Tech: put a 5 speed behind your flathead!

[Ridgerunner]

Trans is in!!!!!! Well kinda.......it is bolted up to the engine anyway.
It slid in like a dream, no problems. Next I have to build a mount/ x-member as the old one is not in the right place. I will pick up some box tube in the AM and hopefully get it welded up tomorrow.

A pic as proof..

Looks almost factory.

 

[tinman52]

I got the X member finished, it was a lot more work than I planned. It had to be fairly stout since I cut the center out of the original. I made it a bolt in deal also. It wraps around the outside of the frame....hopefully that will keep the frame from flexing too much.
The brake and clutch pedals are attached to the stub of the old X member, so that needed to be braced up as well.
Also got the drive shaft shortened and balanced....

The shifter sets about 8-10 inches farther back from stock,so I had to make a new hole in the cover....details, details.

Getting close to wrapping this up, still need to put the exhaust back on , etc.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Can't wait to see it done.

 

[Beach66Bum]

Can't wait to see it done.

X2 very nice work!

 

[tinman52]

Well, the trans is in. I got the cover and carpet installed and luckily the exhaust cleared the new X member just fine.

BUT.....when I went to back it out of the shop, I got some horrible clutch chatter! Once out on the highway however, it worked like a dream.
Not sure yet what is going on with the clutch, I am kinda disgusted right now....not looking forward to pulling it all apart again.

Anyway, a couple pics...

 

[52 Merc]

That really looks nice, Scott. Sorry to hear about the chatter issue, though. I know what a kick in the gut it is to do all that work and not have it turn out like you hoped and have to dig into it again.

On a lighter note, just curious how far back behind the old crossmember the new one is? It's hard to gauge the distance in the pics.

 

[tinman52]

That really looks nice, Scott. Sorry to hear about the chatter issue, though. I know what a kick in the gut it is to do all that work and not have it turn out like you hoped and have to dig into it again.

On a lighter note, just curious how far back behind the old crossmember the new one is? It's hard to gauge the distance in the pics.

About 10" farther back Wayne.....

The chatter seems to be a combination of things. On advise of an old mechanic friend, I "burned in" the new clutch disc by slipping it a bit, which helped a lot. Also the trans rubber mount is shot, so I will replace that. Hopefully that helps.

I am going to drive it for a while and see what happens.....

 

[tinman52]

conclusion

I thought I'd better finish up this thread........

I've been driving the truck almost every day, it sure is more fun to drive now. Much more responsive since I have a gear for every speed. 5th gear is too tall to use except on the highway. I may have to swap the 3.00 rear gears to some thing lower. Aside from the minor clutch chatter, I am very happy with the swap.
It ended up costing more than I planned though. As usual....

T-5 trans...$200
adapter, pilot bushing and clutch disk..$250
flywheel machining...$75
steel for x member...$15
U joints, shorten balance drive shaft...$150
carpet and heat insulation...$60
plus nuts & bots and misc parts I had laying around.

I hope this info helps someone out.

See ya on the highway.

 

[Ridgerunner]

It does help. It has me wondering if it would work behind a 302 in my 85 F150

 

[mtflat]

It does help. It has me wondering if it would work behind a 302 in my 85 F150

I have an 86 with a 302 that is connected to that famous/infamous 4 spd OD trans. If you aren't out mudding or otherwise trying to rip it up, that trans is pretty decent. It doesn't have the more favorable ratios the T5 has, but it would be a lot cheaper to install something that was OEM if you're only looking for OD.

I've had mine rebuilt twice, but the truck has 370,000 miles on the clock.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Thanks MT. I might look for one.

 

[havi]

Just to add, a ZF 5 sp. or even the M5r2 5sp. would be better suited for a more modern full size truck. The T5 might not last if you get stuck, and are throttling it back and forth.

 

[johnrodz]

tinman52, Did you have to cut all the org crossmember out? Do you have any more photos from the underside showing the old crossmember cut out area with the new transmission installed. I wanted to save the very bottom of the org crossmember for support to the clutch and break assy.

 

[tinman52]

tinman52, Did you have to cut all the org crossmember out? Do you have any more photos from the underside showing the old crossmember cut out area with the new transmission installed. I wanted to save the very bottom of the org crossmember for support to the clutch and break assy.

The only pic I have is in post# 25 of this thread. Not the greatest pic. I only cut the center out and kept my pedals,etc.
I had to brace the old x member to the new one to keep it from flexing. I wish I had done it differently, cutting the center out of the old one really weakened everything
Next time I have the truck up on the lift I'll snap some more pics.