Hi All

Planning to do a manual conversion to my EL soon. It seems that finding a conversion for an EL is quite difficult, but there are plenty of EA-ED kits around. I've done a bit of research on the forums and found lots of mixed information about conversions so i'm after some definitive answers, specifically from people who have done conversions with parts from earlier models.

1) Will the EL auto tailshaft work fine? I hear the manual ones are different. There must be a reason for this.

2) Are there any differences in the shifters that are worth worrying about?

3) Is there any problem using my current EL auto starter motor? From what I can see all the E series i6's use the same starter auto or manual.

4) Any issues with using the auto ECU? I'm aware you need some resistors to keep the ECU happy without the auto attached. I've used auto ECU's in the past in cars I've converted to manual without major issues (was jumpy on and off throttle and burbled on deceleration).

5) Seems everyone is big on the Mal Wood clutch pin. I've seen some pics of these failing in some way and ripping up the pedal box. Do most people have good or bad luck with these?

6) Does the auto cross member also work for manual gearboxes?

Thanks.

ok some answers for ya i did this some time ago on my old EL
#1 yes you can use the auto tailshaft
#2 only the earlly shifter were alloy and the later were steal
#3 Starter motors are the same so no probs
#4 you know what you need to do , ill dig up some specs for the wiring codes and resistors for ya
#5 you can use the mal wood pin kitt ( no probs from what ive heard )if you cant get a EF EL manuel pedal box
#6 yes it does work , you need to move it forward or back a hole , cant remeber which way but you work it out when you look closer at it .
hope that info is helpful for ya

Darren at ftg has a complete el conversion from an el xr6 i beleieve - inlcuding ecu!

thanks for the answers.

yes FTG have one and so do some local adelaide wreckers but the prices are all about double what i'm prepared to spend - and what i've seen them go for in the past. i'm in no huge rush so i'm happy to wait until i find one for the right price.

the auto crossmember on mine i cut off a piece and fits just fine

There's really not too many differences between the boxes and the like. Just offering a different opinion here

#1 You CAN use the the auto tailshaft, but that doesnt mean you should. The manual ones have a weight on the end and it's probably for a good reason. I'm running mine on the auto shaft at the moment but I'll change it when I can.
#2 Yes, there are, the EF/EL shifters have a bend in them wheras the ED and back shifters are straight. They're both perfectly usable in the car though but I went for the EF one just for continuity
#3 Yeah all good
#4 I have some questions for you actually if you've done it before hahaha If you do the resistor trick don't the thermo fans come on all the time then? Does the ECU still adjust the revs and such properly on idle and in gear after resetting? I've heard conflicting responses to this so I just went and used a manual ECU.
#5 Most people have good luck but your milage may vary. They're a better design now and the support bracket is f**k chunky and seems to do a good job of spreading the load better. Cost me 120 dollars express post to my door.
#6 Not sure about this. I remember them looking exactly the same but yeah you might have to move it forward or back.

If you can afford it there's a few EF Futura manuals around for quite cheap, buy one, drop the box, put your auto in, flog it off and bobs your uncle cheap conversion

Thanks for your reply.

Which way do the shifters bend in the EF onwards?

As for the ECU - I've done it before with other cars, not falcons. Can anyone confirm exactly what the resistor trick does? I presumed it was to keep the ecu 'happy' without the auto connected and that there were no side effects relating to the thermofans etc.

it tricks the ecu into thinking its in drive.

Thermos will only come one when its hot

Oh right that makes sense, I thought it tricked the ecu into thinking it was in neutral and I'd just heard of the thermos coming on in other peoples cars. Thanks for clearing that up. The shifter from ef/el's is something like this horrible little 'diagram' except alot more rounded

_/
/

the resistors in mine i followed exact to the tech doc on here..
my cluster shows that the ecu thinks its in neutral not drive.
as far as i know thermos work perfectly..

a thought just popped into my head then.. i did my conversion on a hoist at work and so the car was in neutral when removing the box etc...
would leaving the box in drive result in the ecu thinking its in drive?
so rather than tricking it into one position, it keeps the signal as the last used position?

from the research i've done, one of the resistors is connected in place of the trans temp sensor. this is so the ecu doesn't think the trans has overheated, causing it to run the thermos all the time to attempt to cool it down.

the other resistor i think is to make the ECU think the transmission is in neutral so it doesn't increase the idle speed.

thats spot on..

ive done the resistor trick and the idle is fine on mine i also did the trans temp resistor aswell but my fans are still conected to a davis craig thermal switch..
i will conect them to the ecu one day..

thanks for the reply

if anyone knows of a 5spd conversion going for a good price, let me know. even though i've been a member for months, i haven't got enough posts to post in the for sale or wanted section...

there is about 3 convo's on ebay atm ...........

yep and i'm keeping an eye on them