So it has been right at 7 months since I upgraded the torque converter in the transmission and I have decided that it just isn’t for me.  Don’t get me wrong here, there is absolutely nothing wrong with a high stalled auto and they are the go to solutions if you want to run consistent times at the track.  However, mine is mostly a street car that has yet to see a track and will likely only see it once in a blue moon later on.  With it being a daily driven car I am spending a large amount of my commute times in stop & go traffic and this is where some of the problem comes from.  When running something like a 4K converter it is staying at higher RPMs for longer periods of time when unlocked and putting my mpg in the crapper.  I’ve lost somewhere on an average of 3-4 MPG since the upgrade.  Another deciding factor of this new project is that I simply miss driving a manual transmission.  Additionally it seems all the more appropriate to have a stick shift in a car of this nature.  I am sure that this is going to increase my driving enjoyment by tenfold.

I managed to get in touch with one of the local car guys in the area who offered me the perfect solution.  He is converting his M6 to an A4 and offered to sell me his transmission setup and swap some parts making this a one stop shopping trip.  The setup was pulled out of his car this week and we got together this afternoon to swap everything out.  Here is a quick shot of what I took possession of today.  Tremec T-56 6 speed transmission, RAM 88931HDX clutch with low miles, flywheel and set of M6 pedals.  He will be swinging back buy tomorrow to hand over the center console piece and shift lever.  In exchange I cannibalized part of my existing A4 setup to get him some useful pieces for his new auto configuration like the hayden fluid cooler, glowshift trans temp gauge & sending unit, A4 pedals and center console piece.

All I have to do now is wait for some other pieces on order to come in and I can begin the actual swap.  Unfortunately some of those parts won’t even ship for at least another week.  Having to walk past the new trans just sitting there doing nothing for the next couple weeks is going to be killer.