Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Zetec Maintenance Swapping Automatic Transmission 4 Manual

Hi I have a 97 Contour with this Zetec 2.0 Engine and want to swap my automatic transmission for manual. It's my first car and all I hve done to it is audio aftermarket. I want to know if its possible to do this, how much will it cost, and what I will need to do to make this work thanks.

You will need:- MTX75 Trans/Shifter & cables/new pedal box with clutch pedal & clutch master cylinder/new engine wiring harness for MTX75 combination/Zetec-MTX75 PCM/new MTX front subframe as the mtx rear mount is underslung Vs auto which is overslung/new front & rear roll restrictors/new trans mount....thats the 'basics'..oh yes a flywheel and clutch assy too....

ok check this out: If i find a contour at the junkyard, i was thinkin about just swappin engines if I find the V6 cuz mines only 4...I would be able to do the swap, but changing the auto to manual is the only thing im not too sure about (never done it before)

That should scare this idea right out of his head! LOL

Nowdays with junkyards charging an arm and a leg for everything, and with the dropping prices on SE V-6 type M/T cars, you are actually far, far ahead to just SELL your car (removing your expensive parts of course), and buy another that has the desired options already installed. Back in the 60s, 70s, and 80s it was no big deal to swap engines and transmissions, but nowdays, they are so deeply integrated into the computer systems on the car. You would get weeks, and weeks tied up into the swapping, and it would cost a ton for all the little parts that are also different (needed to make it work). Sorry, I'm not trying to discourage you in a bad way. I've done swaps of this caliber before. I've put a 5.0L FI engine into a 4 cyl Mustang before and many others, and it might have been worth it back then, but now, in this day and age, it's just not worth it. Goto http://www.autotrader.com and just check out the VAST selection of Contours for sale, cheap!

I know what your saying Josch but I have already done many swaps before with Civic and JDM engines. All engines can be swapped pretty much with extra motor mounts if the cars have the same chassis(like swapping engines from 2 contours) and I think it wouldn't be too hard... I think if I get the man. trans. engine then I would just have to do some interior mods like the clutch pedal, shiftknob, and things like that

You will still need a subframe & wiring...going from Zetec to V6 is more complex than Zetec auto to MTX as the interior dash harness on the V6 is not the same as the Zetec.....

I'm just waiting for my Auto to die...then I can rationalize it. But not yet...

I realize all of this. But you speak as if your time isn't worth very much. If you get 20-40 hours tied up in doing this, then is that really worth it, since you can go buy an SE V-6 MTX car for $3500? I've done all that swap $hit before too, but I've realized that it just isn't worth doing it on a cheap car. Yeah, maybe if you bought a $20,000 Audi A6, and swap a few things to upgrade it to the $30,000 A6, then that MIGHT be worth it. But we're talking about a car here that doesn't even hold it's value. In a few more years, these older Contours aren't going to even be worth pennies. Now if your wanting to do it just for the challenge of it, or for hobby sake, or your just bored during the summer between classes, then go for it. You know it's possible. But worth it? I don't know, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I just don't have time for those kinds of projects. My time is worth $22 bucks an hour (flat rate mechanic), so it's cheaper for me to go to work, and work a little harder, make the extra money to trade the old car in, and buy the exact one that had all the options I had wanted, and then spend my extra time to soup it up from there (if I wanted).

Sounds like a whole lot more trouble than I'd be willing to put up with. I thought about swapping my V6 ATX to MTX but I figured it up to be like $3K or more... screw that. But if you really want to do it, go for it and let me know how it went!