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I want to convert my '49 F1 to a t5 5 speed and I'm having a hard time finding one. If anyone has any leads one one please let me know, I think the best choice is from an 1985 or 1986 S10.
You may have alread tried this, but in our area I have seen a lot more early Ford trucks and parts as well as lots of other sought after parts on Facebook Marketplace than Craigslist. It has taken over here as the number one place to find stuff. It lets you search 500 miles from your chosen city, which is a pretty large area. I have seen a few T5's on there reciently.
Best of luck,
B
World-Class transmissions are generally thought to be preferable (better synchros, possibility to change to a Mustang V8 gears etc.)
Note that "World-class" is really more of a marketing term rather than a quality denominator. I would argue, though, that the 3-part synchros in the WC are better than the single brass synchros in the non-WC (driving style makes a lot of difference)
With the earlier non-WC S10 transmissions (or any that use the "Chevy" mounting pattern), there are plenty of adapter plates (available at Speedway etc); for the Ford bolt pattern there is an adapter kit from Cornhuskers, which I bought but am not using as I changed from the Flathead to a SBF on my build.
If.you find a T5 with a Ford bolt pattern, let me know. I have no use for the adapter kit anymore, and would happily part with it for postage/freight costs only.
One thing to consider is the the total driveline ratio. The S10 first gear is rather tall, since they were designed for relatively low-powered trucks. Depending on your rear axle ratio, first gear might be useless (or you can still pull stumps if that is your thing).
The later S10 T5 was meant to use behind 4-cyl engines. With normal driving it should be ok behind a V8.
The older S10 T5s are for v6 but non-WC, which may or may not better in your context.
Max torque on all these is the same, higher torque ratings need WC V8 gear sets (which requires a WC case)
Finally, regardless of which model you end up with, here are some items that have to be considered:
- input shaft length (see articles I linked)
- input shaft diameter and spline count (determines clutch disc)
- input shaft pilot pin size/pilot bearing
- throwout bearing diameter (depends on input shaft diameter)
- total gear ratio (rear axle ratio)
- output shaft spline count (to determine needed driveshaft yoke)
I have a T5 in my 49F1 out of a 1987 Chevy S10. It is a very popular transmission and hard to find. I found mine through a vendor at the Monroe Swap Meet in Monroe, Washington in 2019. It might be worth checking out. Dan Conley at www.t56cablespeedometer.com, email: cablespeedometer@yahoo.com
The Chevy S10 is popular for its close proximity to the original. The floor location is on the same vertical plane but approximately 8 inches closer to the bench seat.
As 49George said, the shifter moves back some, but plenty of space for the bench seat with the right shifter/stick set up.
I replaced the S10 shifter with a Hurst shifter and stick (a bit too short for me, but useable), but you can also modify the S10 shifter to accept other sticks.
This is the position my shifter ended up. Seat is a replacement (rear bench from a Mitsubishi Outlander) , but in the same position height as the original seat:
I did cut out the original transmission crossmember and added an off-the-shelf one as the mount moves backward by about 6 inches as well. https://www.performanceonline.com/19...n-Crossmember/
This mount worked ok, but I had to add a spacer to the transmission, in my case for driveline alignment.
Unfortunately, I did not take pictures in the process, and my T5 is currently out for rebuild (noticed on the first drive that 2nd gear/synchros were gone)
If you do cut out the original crossmember, make sure to brace the frame, so it doesn't bend outward.
If you have a brake booster it might be a tight fit to get the crossmember bolted in (see member tonyguns solution in his build where it interfered).
I did not have that problem, but I didn't have much leeway either.
Here's a better picture on where the shifter position ended up for me. Based on my initial setup with the flathead, it should be more or less in the same spot behind that engine.
Agree with drde on most all his posts.
For a reference, I do not have the world class T-5. I have the original V-8 with an 080 over-bore. Nothing else fancy.
I have about 20,000k miles and tranny seems just fine. No towing, no heavy loads. Truck is a daily driver, mostly City, but I go on Hwy some. Ford 9-inch rear end.
Lovin' it.
Just want to let everyone know that I found a T5 from an 86 S10 locally for $400. Thanks to everybody for all the great information! I also picked up a core 8BA to build into my hotrod engine for my truck and I plan on keeping the original 47,000 mile engine and transmission in case I ever decide to go back to 100% stock.
Great find! Is that a mechanical speed-o year or digital? If you want to change the sloppy factory shifter, I modified a cheap Mustang T5 short throw to fit my S10 tailhousing, this video has some of those details:
If you decide to upgrade to a World Class T5 later, the tailhousing on yours can be fitted to that, that is what I have done. Although, the WC T5 isn't super beefy either.
The transmission I got is set up for an electronic speedo, I'm going to go with a gps speedo, I just ordered one of those Mustang shifters off EBay, thanks for the tip!! It looks like the most expensive part of the whole conversion is going to be getting a drive shaft made. I'm grinding off the rivets off the factory transmission crossmember so I can reinstall it if I ever do reinstall the original engine and transmission
