Originally posted by 96RedSE5Sp:
Why doesn't someone just give this guy an approxmate idea of what it would cost him to convert an automatic Zetec to a manual Duratec. I'll hazard a guess that if you were so inclined and if you could find someone to do it properly, and if you had the cash available, it could set you back $7500 minimum - with no guarantee or warranty that it would ever work properly.
Bear in mind that you can get a decent stock manual duratec Contour for anywhere from $2000 to $5000.
Right, exactly, this is what I was thinking. You've got entirely the wrong starting point for an upgraded V6 if that's what you have in mind. If you want to boost performance on YOUR car, you'll have much, much better results through forced induction for less money. Or if you wanted to just get a mild improvement for reasonable money, go for mods on intake, headers, exhaust, a performance-tuned ECU (which should improve your transmission response too), and focus on getting your suspension, brakes, and wheel/tire combo dialed in. You'd end up with a fun-to-drive car that will corner like it's on rails and scoot around pretty well. But if you're after a manual transmission and/or a V6, you'll want to just find another Contour that meets those criteria.
That's what I did.
"Think of it, if you like, as a librarian with a G-string under the tweed." Clarkson on the Mondeo.
| 
