anyone look into or know of a 6sp manual conversion for the clk63 black series? I'm loving this car but would only get it if I could convert to a manual. I know its not available from mercedes but i have to assume that someone's got something available in the aftermarket!!! Thanks guys!

 

Anything possible with the right amount of money, but when i say amount i mean expect the sum to be able to finance a small war. Figure gearbox (one that you would even want to put into a CLK BS) 5G, various parts 5G, Labor,4G, custom tooling and R&D another 4G, then you have programming and wiring etc thats like a million man hours at 120/hr maybe another 2G? so like what 21-25G?.... there is no direct bolt up for the 6.3L. so yea anything is possible with adapter plates etc, but then the problem is finding one that will be similar bell housing to the CLK BS's existing one. It does not to most become financially possible. Then again I have seen a man spend $320,000 on a 2010 Camaro. So if you got the dough, and the desire there is always a way. Hope that helps!

 

The key would be finding if the car is available in a stick shift in any configuration for your chassis. Maybe a diesel unit in Europe somewhere. If it is then you can order the clutch pedal, brake pedal, master cylinder, hydraulic lines, slave cylinder etc. The pedals and the master would be one of the trickiest parts to custom do but Mercedes may have done that work for you already. You can get a T56 in lots of available gear ratios for around $4000.00. You would have to custom make some transmission mounts, possibly rework the exhaust system (most likely not), work on the bellhousing and clutch (lot's of companies can help out with that nowadays), get a driveshaft made which should not be a problem getting that done locally.

Look into availability of a model in Europe with a stick in it already and you may be on your way to getting it done.

 

I agree with a RPM said, Euro Market Manual Tranny would be the way to go.

 

And how about the ecu reprogramming?

 

I don't think it's going to be so much as ECU programming as it will be just tricking the ECU to not go into limp mode. I'm not sure if there are any outputs going to the ECU from the transmission, maybe just wheel speed but I doubt it, I would think it is mostly inputs that are going to the transmission from the ECU. The standard transmission is not going to care much about those anyway so the key would be tricking the computer into thinking the transmission is still in the car. You may also be able to change some of the settings in the computer to set it up for a manual transmission with the Star Diagnostics. There may be an output for the Speedo from the transmission but I would think that you would be able to simulate the same output with a T56, I am sure there are electronic conversions for the speedo signal.

This is something that you would have to be willing to figure out and gamble on. Everything I am talking about is a guess.

 

And what is a T56?

 

A t56 is a transmission. It is a 6 speed transmission that is very strong, can handle a lot of horsepower, has a lot of choices in gear ration and is reasonably priced. It is the transmission that i would look at if I was interested in installing a 6 speed transmission in my car. it is made by Borg Warner.

 

Doug Nash makes a 6 speed transmission that is tough enough for this amount of power. Input shaft would likely need to be replaced with something to accommodate a $$ custom mounting for engine case and bell housing. A lot of decent shops can do this kinda work. The more invasive portion is location of shift linkage and shifter (but there's already a hole for that so) it's not the most time consuming.) the interior being removed and having to cut and hang new pedals (or at least 1 pedal) is where the job can go from, "big sloppy go-cart" to, "omg! This car didn't come like this from the factory?" Some people will give ya grief no matter what you do or don't do.
Another option, although this would require a complete rebuild including custom gears is a 993 cup car sequential conversion. (custom cause you'd have 6 reverse gears and 1 forward otherwise)
If you're willing to go with a 5 speed the options are much more available. Ultimately, the most expensive portion will be the labor. Some great shops won't even quote a job like this cause they're basically married to what ever goes wrong in the future.
Good luck, hope the project turns out better than expected!

 

I think you need to get yourself a Z06

Save a lot of time, money and headache AND get a hell of a lot more HP.