BerniesVette

The T5 was used in chevys so there may be a bellhousing it will fit. The problem may be that it was in a v6 vehicle such as the S10. I know the T5 that I have does not line up with any holes in my bellhousing. Another problem that may exist is that the T5's were tilted about 15 degrees in other vehicles. We want them verticle in the C3. This is speculation on my part but I believe it is accurate.
Bernie

norvalwilhelm

I wouldn 't touch the chevy T5. Alot of them were out of 6 cylinders and you might by mistake get one of those.
I know the mustang T5 fits with the adapter, I know they are a good transmission.
For anyone with access to a machine shop making the adapter is really simple. I always dress them up with milling the sides for looks only, makes it look trick. A T5 also shifts really nice, short throw, positive shifts.
I also would not roll the transmission over. I would make the rear transmission mount straight, NO angle mount.
But the transmission on the bench, the output shaft hanging out front, a block of 4 x4 under the transmission mount and put the adapter plate on the front bearing retainer, put a level on the top of the plate and make it level, then mark the holes.
Guys this works. If you want to go looking for some other whippet good luck. For the 4 speed guys this upgrade is the cost of $400 for the transmission and whatever you pay for the adapter plate.

evalu8r

My first purchase was a v6 chev, which is for sale if anyone is interested. My new one is 93 stang GT 5.0 but it has chev input 26 spline and chev output.

Chris

Garys 68

Hey Noral. You should go in business making adapters!
How much would you charge for an adapter and pilot bushing?

evalu8r

Do you have pictures of how the shifter comes thru the floor straight up? Do you have to cut open the console if in the center? Or will the 15 degree tilt put it in the same space as the factory?

norvalwilhelm

It doesn't come through the floor straight up. It is tilted. We make the rear transmission mount level that throws the transmission over on a tilt like it was suppose to be. By leveling the adapter plate and the transmission mount it lays the transmission over on it's designed tilt.
This in turn pushes the shifter more to the left, a very desirable thing. Doug didn't have his consel in for the test run but the feel of the shifter in the hand and the shifting pattern feels really good.
Doug will possibley add a block to the shifter handle under the consel but that remains to be seen once he installs the consel.

norvalwilhelm

Making the adapters is really simple. I could easily mass produce them but installing them properly requires some skill. I could just bolt them on a stock bellhousing but what about runout???
Pilot bushing are available we just didn't have one in hand. I do have bronze blank material so I just whipped on up. Given a day I could get one from the auto parts store but when you are working in the shop you want it now.
For my other conversions I always used this bushing, for Doug's we thought we would be smart and preorder a bearing. It was stuck out too far and wouldn't let us push the input shaft all the way.
Even though the catolog said it was for a Ford to chevy it didn't work hence the bushing.

To me my reputation is better then making a few dollars. For the novice even given the adapter something will go wrong and I will be blamed for not offering a complete bolt it package.
For cars comming into my shop where I have control it is no problem but once the adapter leaves my shop how do I control quality installation????

Retro78

I traced down the problem with the stiff clutch. The thrust bearing was binding inside of my lakewood fork. When the fork moves forward on the input shaft to disengage the clutch the bearing must be able to tilt freely in the fork since the angle changes. Kind of hard to explain. However the outer lip of the bearing was catching on the fork preventing it from floating freely inside of the fork. That was causing it to bind up. I just removed some of the metal on the inner edge of the fork which solved the problem. The clutch is now very smooth and easy to operate.

If you are using stock GM stuff like Norval did, you would not likely have this minor problem.

I took the vette out tonight after the fork repair. I love the T5!!!. It shifts so smooth and solid. Even though I had a strong automatic previously with a 2800 stall converter...it feels like I just added a lot more HP. That deep 1st gear is lots of fun. Overall the vette has taken on a completly diffferent personality. I love it. The fun factor just went way up.

Nothing about swaping the auto to T5 was difficult. It is just time consuming...2-3 weeks in total. The pedal swap was the hardest part.

Many thanks to Norval who suggested that I dump my Auto for the T5 in addition to all of his help along the way.

BerniesVette

Doug,
I'm glad you found your problem and your swap went so smoothly. I am getting closer to getting mine ready to install. I wound up getting a T5 with the same gears as you but I don't need the extra spacer. By the end of this weekend I should be ready to set the adapter on the bellhousing and set it to zero alignment with the engine. I will spend next week pulling the steering column and swapping the pedals. I'm looking forward to driving it after I'm finished. My T5 has a hurst shifter on it with an offset but I may have to space it over a little. Show us a picture of your console when you get it done. You guys did a great job, it looks terrific!
Bernie

evalu8r

Norval

What size die did you use to thread the master cylinder rod? Anyone else curious the Camaro master cylinder is too steep of a pitch for this conversion. I compared every master cylinder at Auto Zone stock and the truck cylinder is the only one that appears to be able to match this setup. I'm on the reassemble of my pedals and dash and so far my conversion is on the right track.

Chris

Retro78

I am working on my console tomorrow and will take some pics. Bottom line...the shifter comes up in the stock location(front to back). But needs to move about 1" to the drivers side. I did this by adding a spacer that bolts between the shifter handle and the base. Some people had concerns that this will impact the shifter feel. Well... I do not find any difference at all. A friend of mine(Brian) cut his console rather than adding a spacer, but I do not want to make any changes to my interior.

norvalwilhelm

The 85 one ton clutch truck master cylinder is the one to go with. The rod is about .390 so a 3/8th die run over the rod works, It is a little hard to start at first but I just ground a little off the start of the rod, the die then started and cut the threads fine.
I then took about 2 inches of 1/2 inch round aluminum stock and drilled a hole down the center and run a 3/8th tap in from both ends.

evalu8r

Thanks Norval, I decided to weld versus thread. It appears to be effective I just don't have the ability to adjust but am satisfied with the current position.

Chris

Retro78

As promised attached are the shifter/console pics. The 94/95 version of the T5 puts the shifter exactly at the
original shifter location(front to back only). The older T5's put the shifter 5/8"'s closer to the front..but still very
close to the original location. However the side to side shifter position is a different story since it needs to move about
1.2" closer to the driver. Some people just cut and modify the console to match the new shifter location, but I did not
want todo that. With Norval's help we welded a simple spacer between the shifter handle and the base.
The stub on the shifter base was also too high and needed to be shortened a little so that it would not rub
on the bottom of the console.

Some people have told me that offsetting the shifter handle with a spacer would create a awkward feel. Well I
did not notice any change at all. I have been driving the vette without the spacer since last Monday and could
not detect any change in shifter feel with or without the spacer. In fact my T5 shifts so easy, smooth and
solid...I love it.

As you can see in the pics, my shifter is in a very good location with little effort. The consoles for 77-82 are universal
for both a standard and auto car. I have ordered the standard shifter plate that covers up the auto indicator.
I also do not see any reason why you could not use an original corvette shifter handle rather than the
aftermarket one that I used.

evalu8r

That looks good. I thought the tilt would put the shifter is the same location as the factory opening. The same as the 4 speed shifter bolted to the side.

Budman68

Nice job, you guys go to alot of work to make that shifter come up through the stock location.

Most people don't even know the differents.

FYI - You can use one of those generic Mr. Gasket shifter boots to seal the tunnel hole. The metal trim will bend easy to fit the contour of the tunnel.

BerniesVette

Doug,
The shifte looks great! It is perfectly aligned front to back and side to side. A great swap with wonderful detail. My T5 has a hurst shifter already installed. I will have to fab a bracket to get it centered if it will work. I might change it later for one that matches a vette shifter. Seeing the work you and Norval did and the patience taken to make it look original is an inspiration to make my T5 swap just as nice as yours! Keep up the good work!
Bernie

Sharky Guam

Well whoever said that the Mustang T5 is very strong must not have told the one in our 5.0 Mustang. We blew it up yesterday at the drag strip. It was behind a mild 300+ hp 5.0 sbf. TIme for something bigger and stronger...

norvalwilhelm

The way to blow up a mustang T5 is to power shift it into 3rd. If you blew it it will be 3rd gear that is gone. I have a 355 nitrous mustang that is still running it's original 89T5 even with slicks and pulling the front end.
3rd is the weak point but only if power shifted. If you blow one it is because you abused it, normal driving will never hurt one.
I ran one for a full season behind my blown bigblock.
1st will take burn outs fine.

Retro78

Sorry but I just have to say it again. I just came back from another ride with the T5. The effort and money to convert to a 5 speed is worth it all....what a different car!

The conversion has also really made my engine come alive, likely since I tend to keep the rev's higher into my cam power range with the standard. The deep 1st gear also helps a lot. I have a modestly modified 350 with 375hp and it now feels like I have added a lot more torque. I can now lay down great rubber in 1st with some going into 2nd and chirp in 3rd. Engine revs up faster also. It actually made me think for a moment that I do not need that engine work that I am planning as a winter project...but then I came to my senses.

Anyway thanks to a tip from another member Jeff...I just recieved a very nice spedo adapter so that you can plug your stock spedo cable directly into a Ford T5. Also comes with the correct gear for your tire/diff setup. I could not find the adapter on their web site but they have. It was $69 from these guys and arrived in three days from the US. http://ddperformance.com/