Technical 1953 Ford flathead T5 conversion

Steve:
You at least have an S10 tailshaft assembly with a mechanical speedometer port. That alone is rare, desireable, and worth some bucks, maybe not $450, but certainly half that.

And all due respect to jseery, a low horsepower flathead will be more than fine with a NWC T5.

 

Has a tailshaft and a cover! You may be able to switch the gears out, but I'm really not up on NWC T5. You could sell it and buy a Ford pattern T5 with the gearing you want but then you don't have a tailhousing!

 

I hear you guys. If I could just change the gears out it would be great. I have to start digging around the Internet.

 

You can switch the gears out, but you'd still have the Chevy bolt pattern, besides a gearset will cost more than a second-hand Mustang T5.

The point I'm making is to mate a Ford pattern T5 (with the Ford input shaft that has 5/8" adapters and pilot bushings available) that already has the gears you want to the Chevy S10 tail.

Keep this in mind, if you wanted to just buy "cash-and-carry" a hybrid T5 for a swap into a Ford flathead it would cost you north of $1600. Anything you can do for less than that is a bargain.

 

Mike51Merc- I think what's happening now is I'm getting confused on the whole hybrid swap. I guess what I really to know will the tail housing off the transmission I have now hook up to a mustang t5 transmission front section?

 

Ok, here is something I know nothing about, so you are warned LOL. I run a Ford T5Z in my 33 coupe and did not want to change the tailshaft out (new transmission from Ford Motor Sports). I use a remote shifter (which is hidden). Now into what I don't know, I have no idea where the shifter would end up on a 53 Ford. Any chance you can use the Ford pattern T5 without changing the tailshaft? On the earlier Ford the idea is to get the shifter near the original location (the S10 is really nowhere near the correct position but a lot further forward than the Ford). Is that required on the 53?

 

Found this in a search

 

Yes, yes, at long last, yes! That's where the word "hybrid" comes in. Ford front, Chevy rear. Done deal, Bob's your uncle (a British expression like the French "voila").

Now go find yourself a $150 Mustang T5 at the junkyard, or pay somebody $300 for one they got for $150 at the junkyard. Either way, check out the bearings, etc. and you're good to go with the gears you want, the S10 shifter location you want, and the Ford adapter plate you want.

 

Yep, that is similar to what I am doing, but my shifter is much further forward and lowered so it's not so obvious. Something like the attached.

 

Might add a couple of adapter photos on the cast bellhousing while I'm at it, Ford pattern again. Believe this are on an Australian bellhousing so it is right hand drive and reversed.

 

Thanks for clearing that up uncle Bob. Lol

 

- That's what I'm going to do. Still have to figure out what years will work.WC or NWC and then I'm dialed in.

 

Excellent.
Remember, we don't do these things because they are easy. We do them because they are hard.

 

Wilcap makes a new adapter kit that bolts all GM auto trannys to ford
8AB blocks

 

Have you measured to see where the S-10 shift handle would come through the floorboard?
Most guys with earlier cars like the shifter up forward where it was originally on 30 something cars and trucks and hence the S-10 trans but it may be that he Mustang style shifter would fit the 53 better if it clears the seat.

 

Here's an interesting link for you:

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/t5-tailshaft-swap-for-dummies-with-pictures.280529/

 

Get ahold of Bigdeuce here on the HAMB as he is a expert on these trannys.

 

Guys, I have give this some more thought. This might be a little more than I can handle in my garage. I might be leaning towards putting a an automatic trans with a Lokar top loader. It would actually cost me less money then doing a 5 speed swap. Again thanks for all your info to this point. I will keep you all posted on what rout I take along with some photos of the process just incase someone else is thinking the same thing I am.

 

Just in clarification of my earlier posts suggesting a Ford front section and S10 tail, I've spoken with my transmission guy and it's a little more complex than just swapping tail housings like I previously said. The S10 mainshaft has to be used, so the box needs disassembly. Not impossible, just more difficult.

And to Steve, here's something to think about, how about an original Borg Warner Ford 3 speed overdrive transmission? Sorry, but I'm just a three pedal guy.

 

I hear that all the time, if you look at an S10 install it is nowhere near the original location. Better than the Ford T5 but nowhere near the original.

 

Obviously every car is different, and Shoebox Fords never had OEM floor shifter locations, but clearly the point is to avoid the bench seat. Just for the sake of even more discussion, Isuzu Rodeos and Chevy Astro vans had T5 shifters between the Mustang and S-10 locations.

 

I am concerned with the suggestion that you need to use a WC T5 here. Yes it would be nice, but this is a low horsepower motor, heck, I just bought a non-world class s-10 t5 for my conversion.

 

The concern is not the NWC T5 per say, it is the poor gearing in it and the suggestion that a NWC T5 was not worth all the effort to rebuild with better gears. I would never use a NWC T5 myself, but a lot of folks do. I'm a little more interested in performance! Hot Rodders have used the stock transmissions for years, so obviously a weaker transmission will work and the NWC will give you the overdrive. I just can't see going to all the effort to do a conversion and using inferior poorly matched parts (gear ratios), but they will work.

 

NWC's came with a large variety of gearing and there's nothing wrong/different/weaker concerning the gears themselves. I'll grant you the WC has improvements, but NWCs are very good transmissions for street cars.

Changing gearing can enable the transmission to handle a stronger engine, but it doesn't make the transmission itself stronger. Changing gearing causes the transmission to be subject to less stress. Going from a 4.01:1 first gear to a 2.95:1 first gear means that the transmission is subject to roughly 25% less torque multiplication.

 

Not really interested in pursuing this because I have "zero" interest in NWC T5s and I also have no issue of any kind with anyone who loves them. But I don't believe you are correct on the ft-lb ratings on NWC and WC T5s. The WC has so much more to offer I just have no interest in the NWC units. This is partly because I build and work on several high performance mustangs and actually only use T5Zs. I like the T5Z and use them in my Hot Rod builds as well. If anyone feels the NWC T5 meets their needs, use them. You might save some money. I know little about them and, as already stated, have no interest in them. However, they are not the transmission a WC is and definitely not the transmission a T5Z is.
NWC 2.95 gearing Torque Rating ~265 ft/lb
NWC 3.97 gearing Torque Rating ~240 ft/lb
89 Mustang T5 Torque Rating ~265 ft/lb
90-93 Mustang T5 Torque Rating ~300 ft/lb
Ford T5Z 2.95 Torque Rating ~330 ft/lb
Now for any given transmission it will depend on the gears, etc. and these are just examples. Just think folks need to be informed when they go transmission shopping. If a NWC T5 meets your needs then that would be the way to go.

 

Try Bruce at Modern Drive Line very knowledgeable and great prices 208 453 9800

 

So.... Made a total U Turn on my Ford and I'm sure I'm gonna hear from all the Ford lovers..

 

Yes... It's a Chevy 350/350 motor n trans.

 

For what its worth I have a c-4 adapted to my stock flathead it came with a Fordomatic with 3.54 gears. Not a hot rod, but it does ok till you want to run interstate.