Hot Rods T5 behind flathead... Yes or No (for those who have done it)

This is for those that have done it. Does anyone regret doing it or is it a really good upgrade?

My 3 speed is no good and I have a T5 already. Will be going behind a stock flathead.

If you have done it what did you do to the rear? Open drive with banjo, and how mounted/supported... parallel, transverse with a torque arm? or update whole rear to like 8" 0r 9"?

Thanks

 

Did it to my 35 with a mildly built flatty, early S10 T5, open drive 9", parallel conversion.
It's a nice trans for a flathead. Never got to use 5th much as I didn't do a lot of highway driving but when I did....the overdrive was really easy on the engine.
Worth it.....yes.

 

I just bought a 40 set up with built flatty, T-5 and 8" Ford on parallel leaf springs. Drove it and loved it.

 

May I ask you more about your set up? Did you do the install with the body on or off? Split the wishbones? How did you deal with the center frame?
Thanks

 

Had one when I owned the Rocky33. Best tranny for a flatty. Fun to drive.

 

Yes just use a good adapter. I'd recommend cornhuskers as it was a lot more trouble free then the speedway one and I've done two swaps.

 

Do it, you'll be happy that you did.

You've expotentially increased a flathead's drivability.

 

Was wondering if you knew what gear was in the rear, most 8" axles seem to come with a high ratio and I always thought a stick would be doggy with those gears, especially with taller hot rod tires.

 

3.70, if I remember correctly

 

I put a Mustang t5 behind my 60hp with 3.9 gears in the rear. Makes my '52 MGTD quite a ride. Marvin,ct

 

Have had an S10 in my roadster since the beginning.(16 years and 75000 miles) I am running an S10 rear with 3.73 gears. The one I have is quite low in 1st but I am happy to trade that for the overdrive. 60 mph is about 2100 rpm, great for highway cruising. I think the ultimate 5 speed would be the Camaro with the S10 tailshaft. 1st is 2.95 to 1 if I remember correctly. I also have one behind a 322 nailhead in my 51 Meteor (Ford) coupe. There is a wealth of info here on the HAMB on the Borg Warner T5 5speed

 

Put one in my coupe last year with a Speedway adapter and it works great- I can cruise at highway speed ( 65-70mph) in 4th , and it's showing 1800 rpm on the tach. I like it so much , I saw another T-5 at a swap and bought it for the NEXT one ( even though I said this was the LAST one).

 

Hey Todd.
System wouldn't let me send you an email directly...

As you asked, our roadster has transverse rear spring. Open drive shaft on a 48 banjo rear. We did the fairly typical and easy thing to run our T5. Used the adapter from Hot Rod Works that bolts up to the rear pinion. Beefed up the rear radius rods to include a second bar on each side making them kinda like "ladder bars". Got the idea here on the HAMB. Was it a Rolling Bones design or similar? You may find in on here with a search.

Did this instead of a single torque bar. Added a rear pan bar though. Split front A wish bones.

Our engine is from a 49 truck. Used the stock two piece truck bell housing and attached the T5 to it with the aluminum adapter (pretty much just a 1" thick aluminum plate). Used the truck clutch and flywheel and sandwiched in an Astro van clutch disc that splines up with the T5. This all works very well. Absolutely no problems after four years on the road. See video below...

Ours is a "non world class" T5 with the more forward mounted shifter. Comes up through the floor in nearly the same spot as an original shifter. Picked up an original late 30's shift lever and welded it to the T5 shifter handle. Of course you can get an after market shifter that will shorten the throws into each gear.

Just can't imagine a better tranny upgrade for this. The T5 makes the car so much easier to drive and more enjoyable. I have a stock 36 sedan with standard three speed and at 60 MPH it's wound tight!

Got most of my parts from Sid at Nostalgia Sid's here in Oklahoma.

 

Thanks you guys! I keep going back and forth... Do I do the simple thing and put a 39 trans in (which looks like it will cost about $1000 or the T5 $550 or so for the kit then about $150 for splitting bones with mount and $250 open drive plus drive shaft and some kind of torque arm. So $ wise its probably a wash. Work wise it is more but then I have overdrive and an extra gear.

 

I know this is semi bad advise, but here goes:

The flathead and a T5 is a good match, possible a match made in heaven, and it comes down to how much cutting and welding are you willing to do.

And more importantly, will you be able to do it your self? If you have to farm it out?

Because if it involves paying a guy to cut the rearend, re engine a new one in, do to cross member swaps and fab up misc parts. And pay him

Compared to locating a toploader converted gearbox from a ford/jeep, re gear rearend and run a bigger tires.

But a important factor is also do you plan to drive highway speeds or are you gonna bump around town and acesuanly hit highway speeds.


There are more ways to skin a cat!! ️

 

Have one in my roadster with Cornhusker adapter, hydraulic clutch, 3.70 gear & adapted '39 shifter.
About 1800 RPM at 60MPH on the hwy - I love it!!!

 

Doing work myself and none of it is major surgery.
I have not heard one person here or on FordBarn that has regretted doing it, They have all said it is a major improvement over the 3 speed.
I think I am planning on running the banjo even though I have a completely rebuilt 8" brakes and all sitting in garage. But with Banjo I can run my wide 5's (well guess I could with 8" if I run adapters)

 

Have a 93 Mustang T-5 behind my flattie (8-BA) with a 8 inch Maverick 3:55 rear end. Best improvement I ever did. Used the simple 1" aluminum adapter plate to mate it to the engine. Go for it.

 

Do you have a picture of your adapter plate?

 

Running a '49 8BA with a S-10 T-5, open drive line banjo, 3.25 gears, transverse spring, split '36 radius rods and a torque arm in 1938 Tudor Standard in avatar. All done by me...Best thing I ever did!

 

JUST DO IT AND YOU WILL NEVER BE SORRY1

 

Dimensions for the factory ford hogs head bell housing adaptor can be found here: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/shoebox-flathead-to-t5-adapter-plate.625273/

 

There's a thread going on the Speedway kit that you might want to read:
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/flathead-t5-racket-–-fool-me-once.973895/

 

Good read. Thanks was planning on using the cornhusker adapter and he sounds like he is up on it.

 

What year s10 T5 should I be looking for?? I'm considering putting one behind my 8ba flathead.. I know some of the early (1984) are 4 speeds??

Thanks.

 

Years to look for?

 

Originally we built this ol jalopy with a std 3 speed and 3.5 gears with 750x16 tyres. Hummed along just fine and would keep up with anything with a 260 merc motor.
Got a wild idea we needed a 5 speed. The engineering is never as nice when you do it with the body still on the frame, but we got it done ,all at home. It does rev lower now obviously but shifts smoother , the drop in highway revs is not wildly noticeable as it's a non world class with I think .85 O/D. Did have a few surprises on the install clutch shaft hit the starter in RHD , yes the bellhousing was for a RHD set up.
It's faster in the first few 100 yds than a lot of Overheads,with the low first gear, then they drive by at the drags, who cares it's a bunch of fun.
Would I do it again, sure in the right car, with the body off the frame.

 

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/posts/1873144/
This will get you headed in the righ direction , a link to flat Ernies ultimate T5 tech thread.

 

It's a 3:40 gearset in the 8" - pretty hard to find but they are out there, mostly in Mustang IIs ....

 

My avatar has a 5-speed, .8 5th gear, 2500 rpm at 75 mph and I have been all over in it. Hums right along and yes, I would do it all again in a heartbeat ....