y-block T5 conversion - a will, a mill and a way

This story started after I scrounged up the required parts to put together a T5 behind a Y-block for my '36 truck project but didn't have the knowledge or handiness to mash them together. I visited my local machine shop, but they didn't think they could put them together without being cost prohibitive. I called Mummert in CA, but they had a 3-week turn around. That was looking to be my best option until my favorite boss mentioned that her brother had a well equipped machine shop behind his house as he used to build Battle Bots. So, a quick call later and we set off to make my truck a 5-speed.

Parts were:
- Truck Y-block bellhousing - PN TAAM-7505-B
- WC T-5 from a '93ish Mustang
- 1" threaded rod
- Industrial robot-building loctite

Examples of T5 conversions referenced:
Mummerts - http://ford-y-block.com/t5in-trucks.htm
The $589 T5 swap in a 59 F100 - http://www.y-blocksforever.com/forums/Topic36580-3-1.aspx?Highlight=t5
The T5 is in! http://www.y-blocksforever.com/forums/Topic15164-4-1.aspx
T5 Transmission install - http://badgerlandf100s.com/techcorner/index2.html

Also used was a template from a T5 bolt pattern .dxf file to make sure we didn't make a big bellhousing shaped paperweight. The .dxf file is attached to the post. On to the action:

First, we scratched our heads and thought about the best way to attack the problem. Scott is a retired engineer, so I presented the ways I had seen the problem solved and asked for his input. We came to the conclusion that we would try for a purely mechanical connection, since he has a CNC mill and no high nickel welding rods and we thought this would hold as well or better than a soldered connection. We would drill and tap holes in the bellhousing to accept 1" threaded rod and then tap the threaded rod to accept the 7/16" transmission bolts. Worse come to worse, solder or high nickel welds could be added later.

After we had a plan of action, we set to work. First, we had to open up the locating hole to accept the T5 bearing retainer. The bellhousing got clamped down to the table and we located the center of the hole. It was a few thousandth's off, but we'll clean that up.

Next, we tested the mill's threading program on a chunk of aluminum. It worked. So we loaded the bellhousing back up and located it using the two lower bolts. We input the coordinates and eyeballed the path of the mill vs. the template and it looked good.

So, lets make some chips... Cutting with an end mill because a drill bit might skip down the face of the bellhousing.

The first cut left an interesting path in the bellhousing...

Threaded hole...

Drilling the threaded rod...

Test fitting the drilled, tapped, chamfered beautiful threaded rod, Scott knows his way around a mill...

Sending the thread cutter in for hole #2

Tapping rod #2...

Cleaning and installing both rods...

Here's the whole set-up, waiting to hit the frame and get some mounts made...

I hope these are the right parts... Those are just placeholder bolts in the rods, real bolts coming soon...




Thanks for looking, I'm hope there will be some opinions on this and I'll keep some updates coming as the installation moves along.

ken

 

Simple in concept and elegant in execution. Impressive.

 

Very cool!

 

great thread so far! keep up updated.

 

Great work and I learn something every visit to the Hamb site.Currently I have Y block on the engine stand but nothing to put it in but I am sure I will buy/build something for it to power. Thanks for the post.

 

Thanks for the comments everyone. I'm just hoping to pass on some of what I learned from Scott. One thing I left out in the initial description - because a 1" tap would be unwieldy in the oddly shaped hole, Scott wrote up a program on the mill to send a thread cutter down in a helical pattern that essentially chases the thread pattern (1"-14) down the hole drilled in the bellhousing. This was a recycled program from when he broke several taps trying to tap an anvil and developed the tapping program on the mill.

thanks,
ken

 

looking forward to hearing how this works out for you ! looks good so far

 

So, is the Mustang WC T5 input shaft the exact length that you need when using a truck bellhousing?

Just of the top of my head, aren't the T5 adaptors for the car bellhousing also a spacer? That would mean there is a front-to-back depth difference in the car and truck bellhousings?


I'll also be doing this soon, and have access to either bellhousing, so just need to figure out which way to go.

Thanks alot for posting this!


Malcolm

 

Malcolm, you're right, the truck bellhousings are deeper than the car types.

 

Malcolm - From my dry fit measurements, I think I'm going to have to take off 1/16" - 1/8" from the input shaft.

I don't have a car bellhousing handy, but I am assuming that is the difference between the T-bird adapter plate and the modification that Mummert sells. Matt2491 confirms as well.

 

BTT for the weekend

 

That is a great thread! Great pics as well, and a very creative fix! As a CNC machinist I am very impressed by your machinists' creativity and ability to think outside the box! Very nice!!!

 

Just curious, but what kinda software is he using? I use MasterCam and it has an easy-to-use threadmill cycle where you define your tool, thread pitch and such, then just create a circle the size of the OD of the bolt and go. But then again he's obviously got it figured out so why mess with it?

 

Zookeeper - I think he said it was the model released prior to one with MasterCam; his mill has a integral monitor and keypad, you enter the programs and coordinates there. It has a proprietary language where you enter several variables and they control the toolpath. I think one of the variables was similar to the "threadmill cycle" and he modified it to work here. Thanks for looking.

 

Bump for a little more exposure.

 

Pretty slick! Keep us updated.

 

Yes indeed, very nice work. I am continually amazed at the talent on the Hamb.


.

 

Great post. BTT

 

anything ever come of this? I am exploring all options for the Y block I have in my 58 F-100

 

This is a pretty easy job to do if you have the tools, I've done four or five of them myself, I highly recomend it as it makes highway cruising much more comfortable. I drove my '58 to Bonneville last year with my 1900 lb camper and it pulled O/D just fine even in the high desert.

 

mctim64, ive been browsing through old threads all morning long as its slow in the office today... I have seen a number of your posts on other threads and have copied and pasted elsewhere on my computer for reference... seems my issue now is just finding the right T5 that hadnt been blessed by the ghost of Henry Ford for what some of the locals want them for around here price wise... just curious if this one job was ever finished...

 

I dig it

 

This has been slow going on my end for all kinds of boring reasons, but I will try and get a build thread going to keep me honest. I haven't gotten much further with the adaptation, just working on suspension and motor mounting and frame repair in the last few months. Thanks for the interest and let me know if I can share any other photos or anything.

 

I am in the middle of doing this conversion. My bellhousing is finished. I need to find what application the clutch disc, pressure plate and throwout bearing is for so I can order those parts. I am not able to cross reference the numbers you have on the boxes in the photos.

 

My truck is on the road. Few thousand mikes into it and so far so good. Just about any 60's and up 11" clutch disc works. At least for me I used a 70's truck for reference. The old three speed input shaft housing was cut off and we used it as a sleeve over the t5 input housing to keep the stock throwout bearing. Stock pilot bushing was same size. I got lucky and had a driveshaft out in my pile that was the right length and took the stock '56 u joints. I didn't have to cut a shaft! My total investment was under $200 including the Trans. T5 $100. Clutch disc $44. One threaded insert $3. Trans Fluid $15. Surface flywheel $25.


Please come to the Symco Shakedown. It's only $10! Aug 9-10, 2013.

 

Any pics of the finished product installed?

 

Keep it coming NB,I PLAN ON PUTTING A T5 WC IN MY 56 VICKY.

 

This just proves that there is more than one way to skin a cat. Great fab work Thanks for sharing.

 

My first attempt at this conversion ended in disaster, I dropped off my bell housing at a local machinist to have the holes bored and the slugs made. I told him I would pick it up and take it home to do the welding. He calls and says it all finished, I went over to pick it up and notice all the welds are all cracked. He tells me, no problem I'll reweld it. He ended up making it worse and paying me to buy a replacement bell housing. I have no idea why he decided to weld it.
I'll use a different machinist on the replacement bell housing.