2003 4 Door Auto To Manual Swap!

HI EVERYONE, I know this topic has been beaten to death, grave robbed, nuked, and so on, but I've FINALLY got my hands on a quad cab and I am itching to do the swap. I will be acquiring the necessary parts through the winter and complete the swap in the spring. I have done one other manual swap in the past (1997 Dodge 3500 4L80 to NV4500), and I have read many forums both here and elsewhere, so I have a fairly good understanding of what needs to be done. I have talked to Yotamasters, YotaShop, and ORS in order to get this list of parts figured out. I am mostly writing this to be both my definitive swap write-up, and to ask questions or be called out if/when I forget something.

I am picking up the vehicle in about a week, it is a 2003 Tacoma 5VZ 4 Door A/T 4x4 (push button) E-Locker. At this time the only modification is an OME 1.5" lift. I am unsure if it has a factory immobilizer. 2 owner, originally in NJ, now in AZ, soon to be home in ID. I do not believe it is CA compliant.

Parts I have:

1. 1998-2000 R150F with J-Shift
2. Smaller brake pedal & mounting bracket
3. Clutch pedal and mounting bracket

Parts I need:

1. Clutch kit with throwout bearing (Dual Comp LCE)
2. Flywheel bolts
3. Shift fork
4. Shift fork boot
5. Flywheel (38lb High Torque LCE)
6. Crankshaft bolts
7. Clutch master cylinder
8. Hydraulic clutch lines (2 hard and 1 flexible)
9. Slave cylinder
10. 2003-2004 5VZ M/T 4x4 ECU
11. Cab rubber shift boots
12. Cab leather shift boots & trim bezel
13. Shift knobs

Parts I want:

1. Twin sticks (Front Range Off-Road)
2. Short throw (URD)
3. Heavy duty shifter seat & cup (Marlin Crawler)

Parts I am unsure about:

1. Front driveshaft - will it be too long by 1"? (I get conflicting answers)
2. Rear driveshaft - will it be too short by 1"? (I get conflicting answers)
3. Crossmember - will it need to be modified? (I get conflicting answers)
4. Clutch pedal clutch start cancel switch - how to wire?
5. Clutch pedal cruise control stop switch - how to wire?

Please let me know if I am forgetting anything! I will post pictures when I take possession of the vehicle in about a week! I can't wait to get started!

 

For the 2003-2004 5VZ M/T 4x4 ECU, I know that they can get kind of spendy on ebay, has anyone seen/used one of these before? I have never heard of the brand but I figure it is worth asking since they have a warranty and a used one will be about 1.5x the price without one.

Let me know what you think!

 

Your rear driveshaft will not fit. Different size in Auto vs manual. You’re right that they are about 1” different.

 

Thanks for letting me know, potentially stupid question but can I have a piece cut out of the front driveshaft and added to the rear driveshaft, or will I need to order custom driveshafts?

 

You won’t need custom driveshafts, just the correct one to fit between the manual transmission and the rear differential. You could in theory modify your automatic transmission driveshaft to fit but that would take some serious skill to make work given how perfect driveshafts need to be in the first place. You can probably buy a driveshaft for less than $500.

 

For the "correct" driveshafts (front + rear) to fit my 4 Door M/T 4x4, would I use the driveshafts (front + rear) from an Xtra Cab M/T 4x4? I assume that is the closest fit? There is a precision driveshaft shop in my town so I assumed having them cut/machined wouldn't be a bad deal.

 

I did this swap (x-cab, not dbl-cab) last year. I followed SafetyTang’s thread for a bunch of details. Wiring up the clutch start stop and cruise cancel is straightforward. You do have to de-pin a connector. I have pictures on my thread:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/2003-auto-to-manual-swap.792659/

 

I've read your thread! What did you learn about the crossmember? Were you able to use the original one? The transmission is 1" shorter so I assume that poses a problem?

 

Is machining driveshafts a thing? I would assume that cutting them to different lengths and rewelding would not be a thing given how precise they need to distribute weight. I can't for sure tell you about the driveshafts because I've never done this project myself and don't recall if there is a meaningful difference in how things are laid out with a double cab vs. xtracab. @Empty_Lord do you know the answer to this?

 

Xtra cab and double cab frame lengths and mounting points are all the same for the power train for a given power train. The only difference is the cab mount locations. So running manual xtra cab drive shafts should just bolt up

 

I understand now that the Xtra cab driveshafts are the ones to get for this particular swap. Based on the quoted text above, does this mean that I will NOT need to switch/modify the crossmember on the double cab going from auto to manual?

 

The trans crossmember is the same for both the auto and the manual. It is the driveshaft that is different. I was fortunate that I was able to buy the driveshaft from the same truck that the trans came out of.

 

yea the double cab crossmember location is the same as far as i know.

3rd gen 4runners were the weird ones with the 2wd frames having the crossmembers in a different spot from the 4x4 frames even though everything else was the same.

 

You don’t want to get one off of an Automatic Xtracab, as we’ve been saying. You need a driveshaft off of a manual transmission Xtracab.

 

If there’s a driveline shop nearby, drop off your shaft after you measure yoke to yoke. It’s probably cheaper to do that vs spending time to source one from a MT plus shipping. Last time I had my shaft shorten and balanced, it cost 110

 

uhhh ok thanks, not sure where you got the impression I was seeking out driveshafts from an auto when I specifically said I was either getting mine cut or getting them from an Xtra Cab M/T.

I don't want to sound ungrateful, I do appreciate all the info I can get - I am currently under the impression here that nothing can/should be kept from the auto trucks driveline/mounts (except for my crossmember thanks to the info from @BossFan and @Empty_Lord)

I get the truck tomorrow and I'm road tripping home so I'll get some pictures up and start acquiring the stuff(s) for the shifters first since they can be installed with the trans out of the vehicle. Anyone running the URD short throw on their R150F? If so let me know how you like it. Hard to justify the cost for the MC one..

 

for the swap no need to change the crossmemeber locations. the manual bolts into the same spot. but the driveshafts have to be from a manual. auto lengths do different on that front. chassis wise its all the same.

 

She's about as bone stock as it gets. I've already acquired a radio so if anybody wants an original 2003 one, you know where to find me

 

as already said, the Crossmember is the same, however I found the trans mount bracket is different from the auto to manual

the starter bolts and the Engine x bellhousing bolts are also different.

 

I revisited @BossFan thread about his swap and I totally see the difference in the transmission mounts now so THANK YOU for that info. Is there a reason to go with a solid mount over a rubberized one? I assume the solid mount would transfer more vibrations into the frame?