So I’ve recently purchased a half-cut , I figure this would save me a great deal of trouble and money on sourcing parts and just got it as a package deal, however it is obviously a RHD half-cut and will be going into USDM a '90 DA9 which currently has an Automatic transmission, this is a dream coming true for me and if anyone can be so awesome to share what I may need to make this happen please share!
I’m taking delivery of the half-cut mid next week and doing the obvious stuff like Gates racing timing belt/water pump, OEM engine reseal, Exedy clutch kit, spark plugs, etc… however I need to know if I’d be able to use the shift linkage that’s currently in the Type-R half-cut or do I need one for a 90-91 Integra, I also need to know if I can use the manual 3 pedal assembly from the DC2, or would I have to source a DA9 manual pedal assembly, which radiator to use, CV axles, gauge cluster, etc…
I will document (with pics!), and update as much as possible going forward with this transplant, and I’m working with a technician from work that has over 30 years of experience who will be doing a bulk of the work, however he’s charging me with doing as much research as possible to make his life easier and save me labor hours, he’s charging me a reasonable $50 /hr with a target completion time of 20-25 hours.
Any advise, or advanced tips anyone could provide will be greatly appreciated!
I’ve attached the images from the ad to begin with, enjoy!
I’m actually finishing up a similar swap in my '91 at the moment. My shell was auto originally too. Here’s some things I ran into-
The hole in the trans hump is different for a manual. I cut the center hump out of a manual DA and welded it into place.
DC shift linkage works if you use the whole assembly.
The right side chassis mount for the transmission is different from a manual car, you can either cut and weld one from a manual car (DA chassis) or just get aftermarket mounts for the auto chassis to manual trans conversion.
Still trying to figure out the best way to make a T-bracket fit. DC bracket won’t fit the car, DA bracket won’t fit the hydro transmission without modification.
Left side engine bracket that the mount bolts to is different. You need the one from a DA for it to work.
DC axles should work, that’s what I’m going to try using.
DA9 uses a cable speedometer, you need to use the DA cluster and the VSS part from a cable trans.
DC pedal cluster won’t work, DA uses a cable clutch
DA uses a cable clutch, you need either a hydro to cable conversion kit or a cable trans.
'90-'91 DA is OBD0, Type R engine is OBD2a. Also RHD/LHD engine harnesses are different. Wiring will be interesting. I switched my entire chassis harness to OBD1 from a '92 DA.
That’s all I can think of at the moment, I’m sure there’s other details I missed. Good luck with the build!
Thanks for the insight RiceWrench, currently my 90 Integra is a working Automatic car that I will be doing the conversion on, seems like my biggest concern is cutting of the transmission tunnel hump at this time.
Things I’ve done so far to make this swap as easy as possible:
Purchased a JDM Type R cluster for the sake of “Plug-n-play”
The half cut also comes with the axles and shift linkage I hope I will be reusing, I did purchase poly shifter bushings and a lot of maintenance items like the Gates racing timing belt/water pump, thermostat, and every major seal and gasket I could think of.
Taking delivery of my half cut tomorrow, it’s an exciting time!
You don’t need to weld in anything new for the linkage. It would be a clean install that way but unless you have a welder and the skills it’s easier to opt for the methods used in the above posts.
