Thinking of converting from Auto to Manual

Hi All,

I have only had my clipper for a week, and 6 of those 7 days it has been with my mechanic, and fingers crossed will get her back and ready on Monday.

In the meantime i have been thinking about the possibilities of converting it from an automatic to a manual.
i have had a quick search on the forum and cant see that anyone has discussed it, so was wandering if anyone has? if so is it easy (ish) or a lot of work.
Can anyone give me advice on the outcome of converting to a manual ie: performance, insurance issues.
I ideally want to get the car as original as posssible, but at the same time  i am going to be using the car on a daily basis, so fuel economy will be an issue with the automatic.

Any advice or suggestions much appreciated