t-5 confused which one?

[Flat Ernie]

Yes, internals can be switched and swapped.

May I ask why you're limiting yourself to 90-92?

 

[bugsiegel]

Because I believe that I have the best chance of catching a trans that will have the longest first gears available/offered. Am I correct, or should I open the search to different years and if so which years?

 

[Flat Ernie]

I'm too lazy right now to go through the math, but I know I've posted on this in the past to show RPM, rpm drop between shifts, and the differences between the combos of the common ratios.

Most '88-up will have the 3.76 1st gear if you're looking for that though.

EDIT: OK, I did a search and while I didn't find the exact thread I was looking for, here's one that will give you an idea of the rpm drop differences between what you're running now and what either T5 will give you. Of note, there's only about a 5mph difference between the gearsets in 1st gear.

http://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=34833

My point? The purpose of a 5-spd is more about gear spacing - the overdrive is just a bonus. Why do you think all the performance cars of the 60s had 4-spds - more gears. Less RPM drop between shifts is really far better than the actual ratios.

If you're going to be picky, you should just have one of the several T5 companies build you a T5. That way, you can pick and choose the ratios and not be limited to the two available in the S10.

 

[von birch]

if you run the camaro trans (which has better gears i believe), with the s-10 mechanical speedo tails haft, the shifter position is closer to the early ford 3 spd.

 

[bugsiegel]

Question:
will it mater if the transmission comes out of a 2wd or 4wd?
in my search this question keeps coming up
what are you guys paying for a used trans?
One last question can an electronic speedo trans be converted to cable

 

[Flat Ernie]

Question:
will it mater if the transmission comes out of a 2wd or 4wd?

Yes. 4WD won't work (unless you are going to try to machine your own adapter to mate it to a torque tube).

One last question can an electronic speedo trans be converted to cable

Supposedly, some of them can and others can't. I'm not smart on which can/can't. A guy on the HAMB, 'Snarl', is up on this conversion and which ones can be.

 

[bugsiegel]

I had some time to call around today. I believe I'm close to finding one.
some questions though:
I will be using the t-5 bell housing right? will I need an adaptor ring to make it fit the flathead?
what issues will I have to contend with? will I have to change input shaft, output shaft, drive shaft I believe I may have some clutch linkage issues to deal with. I don't think I want to go over to hydraulic clutch. And there may be an issue with the pressure plate fitting on the input shaft?
Thanks Guys...

 

[4t8v8]

Contact Cornhusker Rod and Custom in Nebraska. I got the whole ***'y kit from them. A little pricey until you realize the kit comes with everything you need to make the swap except the special clutch disk, and they have it. Well worth the price. Everything fit and worked flawlessly. No hassles at all. The only thing you will need to do is make a cutout in the adapter to clear the starter dust cover.
Be aware you must modify the rear cross member no matter what trans you use.

 

[bugsiegel]

4t8v8
That's a big help. Thanks

 

[Richard in Florida]

Contact Cornhusker Rod and Custom in Nebraska. I got the whole ***'y kit from them. A little pricey until you realize the kit comes with everything you need to make the swap except the special clutch disk, and they have it. Well worth the price.

When I put a T5 behind the 8BA in my '53 Victoria, the ONLY extra thing I had to buy was a simple adapter plate (made locally) and a different clutch disk.

I reused:
• The stock bellhousing
• The stock flywheel
• The stock pressure plate
• The stock pilot bearing
• The stock throwout bearing
• The stock clutch linkage (unmodified)
• The stock rear mount (modified a little)

The key is using a T5 with the right bolt pattern and the right input shaft.

 

[4t8v8]

Right on Richard. Good way to go if you can. I am in a very rural area and have no access to anyone who can build the adapter plate and if you are fortunate enough to find the right T5 at a reasonable price. Back when I did mine I found an S10 transmission in excellent condition for $45. Try finding one for that now.
I did reuse:
1. The stock bellhousing.
2. The stock flywheel.
3. The stock clutch linkage (unmodified)
4. The stock pressure plate.
5. The pilot bearing and throwout bearing will not work with a S10 Transmission and you will need a custom clutch disk to fit the splines on the transmission.
6. Maybe on a car the rear motor mount is only modified a little. On a F1 the modification is extensive. Had to cut the center out of the original so the transmission would clear, built a new cross member out of 3" channel iron and braced the 2 pieces of the original mount to the new one as the brake and clutch is mounted to the left side.
Pretty good job but well worth it. If bugsiegel will google the F1 to T5 swap on the internet there are some very good articles with pictures that will help a lot.

 

[oldblue]

I used the T5 adaptor from Speedway Motors with the stock pressure plate and a 9 inch S10 disc . Transmission mount will be required( buy or build ) .Driveshaft will need to be shortened .

 

[flthd31]

To give me an idea what I would want with a t-5 does anyone have any idea what the ratio is on a stock 3 speed ford 48 F1 trans is? Or can someone tell me what might be the closest match to what my current ratio is? I'm trying to figure out what I would want for a first gear in a t-5 if I have the options of choosing gears.

For your current transmission ratios, you will probably have to tear it down and count teeth. It is very unlikely it is original.

After you count the gears as Pete suggests, you can use this chart to help compare the old Ford 3 speed to a T-5

 

[Richard in Florida]

5. The pilot bearing and throwout bearing will not work with a S10 Transmission and you will need a custom clutch disk to fit the splines on the transmission

I used an Astrovan main case; the two bottom bolt holes line up perfectly with those in the stock '53 bellhousing. I put a 2.95 Camaro gear set in it.

Then I used a Ford input shaft which fits both the pilot bearing and the throwout bearing. The Astrovan tail section puts the shifter in the ideal location.

The adapter is just a simple flat plate with some basic machining done on it. I found a mechanical speedometer cable at Auto Zone for $12.

That was about three years ago, and everything's still wroking great.

 

[4t8v8]

Richard in Florida has the right combination. Only problem is finding the trans parts at a reasonable price now. I did mine about 3 years ago and am glad I did. Those T5's are getting rare and pricey. My original speedometer cable hooked right up. The F1 flywheel is 10". From experience I didn't want to run a 9" disk on a 10" flywheel.

 

[bugsiegel]

Does anyone know if an electronic speedometer transmission will display digital on the dash or will it have a needle?
Or another way to ask this question is there any way to tell from the dash display if the speedo is electronic or cable?
I'm looking at used trucks on the internet and some of the sellers are not able to crawl under the truck to tell me if there are wires or cable connected to the transmission.

 

[Flat Ernie]

The S10 with digital dash all had electronic speedos. However, I don't know if that holds true going the other way - if analog speedos all had cables between '88-90.

 

[Krylon32]

As I said in my earlier post 85/89 should have a manual speedo and the later ones thru 92 have an electric. That's what I have told the customers buying my conversion kit for the last 15 years, and haven't received feedback suggesting otherwise.

 

[Flat Ernie]

I've heard and seen both manual and electronic in '89-90, which makes me think it was a transition year. Not sure if the digital dash first came out as a trim level upgrade or not.

 

[bugsiegel]

#1352145
I believe this number going to work for me, right?