AWD Conversion 1997 gst

[strobes20]

So.. I've fallen in love with my car in every aspect besides it being front wheel drive. Ive read a bunch people saying its not too hard, others saying its not worth the trouble. I would have access to a lift as well for this project. I just want to know opinions on how much it will cost, what parts I need, and how long it generally takes. Also, car literally has zero rust anywhere. and I would also like to convert to 5-speed at the same time. Thanks for reading

 

[Alan11]

Google

 

[wkmitsu]

The hardest part of an AWD conversion is generally finding parts. Most people will recommend that you get a donor car. I was able to pick up all the parts I needed for my swap for about a grand, total. I pieced my kit together from various places, but I was able to get a lot from a guy I found who was parting out his 96 awd. I didn't want to have to deal with disposing of a parts car. Access to a lift will make the project a breeze. The fabrication is minimal and the parts more or less bolt in. Follow some of the tutorials out there, read the AWD swap thread from this website, use your head and you'll be fine. I can't speak on much for the auto to manual conversion, but I've read that some people believe it is actually more difficult than an awd swap. In general, if your car is clean, the swap is worth the time and effort. If you have a lift and a good helper, you could probably do just an awd swap over a long weekend, although I'd budget a lot more time. If your car is a daily, it might be a little tricky.

 

[strobes20]

The hardest part of an AWD conversion is generally finding parts. Most people will recommend that you get a donor car. I was able to pick up all the parts I needed for my swap for about a grand, total. I pieced my kit together from various places, but I was able to get a lot from a guy I found who was parting out his 96 awd. I didn't want to have to deal with disposing of a parts car. Access to a lift will make the project a breeze. The fabrication is minimal and the parts more or less bolt in. Follow some of the tutorials out there, read the AWD swap thread from this website, use your head and you'll be fine. I can't speak on much for the auto to manual conversion, but I've read that some people believe it is actually more difficult than an awd swap. In general, if your car is clean, the swap is worth the time and effort. If you have a lift and a good helper, you could probably do just an awd swap over a long weekend, although I'd budget a lot more time. If your car is a daily, it might be a little tricky.

Thank you for the input, hopefully it turns out well! Do I need all my parts from the same year car as I have or does that matter, id assume it steady has to be 95-99

 

[cianfar]

Here you go read this! It will give you some ideas. Visual Frequently Answered Questions - Home Page click on drivetrain and you'll see the indexes.

 

[crash89]

Heres all the info you need... Because the search feature must be broken....

In the drivetrain section
Visual Frequently Answered Questions - Home Page

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/newbie-forum/276892-fwd-gst-swap-awd-gsx-basic-merged-2-07-a.html

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/drivetrain-tech/247093-awd-conversion-swap-guys-enter-here-advanced-merged-2-07-a.html

 

[FLASH1970]

Why do an auto swap? Auto is better for drag racing due to consistency and not as harsh on driveline parts.

 

[crash89]

Why do an auto swap? Auto is better for drag racing due to consistency and not as harsh on driveline parts.

To add to this.. It be super easy to try and chase the awd spyder record with an auto.. BUT, who wants an auto jp.

 

[v8s_are_slow]

The difference between fwd and awd is night and day. My last dsm was fwd and I could smoke the tires starting at 100 mph. Traction was next to none on the street without slicks, when you have higher horsepower. I swore I'd never get another fwd, but then I bought my current dsm for $1200 that was fwd and already had an awd donor car sitting in my yard. It took me a little while to get around to doing it cause for awhile, it was my dd. And honestly, I wouldn't wanna do it if it was a dd, cause you might run into issues you're not prepared for.

A week after doing my awd swap, I took it to the track and pulled off a 7.8 in the 1/8th with a tune that was just good enough to get me by. Can't say I won't get a rwd at some point, but I'll never get another fwd car. And awd cars are just plain awesome...if you've never been in one. Launching at 5500-6000 rpm or so, and not losing traction>fwd and NO traction on a launch.

 

[NWHTanK]

To add to this.. It be super easy to try and chase the awd spyder record with an auto.. BUT, who wants an auto jp.

What he said...

 

[strobes20]

Yeah my search bar has to be broken or something, thanks!! And to everyone else thank you for all of the input I appreciate it, hopefully ill have the project started by the end of summer, just got to save up some money for a donor car or parts

 

[Alex7747]

Its Fairly straight forward the most difficult part(if you can even call it difficult) is the wiring for the fuel sending units but other than that, everything bolts right on with a little fab work.

 

[itbeatown]

Looking into doing an AWD conversion also...Only problem is Im pretty sure I have the only DSM in The Netherlands.. gunna be tough...