T-5 to early engines tips and tricks?

Been gathering a lot of info on mating early engines to T-5 trannys and wondered what tricks and tips everyone might have for things such as pilot bushings and throwout bearing adapters for unusual applications. Any tricks and tips you can think of for mating these trannys up to early engines please. Thanks Jim

 

I would be interested in this one too.

 

That varies from engine to engine, the S10 or Camaro version goes behind a 235 or 216 pretty easy with stock parts. The Ford version will go behind a Stude V8 if you run a truck V8 bellhousing, so it probably can be made to work with a Stude 6 also. The Chevy version will fit behind a Stude if you run a 61-2 4-speed bellhousing. Each one uses different parts to work, you could probably do at least a page article for each motor you want to put one behind.

 

If you are set up for Ford stick, then California Pony Cars has an aluminum adapter plate to take the T5

 

There is a Stude bellhousing that the S-10 T-5 bolts up dirrectly. A little hard to find but some of the early 60s Studes came with a BW T-10 4spd. Open up the holes in the trans ears and the T-5 bolts right up. The bearing retainer is a perfect fit.



I will have to adapt the throwout bearing. I don't know if the Stude bearing will fit the T-5 snout or if I will have to modify the Stude fingers to fit the Chevy throw out bearing. I'll have to wait until I get it apart for measurements on the pilot bearing.

 

Would this be the Ford T-5? The info I have been gathering has been on the Camaro/S-10 fitments. What's out there for using the Ford T-5, and what are the advantages (if any) to that transmission? Thanks Jim

 

There is some useful interchangability between the ford and chevy T5s...especiall when using the Ford T5.

1.The bearing retainers are interchangeable. This is usefull if you want to use the common inexpensive hydraulic throwout bearings that are only designed for the Chevy gearboxes like the one from Howe Racing. Just swap the Chevy bearing retainer onto the ford and you are ready to accept the Hydraulic throwout bearing.

2. You CAN swap the S10 tailshaft and shifter onto the Ford box. It's basically the same as swapping the shifter from an S10 to a Camaro box. The only difference is that you MUST remove the tailshaft bushing as the Chevy output shaft is smallar than the one on the ford T5. You'll need to replace the bushing with one for a Ford T5.

 

I dont want to sound tooo retarded, but what bellhousings will mate to early 265/283 SBC's for T-5 trans?

Will the Camaro bellhousing mate up?

 

any smallblock v8 bellhousing will mate up to that. so youd just have to find a v8 t5 bellhousing.

 

Does anyone have any illustrations of this? Or know where I can find one?

 

Actually any Chevy 3 or 4-speed bellhousing will work with the earlier Chevy T-5s.

 

this might help http://www.inliners.org/Jack/T5tech.html

 

WOW! Yes, thanks! Jim

 

for something other than a Ford or Chevy, you ought to check out Don Coatney's Photobucket site on adapting to a Mopar flathead six. I'm copying it for mine. Use the search- you'll find it.

 

here's a couple more links for T-5 information http://www.fordmuscle.com/archives/2000/09/t5swap/index2.shtml
http://www.5speeds.com/t5/

 

For whatever it's worth,my next build will be a 27 T RPU with a 91 S-10 T-5 mated to a 65' 283 with a mild cam & tri-power. I'm running the S-10 3:43 rearend & drive shaft too.

 

one potential advantage of the ford over the chevy, is if your application will need an adapter plate, the ford input shaft is a bit longer, an inch or inch and a quarter i think.

if it helps, i could get input shaft and pilot measurements off the three varieties of t-5s i have, ford tbird, chevy s-10 and 6 cylinder camaro.

 

Ray- I'd be interested in those variations for the flathead six/s-10 I'm working on- a longer input could come in handy. I wonder if the Ford input would fit the s-10, or if the s-10 tail would fit the Ford trans. Bellhousing bolt pattern doesn't matter, it has to be built anyway.

 

i'll see if i can get out to the shed tomorrow or this weekend and measure them. i'm pretty sure the shafts and tailhousing can all be swapped around.

BTW i was over at backstreet kustoms yesterday and seen this FUCKED UP plymouth sedan!

 

Hi
I have a 8BA FH and a "new" bellhousing from ´53. Is a Mustang T5 a "direct bolt on" (bolt pattern) ? I´ve seen Flatheads with older Mustang transmissions and mustang guys swap to T5. So...??
Thanks

 

I am building a 1947 Chev. using a 1993 S 10 chassis w/1956 270 CI. Dodge Poly. motor mounted to a T5 S10 5 speed.

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For adapter info. these to web sites are very helpfull. Good luck Bob

 

Just a quick one here. How much further back will the shift neck be from, say, where it would locate on a '39 tranny? I'd be looking to try to keep the older location.

Thanks

 

Here's a pic of the various shifter locations...this has been posted before - L-R Early Ford, S10, Mustang

 

how much horsepower and abuse can a NWC s-10 t-5 handle? i was thinking of putting one behind a 327 but dont know if ill end up grenading it or not

 

was it parked anywhere near my fucked up Dodge? Whatcha think of it so far?

 

I won't give you a HP number, but it depends on a lot of things. The bottom line is you'll eventually kill it. With a 327, you'd be much better off starting with a WC V8 Camaro trans & putting the S10 tailshaft & top cover on it...

 

plymouth, dodge, desoto, they're all the same!

lookin good! better get to work, goodguys is only a couple of weeks away! whatcha gonna do with the back window?

 

The only shifter that comes close is the S10. It's about 5-6 inches further rearward than the '39 shifter.

 

Great thread and info guys.

How 'bout mating a T5 up to a 54 Nailhead.The Buick is a stick setup car.
Was thinkin bout putting the nailhead/5speed in a model A.....Shiny

 

Here is a part I haven't seen mentioned yet, First the problem then the solution. Problem GM T5s use a 4&11/16" front bearing retainer same as Muncie or Saginaw trannys, but in 1970 or so GM decided to up the size to 5&1/8" on most trucks and some cars so if you try to use one of these later bellhousings the tranny wont fit properly there will be a huge gap and the tranny will not have anything to keep it centered. The solution, A company called Novac industries makes an adapter ring that presses on over your bearing retainer making the new outside diameter 5&1/8" just right for the later model bell, I have used this part twice now and I can say it works perfectly. here's a link to the part it's about 3/4 way down the page on the right side, It sells for less than 50 bucks!

http://www.novak-adapt.com/knowledge/chevy_standard_shift_info.htm