t5 in a 63 belair wagon help!!

heres the deal: i want to put a t5 in my 63 wagon. it has a 250 inline 6 in it with a saginaw 3 speed manual.

heres the problem: ive looked all ove rthe internet for this swap and found info on camaro t5s with s10 tailshafts and whatnot, but i havent found much info on the clutch setup.

can i use my linkage with these? is the throwout bearing in the same spot and operate the same as the one on my 3speed?

and to anyone who may have done this in an impala, obviously the t5 is longer than the 3speed, but does the x frame interfere with the tailshaft?

thanks guys, any help will be appreciated!!!

 

I did this on my 61 belair, it was one of the easiest swaps ever, I had to have my driveline shortened just a hair but the x member wasnt an issue and the tranny mount was the mounting holes I did have to switch to a hydrolic clutch. are you palling on keeping the straight six? I ended up swapping to a SBC 283 let me know if you have any questions I would be happy to help you anyway i can

[email protected]

 

i want to keep the 250. some pics of yours would be awesome. i still havent bought a tranny, because i want to get a list of everything i need and try to do it right the first time!!

 

Explain the need for a hydraulically actuated clutch. It would seem to me if you were to use a GM spec T5 behind a small block or the late six (230, 250, 292), the stock bellhousing and mechanical clutch linkage should work as long as you use a throwout bearing sized properly to the input shaft collar.

 

I thought I had some pics on my photo bucket but all I have is putting the 283 in the beast

 

eddie, what tranny do you have? camaro or s10? and what year?
i have a few drivelines for the belair, one of them is the original from the 327/pg thats like 4" shorter than my 3speed driveline

 

you can use your stock clutch set up ,you just need a disc to fit the new trans , i cut the input shaft and coller about 1 inch and cut the drive shaft and make the holes alittle bigger on the trans were you bolt it up thats it ,i had a stock 3 sp in my 55 chevy now it's a 5 sp very ez

 

you'll need the s-10 to clear the bench seat

 

thank you! are you guys using the camaro t5 or s10? would the 2.8 v6 s10 tranny work? i just found one on craigslist for $200

 

check out www.chevytalk.com for info on your upgrade. early s10 is the trans you want as later ones have electronic speedometer. do a search here on t5

 

i wasnt quick enough, thanks tommy!

 

yes you need the S-10 or you'll have a custom bench seat like I did :/ haha! I have since sold the car, I forget why i went with the hyrdo clutch but I remember loving it.

 

i think that would work fine with the 6 , i got one last week for $150

 

yes i think 89 and up are electronic,mine is an 83 s-10

 

I'm looking at this same deal for my '50 Chevy, a 250/T5 combo. What I've been able to gather so far:

The trans has the same bolt pattern but the input shaft is an inch or so too long, since frame space is at a premium in the X-frame cars you may as well shorten the input shaft and modify the bearing retainer and then it should bolt right up (the bolt holes need to be opened a bit for standard fasteners). (you can also make up a spacer plate similar to the one for T5 to 54-back Chevy car bellhousing). You'll have to measure the old and the new trans and see how much if any the driveshaft needs to be shortened. The rest should all be straightforward - you'll need a clutch disc that matches the T5, but the clutch in the car now should work, you're not moving anything around. If the existing trans mount won't work there's no shortage of aftermarket ones, just be sure to line any new holes in the frame with a piece of tubing to brace them up.



And be aware that 86-89 S10s had a T4 optional as well as the T5 - they're not supposed to have the bulge in the tail for the OD, but some do, making the trans visually identical except that it only shifts into 4 gears.

 

There's a T5 to stovebolt link done by Tony (I think) in the T5 Tech in my sig line...

 

Just wondering, will that 6 have enough to pull that heavy car in fifth gear or will a rear gear change be needed?

 

im kinda in the same boat as u , im in the process of runninng a 292 / t5 combo in my 59 chev wagon . i came into problems with my linkage when i decided to run headers , there was no room because of the x frame n the headers , so i ended up getting a 62 chevy truck bell housing which has the clutch fork on the passanger side , n comes with a hydrolic slave cyclander which solved that problem , but now i have to find a S-10 TAILSHAFT since my T -5 was out of n 86 camaro n it puts the shifter way too far back .but so far things are bolting up with no prob.