03 thunderbird

D

Dank Bird

LVC Member
Joined
Mar 22, 2015
Messages
27
Reaction score
0
Location
Salt Lake City
What up LS dudes? My names Nick I've got myself a 03 thunderbird with the same set up as a V8 LS way more info on this site about my bird the thunderbird forums are like a retirement home. Look forward to learning about lowering, interior mods and possible making the bird a manual.

11054360_902373966472831_3109834925368664538_n.jpg0112151056b.jpg0312151850.jpg0112151200a.jpg

11054360_902373966472831_3109834925368664538_n.jpg


0112151056b.jpg


0112151057e.jpg


0312151850.jpg


0112151200a.jpg
 
As far as I know, no manuals on the 3.9L done. One member did an LS1 swap with a manual, one did a pushrod 302 swap with a manual. The 302 guy had plans to mate an ~06 Mustang manual but I don't think it ever happened. The LS1 has had many electrical headaches and many (dozens?) of owners. Not sure about the 302, but last I saw he was planning on swapping back in the 3.9
 
do not expect to just be able to change your transmission out with a manual one. i havent seen it done yet without replacing the entire drive train which almost always causes you to lose half of the stuff working in the car.
 
The problem is there's no manual housing with the 3.9s bolt pattern. It uses a unique 5r55_ bell housing that's one piece with the gearbox. The Getrag 221 (v6 manual) could probably be had with the correct pattern, but it was too weak even for the V6 and is prone to failure
 
I have a 2003 TBird as well, and, yes, the TBird sites are like senior citizen retirement homes. But, at age 72, I'm right at home. (Bought mine when I was a young lad of 60.)

The retro TBird targeted older folks like me, which is the primary reason that we'll probably never see another Ford "TBird" product. The number of older folks who remember TBirds from their younger days is dwindling.

I bought my TBird to cruise, my LS to have a little fun, and kept my 64 Galaxie for 47 years just for fun and to have an empty hole where I could throw money.
 
There is no way to simply buy parts and do an assembly and installation. That doesn't mean that it's un-do-able however.

1. You'd need to go to a scatter-shield manufacturer such as Quick Time for a bell housing and choose one with the starter pocket in about the right place---modify as necessary. Order it without a bolt circle drilled or a trans-pattern ditto so you can do it yourself. (I have a template I'll share for the engine.)
2. Get a blank flywheel of the correct size and with a ring gear that otherwise matches diameter and tooth-count of the AJ parts. Drill the center to match the AJ crank.
3. Choose a clutch assembly and transfer the attachment-bolt locations to the chosen flywheel.
4. Buy and install a clutch actuation package---probably hydraulic.
5. Choose and purchase a transmission.
6. Modify or replace the driveshaft as necessary.
7. Modify the center console to accommodate the shifter.
8. Put everything together.
9. ENJOY

As an alternative, you might be able to source both a bell housing and a flywheel and a clutch, and perhaps a trans as well from Aston Martin. But they are VERY proud of their parts. Their cast-aluminium intake manifold lists for about $5000, for example.

KS
 
Last edited:
I believe that by working with SCT you'd be able to turn off the auto-trans part of the tune. Early on, when I looked into this, they told me it was possible. My own trans tune is quite extensively re-flashed.

KS
 
How like the older Jag engines are the new ones, so far as the bell housing? Swapping Chevy engines into Jaguars was always a popular swap. If the 3.9 is close enough to the older Jag engines, then an adapter housing might bolt up. Might be a solution, and a Chevy 6 speed manual will more than handle the power a 3.9 makes.
 
I believe the chibrolay engine swaps into such as the XK-E also tended to use a Muncie trans. Some years ago I helped with a couple that used Ford small-blocks and both of them used top-loaders. Later XJ-series cars used either a Z-F with the 6 or a TH400 with the 12.

KS
 
Well there you go. If you can get adapt a TH400 to it, you can adapt any GM 90 degree transmission to it.
 
cammerfe said:
I believe that by working with SCT you'd be able to turn off the auto-trans part of the tune. Early on, when I looked into this, they told me it was possible. My own trans tune is quite extensively re-flashed.

KS
Click to expand...


When you say its been re-flashed does that make the manual option on our transmissions actually work properly? I assume mines not the only one that takes up to what seams like 2 seconds to complete a shift
 
oh ya meaning to ask. im getting a rotten egg smell sometimes while getting upto speed on the freeway. is this the cats? or could it just be a 02 sensor or something?
 
I think that's the smell of death for the cats! May have had a misfire going at some point.
 
On the re-flash I focused on automatic shift points and upping line pressure in order to have the clutches hold better while running the N2O/methanol blend. I don't really know what's happened to the delay when manual-shifting.

KS
 
I was actually reading a thread on a manual conversion a few days ago. ILLS said you just have to delete the auto trans code from the pcm which would throw some 15 error codes, you would then have to turn off each sensor to get rid of those error codes. He did a similar thing on a track only explorer he did a manual conversion on that originally had a similar trans and the same pcm as the ls which led him to believe it would work the same for the ls. If the computer part can be done, the actual manual transfer swap shouldn't be too bad. A few custom made parts made to fit here and there and you're good to go. I have been debating if I should venture down this road or not. Once I finally get my ls back, that might be the next project to look in to. The trans will probably be the next weak point now that the engine has been built , so I will either have to have one rebuilt when I blow my trans or just drop in a nice manual trans if I can find someone to figure out the computer issues.
 
A little off topic but I kinda like the instrument cluster of the bird sine the ls shares the same interior does the instrument cluster work on our ls. Hmmmmmmmm
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Members online

No members online now.
Total: 145 (members: 0, guests: 145)
Back
Top