i am getting lots of inquiries from this advert, so i may as well set out how we can help owners
we have done many 5 & 6 speed manual conversions and repaired many SMT's
If you have a non working SMT, then it is often much cheaper to fix it, rather than doing a conversion. I cant tell you exactly how much that will be till i have the car in my shop and can diagnose it for myself. I carry most of the commonly needed parts to repair SMT's and I have a scan tool for computer diagnostics & resetting. Be aware however, that now the cars are aging, its just a matter of time before the next component fails. all 4 of the major components are known to fail post 100,000km (gear shifter, pump, actuator, computer).
many SMT faults are a result of clutch changes being done and the system not re-set using a scan tool. sometimes these can be rectified, sometimes they are terminal.
if you are not sure what is wrong with your SMT, then I can't diagnose this over the phone or by emails. You probably need a reputable mechanic with a correct scan tool, or have the car bought to me. often, it's cheaper to tow the car from interstate than getting stuck with a dodgy local mechanic who has never fixed them. If you can find a local 'expert', then go for it. In that case, its probably best if your mechanic deals with me and i can sell him whatever parts are needed.
anybody who tells you "its all stuffed" is probably having a lend of you and/or does not have adequate experience. In general only 1 or 2 parts fail at or about the same time. for example if the car is regularly getting stuck in 1 gear, wont release and stalls the engine, then it is usually the gear shift actuator that is at fault. minuscule amounts of wear show up as movement errors which the computer rejects and logs a fault code, usually leaving it stuck in whatever gear caused the error . A new part is usually the only fix
if you want to think about a 2ZZ and manual conversion, then i can offer that also. generally, we use an engine package out of a wrecked celica, but be aware most of these now have more than 200,000km on them. There are many options, so again, i cant give you an exact price till we agree on what you want done. As a guide, $8500 is the starting price for a tow-in/drive out package, with either Qld or NSW mod approvals. I keep the left-over bits at this price. We can offer fully rebuilt, refurbished or even brand new 2ZZ's
if you want to do it all yourself, i wont offer over-the-phone or email technical advice, when you run into problems. a typical example is trying to use a US ECU to get around the immobilizer system and then find out it wont control the local petrol tank evap system.
if you buy a conversion kit from me, I'll happily offer email or phone help
The 2ZZ cannot be
easily mated to the SMT. Whilst it is theoretically possible to get an after-market ECU to drive the engine and talk to the SMT computer, i have never done this and will need a lot of research.