Technical Converting a T-5 to a short throw

I was reading a post and a member mentioned in the conversation that he had converted his T-5 to a short throw, I assume the shiftier itself travels a shorter distance.

I have the 5 speed Ford transmission in the Ranch Wagon and the shiftier travel could use shortening, 5th gear is stretch, I guess I have been living under a rock and was unaware that this is possible, what is involved in this modification? HRP

 

Essentially the short throw shifter raises the pivot point of the lever while everything else stays in the same location. This increases the travel using the same amount of shifter throw thus resulting in not as much shifter throw needed to change gears. Some people have modified their arms and added a spacer. There are ones available for purchase too (I think someone on here sells them). I purchased an inexpensive one off that auction sight. It's for a Ford T5 but I will shorten the base plate and drill a couple of new holes to use with my S10 T5. Plenty of articles out there on this.

 

It is my understanding that you can buy an aftermarket short throw shifter and bolt it on. I know that a Mustang transmission has a bit of a different bolt pattern than on a S-10 unit. If they were the same I would have already put on in my coupe. Hope that helps.

 

Unfortunately, when I did mine I did not take many pictures. This is the only one I can find.


The hole in the shifter you see in the picture is the old pivot point. I drilled another hole (about one inch) above that one. In the picture, the pin has already been inserted in the new hole. This changes the pivot point, increasing the length of the shifter below the pin, and essentially, shortening the throw above the pivot point.

The only remaining thing is to raise the mounting plate by same distance that your new hole was from the old one. You can see in the picture the white material I used for the spacer - two layers of one of my wifes cutting boards which was made of some sort of plastic/rubber material. The cutting board was initially intended to be for mockup only, as it was easy to cut on the band saw, but it has held up fine, and I see no reason to change it at this point.

 

I bought a cheapie shifter and modified it. They work great (this is my second) . You can see it in this thread below. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...hop-truck-project.872678/page-2#post-10577051

 

For the guys that have done this, Is it as simple as removing the original and replacing it with the aftermarket piece on a Ford transmission? HRP

This is the one I saw on egay.

 

Yes, it is. That looks like the exact one I bought

 

HRP that one is for a Mustang T5. The S10 bolt pattern is shorter as shown in Tman's thread to use with an S10 housing it needs to be modified. He did what I am intending to do with mine. Fortunately the entire bottom is flat and wont affect any sealing. But if you're using a Mustang transmission you should be good to go out of the box.

 

I think his is a Mustang T5

 

Kato Kings on here makes a nice S10 short throw shifter. I've sold several to customers with good results.

 

Yes sir it is, when I installed the long Hurst shiftier arm in the wagon that was once in my 63 1/2 Falcon Sprint I was, and still am happy with it but it is a looong throw and when Brenda drives the car,even with the seat moved up as far as possible she struggles to get it in 5th gear. HRP

You can see how far the shiftier travels with these two photo's.

 

Try one of those cheapie then. I think I paid $50? for mine?

 

The transmission was rebuilt shortly before I bought the car I robed it from, I drove it and there was absolutely no rattle or side to side play, does this conversion tighten the shiftier up? HRP

 

Yes, they have adjustable stops and a delrin bushing that makes them smooth and tight

 

Putting this down as a future project for my '40 coupe. Like Danny, I'm using a Mustang T5 and a Hurst long lever. And like Danny, I ain't real pleased with the long throw between gear positions!
There's pair of brothers here in town that recently started up a hot rod shop specializing in Fords in general and Mustangs in particular that I've been wanting to visit and since I like to purchase locally when I can, this is a good excuse to go for a visit!

 

As Simplestone points out, it's just a matter of drilling a new hole in the shifter to raise the pivot point and adding a spacer under the base the same thickness. I've done this on a number of OT cars, really makes a nice difference in the feel and travel when changing gears.

 

Would you guys suggest I go ahead and order a new bronze bushing to replace the plastic one while I've got it apart? HRP

 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Good question.

 

Danny, If I was going to tackle that project I would replace the bushing, we all know that plastic wears out and you have been driving the car for about 8 years . I remember you telling me you bought the car from your friend's wife after he passed away and that he had rebuilt the engine and transmission a few years before you bought the mustang.

If I were you and it's not expensive I would replace it.

 

@Mimilan posted a how to to modify the t5/t56 factory shifters. I can’t access it on my phone, but it’s worth the read and info on aftermarket shifters v factory. I don’t recall them shortening the throw, but it improves the shifting quite a bit..and they road race the cars

 

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/improving-the-shifting-on-a-t5.1189127/

 

That was a great thread, thanks!

 

The bushing you are referring to? Is that the shifter cup in the offset lever?
If so replace it with a new one, But keep the plastic [Delrin] bushing. [approx $5-$6]

Bronze bushings are machined with extra clearance to stop binding [you can feel the difference]

The Delrin bushing is machined slightly concave [ball shaped] on the inside, Which is why the click into place and usually come out still stuck on the lever when removed.
The Delrin ball pivots on the lever ball end, And also floats slightly up/down in the offset lever.

 

I ordered one today and also ordered the new bronze bushing, I'll let you guy's know how everything works out. HRP

 

Without reading the whole thread, I will proceed.
This probably surfaced on here about 10 or 12 years ago and several times in between. There is a thread on here or somewhere related about it now but I will describe briefly how I did it. The basic idea is the same for all conversions of this type. It is a matter of lever ratios.
I was using my car at the time for outlaw rally racing and autocross. These require very violent shifting, mostly between 1 and 2 for autocross and rarely above 3 for outlaw rally. I used the button shifting method (no clutch) most of the time with the button mounted just below the knob so I could reach it with my 3rd finger.
I made a simple short throw shifter with a 2 inch riser block under the shift top and a modified stock stick. (drilled with welded extension rod). It was evident after a broken stick at the pivot hole the stock one was not going to work. I made a whole new one from HT4340 bar stock and added .200 to all dimensions. This gave enough edge margin around the pivot hole to stop the problems. With a 14 inch stick, the knob moves 4 inches from 1 to 2.
I made a few other mods for racing that are not needed for street use. The transmission was a WC T5 with a #202 SVO gear set and other race mods.
Poor quality pic but that is all there is.

 

I drove the wagon to Brenda's shop this morning and was thinking what a big improvement the short throw shiftier would be. HRP

 

Brenda & I just measured the throw on the shiftier and it measures 12 3/4" after I replace the original shiftier with the short throw I will post the distance of the new one. HRP

 

Hey Danny, are you going to try this modification?

 

Yes John, I ordered the parts yesterday and they should arrive this weekend, I will take photo's and report back on how wekk it works. HRP

 

That's supposed to be a pretty straight forward swap if you get the right shifter. They have them all over the place for the Mustang transmissions, a bit harder to find for the S-10 trans.