Manual transmission owners thread

I have 114K on it now..

Just did a refresh of my 2006 V6 6 Speed, nothing major, just tires, brakes, tune, etc.
Haven't had anything but sticks in 50 plus years and won't be buying a new truck till they bring sticks back.
**** case autos are for women and REAL OLD men.

Still quiet on the warranteed 4.7 to 8.3 swap I see. Damn women making you look like a fool huh...

Both my Ram and my girlfriends are manuals, not quite as rare since theyre Cummins but they are certainly in demand

Her truck has 192k miles on the stock clutch still, will probably be going to a dual or triple disc at 200k

MegaMouseGW said:

Let me put it this way. I do not like driving in the rain or on slick roads. Plus if I try to really take off at a light hard the tail of my truck wags around like a very happy puppy. I have to be real careful when taking off to say the least.

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And when are you going to post pictures of this beast? I know I'd like to see it and I'm sure other would also like to see it.

Sal2006 said:

Just did a refresh of my 2006 V6 6 Speed, nothing major, just tires, brakes, tune, etc.
Haven't had anything but sticks in 50 plus years and won't be buying a new truck till they bring sticks back.
**** case autos are for women and REAL OLD men.

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Welcome to the forum. I'm a old guy, but that is still a pretty bold statement. But coming from a guy wheeling a v6 I'll not be too offended...

Redtruck-VA said:

coming from a guy wheeling a v6 I'll not be too offended...

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That's what I was thinking Greg!

Redtruck-VA said:

And when are you going to post pictures of this beast? I know I'd like to see it and I'm sure other would also like to see it.

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I could hear the crickets once everybody called his bluff

Sent from my Galaxy S3 using Tapatalk 2

I've asked him to post up pictures several times in different threads and have yet seen any. I've driven V10 Viper truck and although super nice, I thought them to be carrying a lot of weight. A 1500 with a the Viper drivetrain IMO would be bada$$ and I'd like to see it.
So MegaMouseGW here's your chance to show it off.......

Redtruck-VA said:

I've asked him to post up pictures several times in different threads and have yet seen any. I've driven V10 Viper truck and although super nice, I thought them to be carrying a lot of weight. A 1500 with a the Viper drivetrain IMO would be bada$$ and I'd like to see it.
So MegaMouseGW here's your chance to show it off.......

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I have seen a Viper truck setup swapped into an 02 quad cab (lotsa pics and an owner happy to yap about it on the 1 or 2 of the Viper truck forums), looks like a stock 02 QC on the outside. This is the only one I know of that exists and functions.

I guess he isn't that proud of it since he didn't do the work himself and it a warranty job. *****

I thought I might revive this old thread with a write up about my new shifter.

A few weeks ago I installed a Hurst short throw shifter in my 2006 Ram 1500 with the Getrag 238 manual transmission. I bought the kit from a company in Tennessee called Core Shifters. They build custom shifters for many different applications with a combination of Hurst components and parts they manufacture in-house. It came with a pre-assembled shifter base, Hurst chrome plated stick and Hurst knob. The instructions were clear, detailed and easy to follow. I thought I would write up a few tips and share my thoughts.

The shifter kit from Core Shifters is for the 2005 - 2008 Ram 1500 with the Getrag 238 6 speed transmission. Core Shifters also offers shifters for other years as well. There are a few shift knob options, I chose the classic round black knob. Core Shifters builds and assembles the order after it’s placed, so it took about a week and a half to receive. The price was $260, with shipping additional.

The hardest part of the install was removing the factory cap from the shifter knob because I didn’t know how it was installed. I finally dug it out of the knob with a small screw driver, after ruining the cap and scratching the knob. It's not a small cap that pops off the knob, it literally sits in a small groove down inside the knob. I had to make 2 trips to the auto parts store for 2 different sockets that I needed - an E8 external Torx and 7/32 hex socket. The E8 socket is needed to remove the factory shifter base from the transmission. The 7/32 socket is needed to install the Hurst chrome stick to the new shifter base and torque the bolts. I have allen wrenches, but wanted to use a torque wrench. I also applied blue threadlocker to all the hardware before torquing.

I reused the factory shift boot with the new Hurst stick, but didn’t like the way it looked. I purchased a Hurst shift boot grommet from Core for $14 that fits over the stick and has a groove for the shift boot to set in. The factory boot is made from rubber so I used a plastic bicycle tire tool with a hook to pull and stretch the boot over the grommet. The shifter now looks more finished and the boot doesn’t slide up the stick.

The Hurst stick is used with several different kits, so its design isn’t exactly the same as stock. The knob height is the same, however its position to the driver is not. The angle of the stick is not as steep as the factory setup, so the shift pattern is farther away from the driver. It’s not uncomfortable to shift, my arm is more out stretched than before. The shifter base pivot is shorter, which makes each shift noticeably shorter. I’m planning a few performance upgrades to my truck in the near future and wanted a short shifter to give it a sport truck feel. The SRT Ram comes with a Hurst shifter and I was curious if a similar upgrade was available for the other Rams - a simple Google search brought me to Core Shifters.

Overall, I’m very pleased with the Hurst shifter. The internal mechanism of the factory shifter base is built with a lot plastic to reduce noise and vibration, but it caused the shifts to feel very spongy and loose. The Core Shifter base is all metal construction and each shift is definitely more solid and precise. Shorter throws, firm shifts and classic styling of the Hurst stick and knob are the reasons why I’m very happy with this purchase and recommend it to everyone with the manual.

I know this post is lengthy, but I wanted to provide my experience to potentially help any other manual trans owners who wish they could upgrade their shifter - just like I did.

This is how the shifter looked after I first installed it:


Here's the final install:

My stock shift stub lost the bushing and the metal tip is worn down. I’m considering buying from core shifters but they’re out of stock currently. Panoz3, do you still have your stock shifter? If it’s in good shape I’d consider buying it.

385k miles on my ‘08 4.7 6spd and still on the original tranny, tho 4th and 6th gear are getting a bit loud. Also have had the Core/Hurst shifter for over 200k miles and never had a problem…they are solid!

Truck has had the ever loving $hit beat out of it since I bought it brand new in April ‘08. Never gonna sell this thing (tho my wife wants me to) and prefer to drive if over my ‘16 2500 CTD G56

The one thing I wish mine had is a manual transmission!

1999 Dodge Ram 2500 8.0l V10 and a 5spd. Keeping her forever because of the gear changer.


Only interior pic I got on my phone.

I got an 06 4.7 4 door 1500 with a 6 speed manual

Nice tip Panoz !
I have a 3rd Gen 02, with 5.9L gas ( 360 ) it came with an auto, which has puked out on me.

This truck came with the house I bought, the old gal didn't want it and gave me the title. Its in fabulous shape body wise, interior is good very little rust anywhere.

Since it didn't cost me anything, after driving it for almost a year, and figuring out what all the bugs were, I've been getting back in shape.
Now the relevant part, since the automatic has puked out, I now want to put a stick in it. I've got the auto out, and miraculously found one in a U-pull it place. I am not sure it's going to bolt up though. Looks like its mated up with the 3.7/5.2 type engine. I may get it anyway for a future project. Appears to be an NV, but atm I haven't taught myself the difference between the 35 and 4500. Also I didn't previously realize that they don't seem to use a separated bellhousing anymore.
While compiling information, some of it remains elusive. According to most sources, Dodge flywheels are all the same. Also the gear ring can be bought separately, but no information as to where there are different gears on the flywheel or if its just a replacement ring. Also the tone ring. Due to using a CPS for timing. Does the needed tone ring bolt onto the back of the flywheel as well as the crankshaft? Or is there different tone rings? I currently have the one that bolted to the crankshaft in the middle and the torque converter on the outside of the ring. It has 8 holes in it. The 5.9 cummings is a 6, so I would assume it has 6 holes in the tone ring, and so on with the others.
Another thing I can't seem to find out is if there are different engine/trans bolt patterns
( what will bolt to what ) While I am familiar with the 3.9/318/360 series, they had the same bolt patterns. I'm not so sure on the newer stuff They also used NV 3500 manuals
It doesn't make any sense that Dodge would have different bolt patterns for the same transmissions used with different engines.
While I am quite capable of doing the work, actual knowledge of what fits what, is lacking.
I try to learn as much as I can before I tackle a project.
At this point I guess I'll just keep buying what I can find in junkyards, until I can self figure out what is going fit and what isn't !