I installed an S10 T5 trans in my friend's 34 ford. I had to cut most of the stock trans cover to get the trans in. Does anyone have a picture of the floor hump of an S10 with a T5? I want to see if it would be worth cutting the hump out of an S10 to cover the new trans.
Duh, I wish I had thought of that. Most of the junk yards in NJ don't allow browsing. I may have to take a road trip to one of the ones I visit in PA. I figured it would be easy to ask if anyone had a picture since S10s are so common. I'll try cruising the local mall or Tractor Supply to see if I can spot an S10. I hope I don't get harassed for peeking in the windows!
Floor shaping is dependant on a lot of factors other than just the trans. In the case of an S 10 I'd expect that, no matter which style, 4x4 or 2x4, the floor pan is designed to fit the configuration with the least underbody clearance. That way, the factory only has to deal with one carpet, one floor pan, one style of seat mounting etc...so its doubtful that the hump "hugs" the trans and would give a good fit to an early Ford. Also consider that modern vehicles have a Cat that requires a floor hump for heat transfer considerations. All those shapes and bumps generally blend into the trans hump to give increased rigidity to the pan. Personally...I'd fab a floor hump for the 34 and go for maximum interior space, while still allowing air movement around the trans.
Bill- I was thinking of the 2x2 since that floor would not have to deal with the transfer case. I would fab a floor myself but working at my friend's place, 60 miles away, limits my ability to do much metal forming. I had him buy some sheet metal from Home Depot but creating a hump from a flat sheet is difficult. Your tip about the hump over a "cat" is a good one. I'll look into that. The T5 is almost flat on the top with the sides only and inch or two off the '34s flat floor. I think the cat hump would be easy to modify to cover the hole. Thanks, again, Bill!
I looked at some pictures on the S10 forums. It appears the trans in an S10 is farther forward than it is in the '34. The '34 has a small setback in the middle of the firewall and the toe boards are right at the line between the bellhousing and the trans. The S10 floor would not cover the trans near the bellhousing. I think I'll do some more checking on floor pans covering cats, as suggested by Hackerbilt. I'm thinking that the floor covering the cat of a FWD car would give me enough to cover the trans.
Hmmmm...I wasn't actually "suggesting" that you could use any part of an original floorpan! I just meant that an original pan is "lumpy" and might not work as easy as you expect. Why don't you post a pic of what you're trying to cover up and everyone CAN make some reasonable suggestions!
I'd think it would be simpler to build your own floor hump for the trans than try to use one out of an S-10. If you aren't a great fabricator or metal bender start looking for things that can be modified to work and look right. Example my buddy used one of those smaller steel wheel barrows as the setback for the engine on his Model A when he built it in the 70's. It made for a very clean and smooth recess for the engine. Something like that narrowed and trimmed down might just make a smooth trans hump in that car that looks like you spent two days shaping it.
"Hmmmm...I wasn't actually "suggesting" that you could use any part of an original floorpan!" I was the one thinking of using part of the S10 hump! Yes, you are correct- the S10 hump is lumpy and doesn't follow the contour of the T5. I can't spend the time to fab a hump as I have a limited time to spend at my friend's house. It is a two hour drive, one way, and he has limited facilities to hammer out a good piece. Bill mentioned the floor covering a cat converter in a late model car. I think that would at least get me a start. I've checked the dimensions and it looks like I'll need 12" to 13" to cover the hole that is left. I think the floor covering a cat will be big enough to modify and use to cover the hole. I'll take some pictures the next time I visit. He is going to the Louisville Nats (in his late model) this week so I won't be working on his car until Aug 8 or so.
Looks like A/C duct work, you can make your own tunnel bend flat sheet metal around a large pipe or telephone pole, and for the bell housing area make it out of 2 or 3 pieces bent over your knee. Godspeed MrC
slddnmatt- That's WAY too high! I only need a hump about 2" to 3" high. Where would you put the gas pedal with that high of a hump?
that was as tight as i could fit it to how the guy had it mounted in his frame and have a smooth radiused hump..i think the shifter plate was about a 1/4" from hitting..I didnt do the install, so i work with what im handed
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