Wanting to Switch From 5 Speed To Auto Trans

[paulthe2nd]

Hello All,
I am a newby here on this forum however I used to buy performance parts from Pelican for my 914 in the 1980's and my 944 n/a in the late 1990's so I guess I have been around here for a while. This is my first time on the site though. I just bought my son a 1985 1/2 944 N/A with a 5 speed. He as a first time driver would rather have an automatic and myself as a father would appreciate him in a slightly slower car. I have the opportunity to purchase an 83 944 with an automatic transmission that is in good shape, what would be involved with the switch?

This would prevent me from having to repair the clutch master and slave cylinders which are bad and hopefully switching out the bad power steering system in the 85 1/2 with the manual steering system from the 83. I am hoping this could be a win win situation here.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
Paul

[Gawernator]

I'd recommend against it. The 944 5-speed base is already not a fast a car, and the automatic 3-spd is snail mode. The auto trans is even more expensive than the manual setup, in fact many auto's are converted to using manual trans parts. If you are going to the work of swapping all these parts, you might as well just put in brand new clutch and hydraulic parts and have a really well driving 944.

[alan6272]

Lets not forget the rubber damper that connects the auto they go bad on the older 944 and cost is crazy. I have 8 kids and 7 are driving, I worry all the time no matter what the drive.

[paulthe2nd]

The auto Trans rubber damper was literally just replaced on the auto car The car being slower is a plus for me. Do you know if I have 2 cars to pull from, a 5 speed and an automatic what parts would be needed to convert the 5 speed car to auto? I know this sounds backwards, it just fits my needs better.

[Gawernator]

Honestly, the horsepower in this car is so low that his driving proficiency is going to be the determining factor in his safety. If a second in 0-60 is what is going to make him "safe", maybe he shouldn't be driving yet and requires more instruction...

[Jrboulder]

It's beyond the scope of a home project. It just is.

What will the slushbox buy him? more opportunity to text while driving?

[alan6272]

I have never switched these out but if you have two complete cars then you will have all the parts needed to complete the job. Very big job but if your up for it I say go for it. Might be a great father so project. But what comes to mind is why not let your son drive the 83 auto as it is for now and save the 85 for further on when he is ready?

[John_AZ]

Originally Posted by Jrboulder

It's beyond the scope of a home project. It just is.

What will the slushbox buy him? more opportunity to text while driving?

...and he can steer with his knees while he text and an arm over the GF

[Phantoms]

Originally Posted by Gawernator

Honestly, the horsepower in this car is so low that his driving proficiency is going to be the determining factor in his safety. If a second in 0-60 is what is going to make him "safe", maybe he shouldn't be driving yet and requires more instruction...

+1

944 was my first car at 17 (still is 4 years later). IMO driving a 944 auto is sacrilege. Now a days young people driving stick are few and far between. I say just stick with the manual, your son will thank you later.

[paulthe2nd]

Why is it beyond the scope of a home project? I really do appreciate everyone's time and experiences. I am simply asking what mechanical parts would be needed to do the swap from a manual Trans to an automatic? This is a project car for my son and I. I will not be putting the car on the road for almost a year so time is not an issue.

[paulthe2nd]

Hello Alan 6272
Your idea of driving the 83 auto first and then moving to the 85 1/2 later with the stick shift is very logical, the situational detail that makes this less than desirable is that the 83 has a bad engine and will require a lot more work. It is a wonderful parts car, it would take about 4 times the money and time to get the 83 up to where the 85 1/2 already is as far as bodywork, interior work, mechanical work, etc...

[Gawernator]

Why not convert the 85.5 to manual steering and drive?

[Gawernator]

Originally Posted by John_AZ

...and he can steer with his knees while he text and an arm over the GF

My GF likes to hold hands a lot and I think the manual frustrates her bwahaha

[CHICKS]

Originally Posted by Gawernator

I'd recommend against it. The 944 5-speed base is already not a fast a car, and the automatic 3-spd is snail mode. The auto trans is even more expensive than the manual setup, in fact many auto's are converted to using manual trans parts. If you are going to the work of swapping all these parts, you might as well just put in brand new clutch and hydraulic parts and have a really well driving 944.

+1 to what this guy said.

[Ky914Newbie]

I agree with most of the comments on here. However, I don't see a lot of responses to the OP's questions. Wish I could help, but this isn't something I have tried to do before.

I have a new driver in the house and understand the OP's concerns. Fortunately, my son seems to be a better driver with the manual Porsche than he is with the automatic SUV and I don't worry about him driving it. I was scared to death early on though.

Not sure it is helpful, but here is a link to a discussion about switching the other way.

converting an automatic to manual? - Rennlist Discussion Forums

[mytrplseven]

Teaching your son to drive a manual transmission can be a bonding experience between you both and provides him with an additional skill for down the road when he may need to drive a car that has a "stick". It's kinda like not teaching a child to swim. I taught my daughter to drive a stick in my 851/2 944 and it was great fun. We always look back on that time together when we shared something "special".

Not to mention how much time, aggrevation and money you'll waste on this project. If you're bound and determined to do this, though, I'd just spend the money on one that's already done and sell the other.

[Ky914Newbie]

I think if you do go down this path, it will be lonely and you will not find a lot of help from the forum. There doesn't seem to be a lot of experience with the switching and very little experience with the automatics.

[Volhv]

As others have said, a manual to auto conversion is undesirable, but I won't bore you with that.

To answer the question at had....
The torque tubes are different, so those will need to be swapped.
In order to do that the entire rear suspension will need to be be dropped. (BIG JOB)
Keep the Late suspension from the 85.5.
Unfortunately the "crash tabs" on the 85.5's torsion bar tube/carrier will no longer be functional. They are designed to catch the transmission-engine assembly in the event of an impact. In such circumstance the drivetrain could leave the body, since it's only held in place by 3 pieces of rubber (4 in the case of an 83). This means that if the car has a frontal impact, the engine might end up in the drive's lap. (don't mean to be a fear monger)

Since you have two complete cars, I don't see why it can't be accomplished.

They did an auto to manual swap on that "Chop Shop" show. I'm sure you can find it on youtube.

[paulthe2nd]

Thank you Vohlv, I appreciate the straightforward answer. The info on the crash tabs if I embark on this project should provide invaluable. If this is to be the case than I will have a fabricator friend of mine help me with redesigning this area. I was already planning on having a simple cage fabricated to just in general increase crash injury protection. After we get the car up and together I will be taking him to a fantastic longstanding autocross club to teach him better car control, probably a pro driving school would not hurt as well.

[jeffrsmith]

What you would need - a lot of time and below is a list of things I can think of off the top of my head

auto flywheel
damper disk
starter ring gear
Bell housing
Torque tube
shifter
shifter cables
trans cooler lines that run full length of car
auto trans radiator - or use aftermarket trans cooler
gage cluster (maybe) - newer cars have the shifter indicator lights in the speedo
pedal cluster? - remove clutch pedal

Good luck