Technical T5 to a SBC

So me and my stepdad are doing some work on my grandmas old 65 c10. When my uncle was in high school he sbc/4speed swapped it. Step dad bought a t5 out of a firebird for it but we need a bell housing. Preferably just a used cheaper one. But don’t know exactly what we are looking for. Please help

 

It should use the same one as I am using a camaro one in my 65 Chevy truck.

 

Depending on what year Firechicken, up to '92 used the old Muncie bolt pattern. '93 and newer used the Ford bolt pattern. Also, the camaro/firebird gearbox was mounted on an angle and shifter was wonky angle. If you mount a camaro/firebird gearbox with the old bell housing , the rear trans mount will have to be custom made.

 

Here is a pic from another HAMBER that is using the camaro box in the non tilted position. Custom made rear mount. This is pic is taken looking towards the rear axle.

 

OR, get the bell housing that was made for the camaro application. It allows the shifter to stay put and no custom made trans mount. Second pic is for the '93 camaro and newer with Ford bolt pattern

 

Thank you very much. I’ll just try and find one from a fire bird. So one from the right years should just bolt right on to the 327? As well as not needing a custom rear tranny bracket?

 

Yes. Pay close attention to the oil type when you refill. 88-92 were world class units and used atf tranny fluid. Is the shifter for the camaro unit going to get in the way of the bench seat?

 

The shifter on a T5 from an F-body car is well back on the tail shaft and the install in a C10 will have the shifter coming through the floor barely in front of the seat. You can adapt a tailshaft from an S10 variant of the T5 which has the shifter mounted well forward of the tailshaft. You’ll also need to figure out the speedo gear while your at it unless you plan on running an electronic speedo.

Some good visuals here - https://lugnutz65chevystepside.weeb...en-a-camaro-t5-an-s10-t5-and-an-astro-t5.html

 

IF you use the s10 tail housing, its design is to be installed in the upright position, with a straight up shifter. Which is fine and dandy, but if you use the camaro box, upright with the s10 tail the fill hole is now lower since the gear box is rotated from its original place. There might be another boss plug hole on the case that is higher to use for proper filling level. All this is considered when picking out a bell housing, whether tilted or level.