hahaha oh man the 5 speed itself may be more reliabe then the A4LD tranny but the slave cylinder and hydraulic clutch setup can cause all sorts of problems too, and since it is an internal slave design the tranny must be removed to fix it.
I had more problems with my truck when it was a 5 speed then I have with the automatic, although neither setup has been trouble free.
So be careful, just because you get rid of the auto in favor of the 5 speed doesnt mean you have licked all the problems, you will still have clutch and hydraulics that could potentially be trouble prone.
Also dont forget that to get the 5 auto out of there and the 5 speed in you will have wiring changes, perdals to swap, hydraulics to run and mount, and a possible computer change, etc etc. ZThen you still have to figure out what to do with your column shifter and gear indicator.
Some people have swapped the entire steering column and instrument panel in order to complete this conversion properly.
Also you will want to remove the transmission cooler and lines from the cooler and radiator. You can re-use the trans cooler as a power steering cooler if you are very crafty.
Just some things to think about, this is not a simple unbolt one bolt in the other conversion, transmission conversions are very involved. Research is your best friend right now, collecting all the parts required before starting is the key to a smooth swap. This means you need to know every detail about what you are getting yourself into.
The starter, flexplate, computer, and portions of the wiring harness will need to be converted for the 5 speed as well.
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Good luck!
