Firstly, all the work was done by Nathaniels auto here in Houston. They did all the homework, legwork, and every other work on this swap. So i'm not going to get all the details right, but you guys have been asking for a thread about my swap, and i'll do my best.

Starts with a lot of money being paid to Nissan for a new transmission! Everything else was aftermarket parts. Clutch Net 6 puck clutch, lightweight flywheel, ect ect.


Clutch

Clutch housing

Super light flywheel


I had to buy a brand new center console from Nissan as well. After that, the E-brake had to be moved. (I wasn't wanting 4 pedals!) The guys at Nathaniels had to re-work the parking brake cables. Pedals had to be bent, because the auto cars are just a bit different.

After we unbolted the auto,

(our starter is sexy)

Got the new tranny bolted up (which was the only thing that was an easy bolt up job) we realized the driveshaft was too short. After hassling with nissan to send us another, they sent us 2 different driveshafts first, one was for the 350z, and the other was dented all to hell. I finally got it in.

Next problem was the ECU. Obviously it had to be replaced, so after I got the manual ECU in, Nathaniels had to make the wiring work, which from what I gather, was a nightmare.

We left the gearing the same, so I have automatic gearing on a manual gearbox. It's geared lower, so I get a bit more acceleration it seems, which i'm happy about.

Sorry I couldn't go into more detail, I wasn't hands on very much with this project. Sad to say I don't have the skill for these bigger projects. I leave it to the pros

Here is a photo I snapped the day I picked it up.


I doubt I did, but I hope I answered a bit of questions. Mainly that it is NOT an easy task, LOTS of custom brackets, and fabrication. Something you can't do in your house garage!

Thanks guys!

Julius from the shop said if any of you have a question, he'll be glad to answer them. Their website is http://www.nathaniels.com/home.shtml (currently having a complete makeover on the site)

Their number is 713-780-8666

Wow.

Thanks for the post, you may want to move your thread to the Engine, Drivetrain & Forced-Induction section it will get more love there.

Do you mind telling how much it cost? Most people here will tell anyone who asks that it is cost prohibitive and you'd probably come out ahead just trading in and buying a 6MT G.

I'm not trying to do a swap anytime soon but I am keeping my G35 for at least another 7 to 8 years so when it comes time to buy a new car in a few years I plan on turning the G35 into an all out weekend track car, so a tranny swap may be in the equation. And at that point I wouldn't trust buying a used G35 whereas I know I've taken every maintenance precaution with my own car.

props but if are still at 3.3 final drive that ur car is not faster than u were with automatic. Since doing all that work u should've just went with 3.9 or 4.001 final drive to make huge improvement in acceleration on the car compared to automatic 3.3.

It looks like a lot of work though for a tranny swap.

good work
I also dream about tranny swap for TT
what was the most difficult and easiest ?
are the 350z and G35 tranny the same ?

The word "custom" used means this was expensive and probably not for the faint of heart nor light of wallet.

8k in parts, then labor which was 2k

....How come you just didnt buy a manual instead

I can get the parts for less than 8k. 2k is really reasonable for this swap. I'll definitely ship my car over to them to perform this swap......eventually.

10K for a MT change over, thats ridiculous and def. a waste of money!

why would you do this? why not just buy a 6mt? not trying to be a smart ***, just wondering if there is a legit reason.

^+1

Why would you do an MT swap? Gains < $$$$ . If i am wrong then please correct me.

Damn, that's even more than I've estimated in prior threads regarding the swap. My guess was around $5K in parts and about $2K+ in labor, most of which being the harness issues.

It appears that he has a turbo therefore the taller 3.3 gearing is more ideal. With a turbo, you don't all that torque multiplication.