So I've been trying to communicate with an apparent stroke victim about a 96 Tracker (or is it a '98?) that's for sale.  Tonight I find out he replaced the auto with a manual tranny, but of course it needs "finishing".  Is this even possible?

Given enough time & money, yes - my guess is he ran out of one or the other, which is why it was never finished.

It's really just a matter of gathering all the parts & swapping them over - and a lot easier if you have a complete donor vehicle.

You'll need to swap the flexplate for a flywheel, install the pedal box, etc., and if it's a four speed transmission, which is very likely, it's electronically shifted, so you may need to swap out the ECU and some wiring to prevent check engine lights or similar when the TCU doesn't see the transmission, or the ECU doesn't see the TCU.

Thanks, Fordem.  This sounds like a good project for me to run from.

Thanks, Fordem.  This sounds like a good project for me to run from.

 LMAO!!!  That's probably a wise decision!