Cadillac Escalade With Manual Transmission Swap Is Pure Big-Bodied Fun: Track Time Tuesday Presented by the All-New Nitto Recon Grappler™ A/T
Built on a budget as a head-turning drift machine, this manual Escalade is certainly one seriously unique project.
There was a time, not too long ago, when automotive enthusiasts wouldn’t even dream of buying a vehicle equipped with an automatic transmission. Times have unfortunately changed, however, and these days, the vast majority of vehicles are sold with automatics, which have evolved into the superior choice in terms of outright performance. However, there’s no replacing the thrill of shifting on your own, which is precisely why Trenton Royer decided to manual-swap his Cadillac Escalade.
The Escalade – a large, luxurious, and comfy SUV – is perhaps the last thing most would think about turning into a gear-bangin’ drift machine. But with a 6.2-liter V8 under the hood and rear-wheel-drive, it certainly can be.
That’s especially true when you modify the big-bodied ute’s powerplant, which is precisely what Royer has done by adding a stage 3 Texas Speed cam, a tune, long tube headers, and 3.5-inch exhaust to go along with the five-speed manual gearbox, sourced from a 2005 Chevy Colorado pickup – chosen because of its low cost, as Royer explained to The Drive.
As one might imagine, completing such a swap wasn’t exactly easy to do. Mating the transmission to the V8 was easy enough, requiring only an adapter plate, but fitting it in the Escalade was another matter altogether. Royer had to chop up the Caddy’s center console to make room for the shifter, though the end result looks OEM enough for us. The most important thing, however, is the fact that the big Caddy can now get sideways with the best of them, as we can see in the video below.
Though he’s transformed his former daily into a true ripper, Royer admittedly isn’t finished with the “Manulade” just yet. Future plans call for a supercharger, most likely ripped from an LSA-powered GM product like the Camaro ZL1 or Cadillac CTS-V. From there, he wants to make it even more driftable by installing a hydraulic e-brake and adding some steering angle to the front axle. Needless to say, if nothing else, this ripping Caddy will be a hit at every drift event it rolls into moving forward.
Photos: Trenton Royer
Join the LS1Tech forums now!
