anyone know if its easy/possible to convert from auto to manual

Isn't it just a cologne block with clever heads? In which case I'd have thought that a V6 type 9 would fit no bother. Ofcourse I may be completely wrong, and the type 9 might explode.

Go here and ask the question in the sierra forum, quite a lot of the guys there have done exactly what you are asking.

http://www.interford.co.uk/forums/

---john---