Take two, seams I did the last topic in the wrong place, and didn't get to read the replies. What I want to know is what some of you guys out there have done to put 4 speed box's (or 5 speed) behind a Y block, what's good, what bell housing was used, what modifications were needed. I'm open to all suggestions.
This is what we used in my mom's 57 T-Bird. http://www.ford-y-block.com/truckt5.htm Very nice piece and it worked perfectly.
An early top loader should bolt right up. I used a t-5 with the mummert adapter and there is no other transmission I would want behind a yblock than an overdrive manual transmission. Yblocks hate spinning, and overdrives keep them happy
Thanks guys, was probably leaning towards a t5 conversion. There aren't any conversion kits done in Australia that I know of, and there are quite a few different types of t5's as well
Ford or Chevy T 5 will work. The Ford is better geared and some say stronger. Only real issue with the Ford T5 is it has a longer tail shaft and the shifter sits far back. Chevy ones have the shifter more towards the center of the trans and allow for better fitting in tight cars or when using a bench seat. I was planning to use a T5 out of an early Chevy S10 pick up that has a 4 cyl and bolting it up to my stock Y block. You can swap the tail shafts so you can use the ford trans but I'm not schooled on that. From my teletype.
The "traditional " way would be to use a Borg-Warner 3 spd overdrive trans.(55-57) There is one on Ebay for $75 plus shipping
Really traditional would be great, and apart from the fact that I've never seen a borgwarner 3 speed overdrive before, i live a long way from any where, any rod run we go to is a minimum 200km away, about 2 hours drive. A top loader was my first option but I'm leaning towards a t5. What bell housing are you guys using for your conversions, cable or hydraulic clutch, standard y block flywheel?
You need a Foxbody 5.0 T5. That's what we put in mom's bird and she cruises on the high way at about 70mph.
It can be done with an adapter. It lets you keep your original bell housing, flywheel, bell crank set up. I've got one for sale. I bought it for a fairlane I had. I sold the car before I used it.
I put a T5 in my 57 Ford and it's about the best thing I've done to this car. If your driving long distances the overdrive sure makes it bearable.
To fit a toploader you just use the bellhousing from a passenger car. I used one from 56 but Think they are all the same. If you have a small block toploader you have to shorten the nose of the input shaft about 1/4 inch.Just cut it and make a new cone at the end.Use the y block flywheel and clutch and a clutchdisc that fits the toploader and dia.of the clutch I built my own hydraulic clutch linkage
All my cars are built to drive long distances, without stopping for fuel at every third station. They all have an overdrive gear, or two. Wasting fuel, driving slowly, and unnecessarily wearing parts might be traditional, but but does not mean that they make sense, or are the right thing to do. "If you have always done it that way, it is probably wrong." - Charles Kettering