Hint #3
when you have the engine out, take the time to change ANYTHING else you need to. if you have high miles, i would seriously consider changing the steering rack i have to change mine now due to a leak and i am not looking forward to it.
(see page 5 to see what i mean) also take the time to CLEAN your engine bay. this will help incase you have a leak at some time in the future with your new engine. i like to use mineral spirits/paint thinner. it helps cut through layers of grease/ oil and i use them with rags or a small scrub brush. you can use a squirt bottle to spray it on, but again. check with your local laws regarding use and disposal of products as such. you can use engine degreaser, simple green etc. but make sure you use caution.
if you wanted to go to the next extreme, you could even paint your engine bay at this time. removing the rest of the items isn't that much more work. you are practically there if you choose to. just please don't do the "spray everything black" approach. it looks tacky if you murder out your engine bay.
before
after
when you have the engine out, you can start prepping the engine bay for the new motor. i chose to remove the harness from the motor in this pull on both the engine and the clip. you could also pull the harness from the body of the car along with the engine, but use caution when you do so. the chain could pinch/cut the wires, smash sensors etc. i chose to get the engine out, then figure out what i wanted to do with the wires. taking apart the dash you will need to remove both drivers side and glove box, as well as the center consul. because i did a auto to 5 speed swap, i had to change shifter, shift cable, and add in the pedal, clutch master, slave, hardline etc.
Hint #4
if you are doing an auto to manual swap, source your parts prior to attempting the swap. you can get 5 speed parts from Geo prizm of the 1993-1998ish range if you can't find them from corolla. it should bolt in.
when you take the parts, take the brake pedal as well. it's narrower and will allow you more room when using the clutch. you can cut the auto pedal if needed, but i got the parts from the junkyard for $40, clutch pedal, brake pedal, master, slave hard line.
when drilling the holes for the clutch master, it's best to bolt in the pedal to the top bolt first, then mark your holes. there is a small filler piece in the floor pad under the dash. it can be used to locate the pedal assembly. then use a sharpie to mark the holes. i used a step bit to drill the mounting holes, but used a hole saw to actually cut the pushrod hole. under my initial mock up, i used a celica clutch slave because i couldn't find the pedal assembly and didn't want to be dead in the water. the pedal unfortuantely didn't work. under the dash is a little different but i lucked out when i finally got the pedal. you will need to loosen and pull forward the brake booster for the hard line to pass behind it. also this is the best time to add in the manual trans brake pedal. the hole size i used is 1 1/2" or 38MM.
* i'll get the size of the hole saw i used for the clutch master hole when i get a chance.
**
edit it's 1 1/2" or 38MM.