I'm picking up the new powerplant next weekend, a roller cam 302 out of a '96 Bronco. I'll be swapping out the EFI for a carb and using as little wiring as possible (no oxy sensors, computers etc.).

So that's set, but what about the trans? Has to be a stick shift, that's non-negotiable. My old truck had the M5R2 and I loved that trans for around town, but i'd like this truck to be a bit quicker through the gears than that one was. I think BlueOvalRage recommended the T-5, but I didn't get any info on it after that.

And the rear end. Will the stock rear hold up to a lightly modded 302 and wider tires? Also, what gear ratios were available in '51?

 

The T-5 swap is fairly straightforward, although if you are wanting to put it behind a 302, you'll almost need two transmissions. The best T-5 to use behind a Ford small block would be unit out of a Fox chassis Mustang. The shifter position with that transmission is too far rearward for the seating position in these old trucks, though. The remedy for that is to swap the tailshaft housing and shifter assembly with a T-5 out of a 1st generation S-10. That puts the shifter in a much better position and it bolts together from what I understand. The Mustang T-5 bellhousing is set up for a cable clutch, so you'll have to do a bit of fab and design work to make that work with your stock pedal assembly. I built a cable setup for my first F-1 when I was a very inexperienced wrench in my teens and got it to work OK, so it's not really difficult. You'll have to do some cutting and fabbing on the transmission crossmember to get it in there, but that's going to be the case with just about any non-stock transmission you try to use. It'll take some effort to make it work, but hey, if this hot rod stuff were easy, everybody would be doing it!

As for the rear axle, it should be a Dana 44 and most likely has a 3.92:1 gear ratio. There were others available, but that was the most common. It will be plenty stout enough to handle a 302. If you run an overdrive transmission, that gear ratio will even be about right.

 

Well the transmission I'll let others talk about -being a stick and all.

I'd swap out the rear end for a 9" and depending on what size (diameter) tire you are talking about I'd gear it somewhere between 3.25 and 2.80 (depending on what speeds you want to see).

Bump!

 

8.8 is a tough rear end and you could usually pick them up at the local bone yard for 100-150 bux, i`d go for 3.55 or 3.73 gear ratio

 

Ok, well that sounds do-able, I did a little research and it looks like the T-5 has been used for a long time in several different vehicles so parts are easy to find. I guess i'll try to pick up a mustang T-5 and pull the other off of an S-10, *sigh* man I was hoping to keep this build free of any/all GM products...

And if the rear end gearing would work well with the OD trans, that would be great, just remember, i'm in Wyoming here, a.k.a. 75MPH speed limit = everyone drives 80.

Just out of curiosity, if anyone knows, how is it that the T-5 was made by Borg Warner (which from what I understand is a Ford thing) and yet was used in everything from Fords to chevy's to Chryslers?

I'd like to keep the rear for now if possible just to save $$ for other holes in the truck. However, i'd be fine with upgrading it in a couple of years when I tear the 302 down to stroke it and add a bunch of power to it. But i'm curious, why would you have me swap it out? I used to do a lot of 4x4 off-roading and those guys are constantly looking for Dana 44's for their rigs because they need something to hold up to high horsepower and 44" tires. Are there different Dana 44's or is it just too old?

Aw man, everyone has different gearing suggestions,

 

Your stock rear, if it's an F1, has 4:34 gear ratio I think. Anyway with a very low rear, the point is, the engine will have to rev higher to go highway speeds. I have a 289 with a 2:75 9" and I can cruise at 65 at just over 2000 rpm. The 289 is hardly working.

 

Well I think the idea of a 302 with T5 is great.
I have one in a 55 F100 and running a '96 Blazer rearend with 3.08 ratio with 295x15 for tires in the back. As far as the position on the tranny shifter being to far back, in the 55 with buckets this will not be an issue. just use a custom shifter, but in F1 not sure of your cab room. The swapping of the tail with one from a S10 will change that positioning for you if you need it.
As for the cable clutch problem, it can be modified very easily with a hydraulic system form a donor. (mine is out of a Nissan B2200). see pic. (more pic's in gallery)

 

The 9" and 8.8 are great axles and nearly bulletproof in most applications, but the Dana 44 is no slouch either. It's a great axle too. You'd just about have to intentionally do something to break it behind a 302. The '40's and '50's versions are basically the same as the newer ones other than having a coarse spline on the axle shafts. They usually get swapped out, though, because of the stock gear ratios used in these trucks. If you intend to run an overdrive transmission, you might just find that the stock ratio is right where it needs to be. Why fix it if it ain't broke? I wouldn't take any of our suggestions as gospel. We've all had different experiences and have different opinions. Do the math and make the decision for yourself. Here's the general guidelines that I use:

When planning a drivetrain, you want to make sure that your engine RPM in high gear is going to be at a comfortable level at your highest normal cruise speed. You also want to make sure that engine RPM is not so low at your lowest normal cruise speed that you will risk lugging the engine or having the carb slip into the rich idle circuit and kill you fuel mileage. 55 MPH is about the lowest steady cruise speed that you'd probably want to use OD with. You don't want to pick a gear ratio that drops engine RPM below about 1500 in OD at 55 MPH.

The first thing that you'll want to do is positively identify your existing gear ratio. Your OE gear ratio should be stamped into the data plate in your glove box door. If it isn't, look for a tag under one of the differential cover bolts. The tag on the cover will tell you the number of ring gear teeth and pinion teeth. Divide the larger number by the smaller one and that's your gear ratio. The 3.92 ratio is what most F-1 trucks got.

The average-sized tire height on a street truck is somewhere around 29" and a Mustang T-5 has an OD ratio of .68. If you plug all that stuff into an RPM calculator, then with a 3.92 you will be turning 2471 RPM at 80 MPH and 1699 RPM at 55 MPH - plenty comfortable at both extremes.

The calculator I use is here:

Engine RPM Calculator

Play with that for awhile and you'll get a feel for how the numbers relate to each other. Whatever you end up with, you will want to stay numerically higher than a 3.55 with an overdrive transmission. Anything lower than that will make overdrive useless at lower cruise speeds.

 

I wondered about the fitment with buckets, but I'll be using a bench seat so it'll probably have to change. Nice setup BTW.

You'll like this, it's not on the data plate and there's no tag! But I did see there's a big "44" stamped on the pumpkin.

I like the numbers you're spouting though, 2471 at 80 is just about as perfect as I could ask for.

 

Could I also get an s-10 T-5 and bolt on a 302/mustang bellhousing?

 

Your input shaft spline count on the GM T5 requires a GM clutch, so you'd either have to redrill the flywheel to hold the pressure plate, or swap input shafts to the Ford one. Or adapt the S10 T5 tail housing onto a Ford T5 trans. There may be some other little mods needed in doing that.

The main fact is, it's not a direct swap. Some further reading and searching on this swap should provide the answer you're looking for. Post #2 touches on this already.

 

Hey, *****! I just noticed your clutch master cylinder installation and am studying it with great interest. I'm going to be needing to figure out how to adapt a hydraulic clutch to the stock pedal on my '52 soon and I'd like to have it laid out like yours. I'm not well versed in the '53 and up trucks. Is that vertical arm that is actuating the master cylinder a stock piece or something that you fabbed up? The older trucks had the linkage rod mounted in front of the pedal arm and above the pivot shaft so the linkage move forward when the clutch is depressed instead of rearward like yours. It would either mandate mounting the master forward of the pedal assembly or building some sort of bellcrank to reverse the motion so the master could be mounted like yours.

 

Thanks Havi

Tons of info here - The Ultimate T-5 Swap Article

 

The vertical piece is actual original equipment, and the clutch master assembly is all Nissan even the slave cylinder, all I did was shorten the rod to fit. This old pic even shows their U-bracket but it was binding so I have replaced that with a swivel eye rod end instead. I think the whole assembly came to $25 plus a little metal work, sure beats the cost of after market at $225. I do have more pics in my gallery if interested.

 

Hey , lvin4jc33 !

Excellent article on the T-5 ! That's going to be the final frontier for me as far as improvements to my 59 - but after the disc brakes,power steering,9" differential,A/C.............



Bump!