Ford T5 swap

vette427sbc

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Done some research but Im still a bit confused about what trans is ideal?
Looking to use the '85 1 ton truck master/slave/bellhousing.
Im reading that there are 2 different length ford input shaft ford trannies? something about 2 adapter plates? If possible, Id like to just use one adapter plate, and have a mechanical speedo output. 90's mustang?
 
The T5 is a marginal choice at best and why get a ford one when there's a bolt on WC model from a 3rd gen F body that's bolt on? They are not strong. The cases stretch and cause gear contact issues (and broken gears), A G-Force case will fix this but for the $$$$ you can et a T56 and call it a day. F body T5s also come w/ a manual speedo output (camaros retained mech speedos up till 89 or so, firebirds got electrical after.. 84?)
 
But DurangoBoy says the ford ones are best :lol:

And this isnt for my car (already have a tick stage 2 GTO T56 in my car)... Its a customers '80 that isnt interested in going fast, just wants to be able to shift gears. Keeping the motor stock with maybe a few bolt ons in the future. The '80 is an auto though so I did not want to have to weld on a z-bar bracket. Would rather do the hydro clutch. Are the 3rd gens mechanical clutch linkage?
So my best bet would be to find a v8 pre-'89 fbody T5? The ford ones are a dime-a-dozen around here
 
no, 3rd gens are hydraulic. Make sure you get a world class one including the angled shifter and everything
 
My Ford T5 is just fine, 218000 miles and even though I am throwing just under 100 HP at it it never gave me any trouble ..... Lol
 
haha... yup, mine is a 140ci 4 cyl ..... the drivetrain will last longer than the body.......
on the speedo output: my '93 has a mech gear that can easily be swapped (done it a few times when I swapped rear gears or tire size, takes like 5 min) ... $14 at Latemodelresto ....
The T5 is not a bad tranny, it's just that the gears are short and I really don't know how this would work with a V8.... are the V8 T5s geared differently? With the T5 that I have I feel if I had a 400HP V8 I could take off in 2nd, spin the tires, shift in 4th... then in 5th..... 3.08 rear gears , roughly 2600 rpm at 70mph....
This is one reason why I'm considering a 5.0 Coyote/6spd swap ..... but that's just dreaming, complete takeouts are like $8000 and up ....lol
 
But DurangoBoy says the ford ones are best :lol:

And this isnt for my car (already have a tick stage 2 GTO T56 in my car)... Its a customers '80 that isnt interested in going fast, just wants to be able to shift gears. Keeping the motor stock with maybe a few bolt ons in the future. The '80 is an auto though so I did not want to have to weld on a z-bar bracket. Would rather do the hydro clutch. Are the 3rd gens mechanical clutch linkage?
So my best bet would be to find a v8 pre-'89 fbody T5? The ford ones are a dime-a-dozen around here

I think that was actually Norval...
 
Dboy..the guy who recites other peoples gospel and claims as if he's been there..done that... so yes!
 
Damn shame what happened about Norval.....good man in MY book, one of his last posted projects was the tall spindles for the front end, he fabbed up his own out of 2 pairs of stock arms.....


:D:crutches:
 
Think I would rather have a 4th gen f-body t5 then a ford one, at least it would be much newer. But I think they use a ford type bellhousing pattern.

here is my 97 3.8 firebird trans.

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Damn shame what happened about Norval.....good man in MY book, one of his last posted projects was the tall spindles for the front end, he fabbed up his own out of 2 pairs of stock arms.....


:D:crutches:

What happened to Norval?
 
Think I would rather have a 4th gen f-body t5 then a ford one, at least it would be much newer. But I think they use a ford type bellhousing pattern.

here is my 97 3.8 firebird trans.

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aaaaaaaaaaaaa016_zps1ae73afc.jpg

Is the V6 trans the same as the V8?
 
You would need a V8 bellhousing and a conversion clutch plate. Might have to shim the throwout bearing for proper engagement though. You could use all V8 3rd gen hydrailics but I like the throwout a lot better. I'm not sure how strong that V6 t5 is compared to a WC V8 T5 and even the WC V8 is a glass jaw
 
I was researching a 5 or 6 speed conversion a couple of weeks ago. Finally decided it would be a Richmond ROD 6 speed since these basically have the short ratio' Muncie gear ratio's in 2-5 + a lower first and an OD 6th.

Unfortunately Richmond isn't making them at the moment.
 
I've got a Ford Racing Z-spec WC T5 sitting in my garage waiting to be installed. While a T5 is not the strongest tranny, for many vettes it is more than capable. I'm currently running a Saginaw 4 speed behind a 300 hp (at the fly wheel) old engine with no issues, but everyone says a Saginaw will not hold up.

It really depends on the application of the tranny. For some of us, like myself, I don't need a 500 hp capable tranny. In 15 years of ownership I've never revved over 5,000 rpm and don't race.

Assuming my T5 internals are in good condition I bet this tranny will last my a lifetime or until I decide to install an LS1/T56 combo ;)
 
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