Before I even bought my VX I lamented the fact that it was never made in anything but an automatic... I thought surely a 5 speed swap would be a popular modification considering it's performed commonly on other collectors cars that were auto only, or mostly made as an auto.
I was also surprised that I couldn't find a single person who had done a 5-speed swap save a few pictures of racing spec VXs.
Since any real info on this was fairly non-existent I decided to look into the feasibility myself and see what would be involved. Obviously with the VX sharing so much with other Isuzus that's the first place to look. Also with other Isuzus being more common I decided to start looking for information there to see if someone had done a swap on a different vehicle with a similar setup.
http://forum.planetisuzoo.com/viewtopic.php?p=159566
What I learned
Troopers that used the 4L30E Automatic and TOD used the MUA5 transmission as the alternative options... the 5 speed (from what I've been told) was only available with the 3.2L and the transfer case is integrated into the transmissions... meaning that if you used that transmission you would lose the TOD system as well
using MUA5 you will need the 3.2L bell housing (which should be direct bolt on) as well as a flywheel from a 5-speed 3.2L and the 3.2L clutch/pressure plate.
The factory transmission cross-member is apparently the same between the two transmissions so no customization is needed there either.
Another thing I learned is that the VX shares a firewall with the Amigo... this means that you could use a clutch pedal, Clutch Master Cylinder, and 5-speed Brake pedal from an Amigo and the mounting locations should exist (you will probably need to drill some bolt holes though). You might also be able to use the clutch lines from an Amigo as well, though I'm not entirely sure on that.
The driveshaft length will change, meaning you'll have to have a custom one made... this usually costs about $200-$300 for a steel one and $400-$500 for an aluminum one (aluminum drive shafts will improve your mileage and acceleration BTW)
I'm not sure if the MUA5 uses cooling lines if it doesn't the existing transmission cooling lines need to be capped or removed, if it does use them it will need to be adapted.
The two things left after all of this is the computer and the internal trim... I'm not sure if the center console shifter area is shared with the 95-97 Rodeo like the dashboard is... if it is shared then you're probably only looking at swapping some plastic for an OEM look.
As for the computer, again I'm not sure if the computer is similar to that of the trooper, if it is then you could simply swap it out... if not you will likely need to do some sensor fooling to make the computer assume that the auto transmission is a-ok.... I'll have to look more into this aspect...
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I apologize if this work has already been done once before. I looked for a couple of weeks to find GOOD 5-speed swap info on the VX to no avail... after doing research myself I managed to find all of the above in 2 days by asking questions to a few key people in the Isuzu community.
I have no plans to do this swap right now, I don't jump into projects like this until I know the feasibility and all the info about what has to be done.
I'll post more when I figure it out, but I'm waiting to receive my FSM... when that comes in I should be able to determine what needs to be done on the Computer side of things.
Another interesting link I found on engine swaps is here:
http://myweb.cableone.net/bcanderson...uroraSwap.html
This is beneficial to anyone interested in replacing the motor but NOT the transmission.
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