Eagle223usa

Hi, Any one know what I should look for when looking at a used T5 conversion? Like how to tell a V8 set up from a V6? How to id a WC T5? And what an electric speed sensor looks like? My car is an 89, guessing it's a manual gear speedo car. It has a 700r4 now. I'd like to do a 5 speed for under 1K. Any advice? Thanks!

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

No, nobody knows any of that.



V8 top, 6-cyl bottom

V8 clutch gear and clutch disc has 26-splines, 6-cyl has less (14? I don't really know, it's 6-cyl stuff so I avoid it, all I know for sure is, it's tiny and weenie and doesn't fit)



1st design top, 2nd design aka "World Class" uke: bottom. Note the countergear bearing: 1st design is very shiny and looks like an upside-down freeze plug with sort of rolled-over edges, 2nd design is dull grey and has a depressed area in the center that makes it look like it has a narrow ledge around it and has sharp edges.

An electric speed sensor has an electric plug (now there's a surprise! ); a cable one has a place for a cable to screw onto it.



Yeah.... don't. Your odds of long-term success are very poor. While it's possible to put a T-5 behind a motor with some power and it live a long life, it's not very likely, especially if you don't drive it like grandpa. Shock kills them; clutch dumps, and speed shifting, will take one out so fast it'll make your head spin. Even with just a 305. I tore up the first 4 or 5 T-5s in my car with just the stock L69; then when I swapped a 400 in, I went through them faster than changing my oil. Finally, I realized that I absolutely was NEVER going to be able to treat them like all my old 4-speeds, and babied it for a couple of years; and it kind of barely hung in there until I could do the T-56 thing.

You'd do better to forget about a T-5, and get a 94-97 (LT1) T-56 and swap that in instead. It won't fit in $1k, or even close, but at least you'll only have to do it once. Read a few pages of posts on this forum before asking questions about it, search on "T-56 swap" and read what you find, and see the post on the FAQ forum something about "Everything you always wanted to know about the T-56 swap but were afraid to ask", so we don't have to answer questions that have already been asked and answered countless times.

JamesC

iTrader: (5)

Check the sticky for more general info.

JamesC

Eagle223usa

Copy that, Thanks Sofa for the pics! I did read the sticky on 5 speeds. T56 huh? I'll still need all the stuff right? Back to reading! Thanks again!

Pat Hall

iTrader: (31)

While you're searching, also read up on the Tremec TKO 500 and 600 trannys. Those and the T56 are your two best options for switching to a manual trans. The TKO can save you some money if you have an 89 or older f-body since you don't need an expensive adapter to run a cable driven speedo, and no matter what year you're swapping the trans into, the TKO clutch setup is far cheaper than the T56 clutch since it uses the same bellhousing, flywheel, and clutch as the stock T5. Whatever the case, read up on both and make a decision from there.

Eagle223usa

Does anyone make a kit? I know I can do it, I've done clutchs and etc. before. If I had all the parts it would be a weekend job. Finding all the right parts, well that must be the challenge. If I did a t5 swap from a donor, could i then just add a Tremec with little trouble?

Pat Hall

iTrader: (31)

Absolutely! You can contact either JAM Performance or Forte's Parts Connection. Both of them offer complete conversion kits for putting a Tremec in your 3rd gen. In fact, the nice thing about either vendor is they're also willing to throw a custom kit together so that you don't have to pay for extra stuff that you don't need. If you have all the T5 donor stuff on hand, the only other conversion parts you need for the Tremec trans is either a relocation kit for you stock crossmember or one of Spohn's conversion crossmembers. The extra money for the Spohn crossmember is well worth it btw. The relocation kit is kinda cheesy. They also offer an electic or cable-driven speedo adapter so your speedo will work correctly, and a conversion u-joint since the TKO uses the Ford C6, 31 spline slip yoke. Forte's is the best place to talk to about it since Mike Forte is the guy who originally adapted the Tremecs for 3rd gens. The trans already comes with a shifter made by Hurst and the slip yoke. You can spend a little extra to upgrade to the Pro 5.0 shifter over the Hurst if that's something you're interested in. Do a search here on the site for TKO, and there's plenty of posts detailing what parts you'll need to do the conversion correctly. It's really an easy swap to do, pretty straightforward. Go to Jam Performance's website and click on the link for the 82-92 TKO conversion. It has an itemized list with all the swap parts listed, so it's really handy for figuring out what you'll need.