My FMX to T5 Conversion Thread

Starting my T5 conversion thread this may help someone down the road.

I got a T5 off ebay described as "T5 out of a 89 5.0 Fox body Mustang"

$300 delivered from IL to CA (87.lbs)

Ebay is is a gamble for sure so do your research and ask questions before

bidding! Seller stated it was out of a wrecked 89 Fox Body he bought for

the interior and the trans had no issues according to the owner.



I could tell from the photos and the case # that it was a 94 WC T5. There

was no tag ID so it has been worked on and you can see the steel front

bearing retainer.

After taking delivery I confirmed the 94 T5 WC. I then measured the input

shaft length from the case and it was 7.2 in which is the earlier input shaft

for a fox body.

I was planning a bearing and Syncro refresh for this lump but after

inspection I think I will install and run it the way it is. maybe I got

lucky again? I put it in all gears effortlessly and it spins VERY smoothly

so I will take a chance and save the $300 for the rebuild kit for now.

Lucky? Well idunno it was delivered when I was at work and my wife was

home "WTH is THAT?"

I'll make a list with prices for all the other bits I collect for you future swappers.

Paul

In my experience, never trust a used T-5 unless you get a guarantee. I've rebuilt dozens of these. I would say that 100% of the time I've ever run across one with a steel bearing retainer, they have not been shimmed /installed correctly. Usually they are too tight out of the box so people sometimes just remove the shims altogether which makes the trans loose and sloppy. Incorrect fluids installed can ruin one in short order as well. The worst ones to work on are ones that someone was already inside of. A row through the gears is a poor indicator of a T-5's state of effectiveness. The tailshaft must be removed, as well as the top cover to inspect the synchronizer blocker rings and the clutching teeth on the gears.

This is an article I wrote a few years ago. It should tell you a few things to look for if you decide to crack it open.

http://www.mustangandfords.com/how-to/drivetrain/1305-drivetrain-maintenance/

A good T-5 is a commodity and a good one usually fetches around $550-$600 around these parts. I could sell them all day long for that price if I could find them any more to work on.

Maybe I'm just a naysayer but I hope you get lucky and it ends up being a good one.

Mike I agree 100%!

You should plan on doing a complete overhaul of any used transmission you pick up period!

I'm going to try this trans the way it is and see how it shifts and sounds I may get lucky

or it may come back out the same day I put it in for a complete overhaul.

Thanks for your thoughts.

BTW Nice Article! congrats I didn't know you were published well done sir!

Paul

Very cool, I did the exact same swap maybe two months ago. Just curious, what starter did you use? I only ask because it took me about a week and four different starters to find the right one.

I am still gathering parts.

I will use the starter MDL recommends.

Paul

In my experience, never trust a used T-5 unless you get a guarantee. I've rebuilt dozens of these. I would say that 100% of the time I've ever run across one with a steel bearing retainer, they have not been shimmed /installed correctly. Usually they are too tight out of the box so people sometimes just remove the shims altogether which makes the trans loose and sloppy. Incorrect fluids installed can ruin one in short order as well. The worst ones to work on are ones that someone was already inside of. A row through the gears is a poor indicator of a T-5's state of effectiveness. The tailshaft must be removed, as well as the top cover to inspect the synchronizer blocker rings and the clutching teeth on the gears.

This is an article I wrote a few years ago. It should tell you a few things to look for if you decide to crack it open.

http://www.mustangandfords.com/how-to/drivetrain/1305-drivetrain-maintenance/

A good T-5 is a commodity and a good one usually fetches around $550-$600 around these parts. I could sell them all day long for that price if I could find them any more to work on.

Maybe I'm just a naysayer but I hope you get lucky and it ends up being a good one.

Click to expand...

I bought my 73 mach 1 Q code with a T-5 manual about two months ago figuring out after the test drive the stick was really sloppy but shifted well in and out of the gears. What is your advise on fixing it or living with how sloppy it is even in gear?

Thanks

I am considering this conversion as well. I was planning on doing it a little further down the road but I happen to come along a good T-5 for cheap. By buddy ditched his 2000 Mustang V-6 trying to avoid a deer and they totaled the car. He bought it back to sell the parts off as the entire passenger side got peeled open like a tin can. Car only had 57K on it. My questions here are this...

It is for a 99-04 according to part number 1352-260. It there a better range of years to use one from when doing this conversion?

Is the T-5 from a V-6 car able to handle the power? 351c- 2v with headers, intake, 4bbl carb, Cam (TBD) or should I look for one from a 5.0?

He will sell it to me cheap. I have driven this car in the last year and the trans was perfect. Thoughts? Advice?

Bizkit73

There are a couple bushings in the shifter that could be warn.

The half ball one on the shifter stick that allows it to pivot

and one in the shift rail that the end of the stick plugs into

it's like a "cup".

You can PM MeZapU he is the authority on the T5

73 Pony

I believe the 96+ T5 uses a integral bell (T56?) that will not bolt up to the 5.0 pattern.

http://www.mustangandfords.com/news/mump-0208-five-speed-mustang-transmission/

87-93 T5 is good and also 94-95 but has input shaft length +abt an inch.

If you run a 94-95 T5 you need a 94-95 bell to match or change the input shaft

to the shorter 87-93 length for a 87-93 bell.

I have a 94 T5 with the shorter 87-93 input installed in it by the PO.

I'm staying away from the V6 bells as I've read of people having issues

with the starter location. I'm no expert but I need to get this swap

done quickly and don't want to fool around with the starter.

Good Luck

Paul

Thanks for the info. I think I am going to pass on his trans for the reasons you mentioned above plus I did read that starting in 99 they did not include provisions for gear driven speedo.

How difficult is it to go from a C6 to T5. I assume like in your case, a clutch system is needed, what about the shifter and all that stuff. Does the shifter aligns with the tunel hole in our cars or some kind of adapter is needed?

1971 M-code Mach 1

Bizkit73

There are a couple bushings in the shifter that could be warn.

The half ball one on the shifter stick that allows it to pivot

and one in the shift rail that the end of the stick plugs into

it's like a "cup".

You can PM MeZapU he is the authority on the T5

73 Pony

I believe the 96+ T5 uses a integral bell (T56?) that will not bolt up to the 5.0 pattern.

http://www.mustangandfords.com/news/mump-0208-five-speed-mustang-transmission/

87-93 T5 is good and also 94-95 but has input shaft length +abt an inch.

If you run a 94-95 T5 you need a 94-95 bell to match or change the input shaft

to the shorter 87-93 length for a 87-93 bell.

I have a 94 T5 with the shorter 87-93 input installed in it by the PO.

I'm staying away from the V6 bells as I've read of people having issues

with the starter location. I'm no expert but I need to get this swap

done quickly and don't want to fool around with the starter.

Good Luck

Paul

Click to expand...

Well I am also doing this same swap and am using a 95 mustang 5.0 T5 with the V6 bell. I haven't had any issues with the starter...I actually chose the V6 bell because it accepts the 164t flywheel. The 5.0's used a 157 tooth. The longer input length puts the shifter in the middle of the shifter hole and easier to grab, instead of an inch further forward. The V6 bell also has the release lever clocked in a better position for the cable to clear exhaust. I bought a gear reduction mini starter, retro fit for older ford manual trans. which I haven't installed yet.

What are the options for the pedals? I would like to avoid adding a z-bar if possible as I understand they are a PITA and even worse with headers. Just curious as to what your plans are or what others have done.

Modern Drive Line offers a clutch pedal that you add to your

71-3 auto pedal support. The pedal will work with linkage or

a clutch cable. A bit pricy at $175 for the pedal and $250

for the cable.

I'm looking at universal clutch cables and

may also modify a 5.0 cable to save $.

I'm going the cable route the original linkage bits are

way over priced and hard to find in good condition.

Paul

Modern Drive Line offers a clutch pedal that you add to your

71-3 auto pedal support. The pedal will work with linkage or

a clutch cable. A bit pricy at $175 for the pedal and $250

for the cable.

I'm looking at universal clutch cables and

may also modify a 5.0 cable to save $.

I'm going the cable route the original linkage bits are

way over priced and hard to find in good condition.

Paul

Click to expand...

So I assume then you pull out the brake pedal and cut it down and get a new cover for it?

I went with the MDL cable and added an oem pedal I was lucky to find on craigslist. I modified the pedal support myself using sealed roller bearings which was easier than you might think and maybe 20 bucks in parts. I cut the brake pedal to fit the manual pad, so really the biggest expense for me was the cable. Even if your car already has the oem z-bar set up in it, I wouldn't use it. Its too bulky and replacement parts are expensive and hard to source, IMHO. I also looked into doing a hydraulic setup, but that too is expensive and I haven't seen a good pedal to master cylinder linkage setup for our cars yet.

I agree with Ritchie

A zip disc is all it takes to make an auto brake

pedal fit the manual trans replacement pad just

be aware of the sparks and use a welding blanket.

No need to pull the support the replacement clutch

pedal installs in a different easier fashion than the original.

Unless you are young and have a good back pull the

driver seat out for access.

Paul

When I bought my Mustang, there was no driveline. Door tag said it was an automatic but the car had been modified with a clutch and cable. I believe the clutch pedal came from an 80's Mustang. They did a nice job incorporating the bushings and the cam (which sits on the right side of the pedal bracket) into the original assembly. They left the full size automatic transmission brake pedal in place? I bought a standard brake pedal pad and cut the pedal down to fit. To make the clutch pedal match I welded a strip of metal to the arm portion to match the thickness of the brake pedal. Then using the pieces I cut from the brake pedal, I built up the smaller 80's style cluch pedal to fit our larger Mustang clutch pad. I purchased a used V8 WC T-5 that included everything from the pressure plate to the driveshaft. Pressure plate was useless because it is weighted differently from ours so I had to buy a new one and the driveshaft was too short. Bought a new 50 inch driveshaft then obtained the correct u-jounts to fit the T-5 yoke and the 9 inch rear. You can buy the transmission crossmember but I just cut and extended my crossmember to fit. I bought an adjustable cable. Clutch pedal takes every bit of travel to disengage the clutch and it engages quickly. Changing to an aftermarket higher ratio cam has helped but I am not satisfied. Next spring I plan on dropping the transmission and extending the clutch fork pivot. That should take out some more of the travel.

Interesting

First I heard of a 5.0 style pedal on a 71-3.

Sucks that there is not enough travel!

can you shorten the release arm to get more travel?

Paul

The arm has a slot with a larger hole for installing the cable end. Then it narrows to cable width outwards to about 3/4 of and inch to the factory recessed resting place. I actually created a "perch" at the installation point to gain that 3/4 inch. Really didn't make much difference and trying to shorten the throw much more would put too much of an angle between the cable housing mount and the arm. Here is what the pedals looked like when I bought it.

lollerz and after...