I kept the 5 speed for my conversion, it works just fine. it remains to be seen how long the cluthc lasts. I put a new one in with the swap, but it was not a "sports" clutch, just the stock one.
My ecu was reprogrammed by revo, kept the stock ecu.
I got headers/cats muffler.
The car is SO much more fun. It simply rockets. Cost about 15 grand all told. I decide it was worth it every time I hit the gas!!