t 5 tranmission

The big advantage of the T170 or T176 (Ford or Jeep)top shift, top loader transmission over the Borg Warner T5 is the length. When used with an AA bellhousing the crossmember needs only minimal trimming on the front flange for clearance. Also, the shifter location is only a couple inches farther back than the Model A shifter, as opposed to nearly a foot back for the T5.
 

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My T5 is WONDERFUL!!! Easy shifting with absolutely no problems in four years; shifts like a new car... 20+ MPG to boot, and just one lever to deal with. GD
 
It hasn't changed in 10 years, still 3". Rather than buy a used S-10 transmission and rebuild it, mine is brand new.
 
Ok, better go measure mine, I must be wrong. What did you guys do for carpet/floormat? I couldn't figure out a way to cover the pre-made hole in the mat and cover the shifter assembly as they were too far away.

Ended up getting carpet from Classtique, cut my own holes, and attached the rubber mat myself. Is your shifter close to the seat in 2-4-R? If memory serves me correct, mine was pretty close before I moved it closer to the stock location.
 
I went back and precision measured (with a tape Measure). The stick pivot is 3.4375
back from my original.
The stick is 15 inches long above the pivot.
The center of the shift knob travels 4 inches from 1 to 2.
The stick is 3 inches from the seat at the closest point when in gear 2 and the seat full forward.
I made a new stick from bar stock. It is 2 inches longer below the pivot.
There is a 2 inch riser block under the shifter cover.

A couple of things to remember when thinking about a T5 conversion:
1- They came in many different configurations from many different brands of cars.
2- They came in many different strength ratings from 265 to 335 ft.lb.
 
Cal-T: search on "F150 ****** with overdrive" and you'll find all the info you need.
 
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Can someone please explain the mechanics of the shifter and its twin brother as shown in post #23 ? Obviously the forward shifters position has nothing to do with the transmission itself, but I can't quite figure out the connection and mounting of the bottom portion of the "Phantom" shifter lever. Are they using a Heim joint or some other fixed mount shaft with a pivot on the end? As simple as this is, it would be a great addition to any T-5 set up and I for one would like to have this for my car. Thanks
 
steve hackel said:
Can someone please explain the mechanics of the shifter and its twin brother as shown in post #23 ? Obviously the forward shifters position has nothing to do with the transmission itself, but I can't quite figure out the connection and mounting of the bottom portion of the "Phantom" shifter lever. Are they using a Heim joint or some other fixed mount shaft with a pivot on the end? As simple as this is, it would be a great addition to any T-5 set up and I for one would like to have this for my car. Thanks
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To me, it appears that they have merely procured an aftermarket T5 performance shifter like in my picture below, cut the intended internal shifting ball from the bottom, and mounted it solidly to that makeshift plate on top of the stock shift-rail cover. It amounts to nothing more than a 2-D gimbal of sorts. DD

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Y-Blockhead said:
Snyder's has untrimmed floor mats if you are ever interested. https://www.snydersantiqueauto.com/ProductDetail/A-2005-U_UNTRIMMED?fromCategory=SearchByKeyword
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Darn! This would have been good to know when I did mine. I'm happy with the carpet however and think it makes the car feel more "finished" inside. Perhaps this will help someone else in the future however.

steve hackel said:
Can someone please explain the mechanics of the shifter and its twin brother as shown in post #23 ? Obviously the forward shifters position has nothing to do with the transmission itself, but I can't quite figure out the connection and mounting of the bottom portion of the "Phantom" shifter lever. Are they using a Heim joint or some other fixed mount shaft with a pivot on the end? As simple as this is, it would be a great addition to any T-5 set up and I for one would like to have this for my car. Thanks
Click to expand...

This is my over-complicated attempt to move the shifter to the stock location. I cut off the shift stub on the stock shifter (bottom) and then mounted the longer T56 shifter assembly and mated the two with the linkage as shown in the pic. It's basically two shifter assemblies mated as one with the rearmost shifter attaching to the transmission. It puts the shifter in the same spot as the stock 3-speed shifter.
 
Are there any thoughts on whether the five speed T-5 transmission or the four speed Tremec/Ford T170 RTS as used in the mid eighties F-150 trucks is preferable?

Are there pros and cons to either transmission for use in a Model A?
 
fried okra said:
Are there any thoughts on whether the five speed T-5 transmission or the four speed Tremec/Ford T170 RTS as used in the mid eighties F-150 trucks is preferable?

Are there pros and cons to either transmission for use in a Model A?
Click to expand...

BOTH of these transmissions offer synchronized shifting, and both offer an internal OD that supposedly gets the revs down in a Model A so that you can STILL go RELATIVELY slowly (45-60-ish mph), albeit at a slower engine speed. But don't forget, whichever trans you decide on, the engine is going to have to "work" a little harder (at that reduced rpm), as the OD ends-up being a higher overall gear, even though the revs may be reduced. MOST guys won't even drive their Model As at 60 mph. So, the real advantage I see with BOTH transmissions is the smooth, synchronized shifting, as well as being quieter because of the helical-cut gears. But there's real advantage from the T5 in that you have an additional gear there to keep the revs more-within that happy power band. In other words, there is less of an RPM drop between gears, and it'll make that little 'A-bone' engine come alive, and even more of a blast to drive with the extra gear.

Below, you will see a picture of an interesting T5 that Heard (also here on the 'Barn) and I assembled for his '36 3-window coupe. We assembled it completely from factory Borg-Warner (Tremec) parts. The main case and gear set is the 2.95 to 1 close ratio gears from a V8 Camaro, with the short main shaft and VERY SHORT rear tail shaft housing coming from a 4 X 4 Jeep CJ application....AGAIN, all factory T5 parts, BOLT-TOGETHER....No machine work! THIS trans is even four+ inches shorter than the Chevy S-10 4 X 4 version that you read about some guys converting to. Then, as you can see, we adapted it to a Ford torque tube/drive shaft, which is virtually identical to a Model A set-up. If interested, you can read our entire build at the link below. The bottom picture shows where the shifter would end-up with this T5, as well as any T5 with a Chevy S-10 two wheel drive tail shaft housing/shifter. T5s are extremely versatile and can be assembled in a multitude of variations. DD


https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=206955&highlight=T5+TORQUE+TUBE

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