000 on it (or something like that). I don’t have a press at my home shop, but I do have access to one at my buddy’s. I read another post about replacing them, and the OP said that it may make more sense to buy a pair of Moog lower control arms off of Amazon since they already come with new bushings and only cost about $100 per side. I like the idea of keeping the truck all ‘TOYOTA’ but that seems pretty reasonable.

 

Would you recommend using rubber or the poly bushings? I thought I read that the OEM LCA bushings are not available.

 

I don’t believe that you can buy OEM bushings for the LCAs from Toyota, I think they came already pressed in the control arms. I would recommend poly bushings anyway, they really firm up the feel and responsiveness of the front end. Either whiteline or Sonoran steel are good options (both sold as 4runner kits but they work for us). I’m on my second set of whitelines in ~100k miles and they’re great.

 

My Sunex arrived today. I unboxed it and assembled it. My plan is to put it to use on Saturday. The box it came in was pretty sturdy, and even though the contents weren’t packed very tightly, the parts didn’t get too beat up.

 

You've already burned through a set of whitelines?!
How long did 1 set last?

 

I’d have to look at my spreadsheet but at least 50-60k miles. A lot of that is off road and on 35’s, so they take a beating.

 

I'm going to go with Strongflex Polyurethane LCA bushings after reading adventuretaco's write up.

Not a fan of the colored bushings but they sound a lot better to use for multiple reasons:

https://adventuretaco.com/guide/ste...ement-on-a-1st-gen-tacoma-or-3rd-gen-4runner/

 

I went in shop to soak the bellhousing bolts today. When removing the top two, do you go from top or bottom. If bottom, do you let the trans sag down a bit, or just use a bunch of extensions going over trans/tc?

 

few extensions. Go from the back side and up and use a wobbly or swivel end to get to the top with a deep socket (17mm if i recall right?!). You don't need to go from the very back if you hit it right. Once you find the angle you'll know.

 

Ok, cool. Thanks. Yes, I believe it is a 17mm. Right now, this 14mm bolt that holds the trans mount to trans is goving me fits. It’s the one on the left. I’ve tried soaking it. Using heat. Will not budge. I may have to cut it (or the bracket). I soaked it again today. The other theee bolts came out just fine.

 

Just remember each extension reduces the amount of torque you will get at the socket.

I bought one long extension just for these bolts.

Myself I always dropped the rear of the transmission as low as possible without damaging the back of engine