I have a 1949 F-1 with an 8R V8 flathead. I bought the kit from Speedway to install a GM T5 Tranny. I bought the chevy clutch and PP to go with it. I'm using the original clutch and TO bearing linkage. I have a noise when the pedal in pushed in and the tranny still won't shift in gear. It still grinds the gear. I'm trying to figure out what the problem is. Any thoughts or suggestions? Thanks, Kirk

 

1949oldschool...I converted mine way back before there were kits and there was very little information on this conversion at the time. I used the offenhauser bell housing adapter and a 70's chevy disc while keeping the ford PP, TO bearing, and linkages...much like the kit from speedway is today. I immediately had a noise when I pushed the clutch in and could feel it in the pedal. My problem were the tall head flywheel/crankshaft bolts that Ford used. The clutch disc springs were rubbing the flywheel bolts. I swapped them out for thin head ARP flywheel bolts and the problem went away. Check these bolts and see if they had been rubbing. Make sure the disc is installed the right direction, did you use a new TO bearing?, did you end up with the correct pedal freeplay? What condition is the tranny in?
Rwilly1 just did this conversion with the Speedway kit....his clutch linkage came in at an angle different from mine. Would be interesting to see how yours ended up.
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...ase-shaft.html

 

You used this kit, right?

https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Speed...Kit,35584.html

Parts list for those that don't want to dig:



There have been quite a number of folks who did this conversion (myself included) with quite a number of different "kits" - cornhuskers made one, a fellow named Dwight Bond used to sell just the 1" thick slab of alu adapter and the parts list for the other stuff (I used Dwights).

How thick overall is your adapter? The listing says 3.76" - which would make yours 1" longer than the hogshead but the same as mine ended up (Dwights you use the hogshead + 1" adapter), and doing that the linkage worked just fine no lengthening anything.
How tough was it to get the linkage all put back together?
How bout a picture of the linkage.
....and now the real question, what kind of condition was the T5 before you started - was it a running working one out of a S10 you owned or something pulled from a junkyard and you didn't go through it completely and check? (I got a junkyard 120k mi unit and opened the top cover, inspected, said "nope not gonna mess with it it looks good", sealed it up and filled it).

 

The Tranny checked out fine. the problem seems to be in the Ford T/O bearing. I took the tranny out and it looked like the fingers on the chevy clutch were rubbing on the adapter for the smaller input shaft that came with the kit. So I made sure the spring was pulling the bearing back by putting in a small I-bolt in the housing of the adapter to keep it in place on the input shaft. I'm thinking I may have to go back with the old PP and T/O bearing. I don't really want to go back right now. Any more suggestions?

 

Are you using a Chevy pressure plate? The kits I am aware of use the flathead PP, with a Chevy disc.

 

aah yes, good catch - I used the chevy disc since you have to with the input shaft splines but that was it, all the rest old ford. You do end up with a slight difference and unused area.

 

I’m using a diaphragm PP. It was recommended by a ford mechanic. I still have the old PP but don’t like the response I got from it with the old 3 speed transmission. Any suggestions?

 

I'm trying to use a chevy diaphram PP for better peddle response. It was recommended for better response. At this point I'm not sure if I can get it to work. The original T/O bearing may be too big to make it work. Any ideas?

 

sorry I have no suggestions.
however ...you peaked my interest. how wide (from face of flywheel to diaphram fingers) is the chevy PP compared to the stock ford 3 fingers? this could really change the linkage angle? did you drill new mounting holes in the flywheel? what was wrong with the "response" you had with the 3 speed?
A different topic, what rear end ratio do you have? My S-10 tranny first gear is almost a granny gear with the stock 3.73 rear end. I had the tranny shop build from scratch (since I did not have a core). I told the tranny rebuilder to keep the s-10 gears when he suggested the V-8 T5 gears instead. Wished I had listened to him now. I think he put in .82 overdrive....which works great on the highway.
anyone else running S-10 tranny and dont like their first gear?

 

I have a stock S10 T-5 (or more accurately GMC S-15). I went shopping for 3.50 gears (9" rear end) and the only rear end I could find was a 3.00 - It's driveable, but it is a grocery getter now, not much power left. It can still pull it's own *** up a hill, etc but my top speed would be something over 70mph, and given the crash worthiness I have zero interest in ever going that fast. It's on my junkyard shopping list to get another rear end (or just center section), in the 3.50 - no compromises for other close but not right gear sets.
The range of gears you want is pretty limited - a calculator says the ideal (in my opinion) would be 3.50, but a lot of guys want the higher torque and pulling power of the slightly further 3.73/3.75. You give up fuel economy usually, but mine gets 8mpg - full, empty, towing, headwind, tailwind, going slow or fast.... so if it is 8mpg no matter what get the gear set that does what you want it to otherwise.

If you are really averse to the slight size diff with the 10" clutch disc, I've heard it repeatedly that you can use an astro van's 10.5". I looked for one when I found my T5 but the yard didn't have any astro's so I used the S-10's

 

Besides any differences in the finger length (diaphragm vs Ford), the amount of travel to disengage is likely different between the two. I don't know what "response" issues you had, but I'd suspect a linkage issue was the cause.

 

I think you'll find you need to use a Ford style pressure plate with the Ford throw out bearing. That's what I did on mine and it works fine.

 

I have a fix I think. I’m trimming the tips off the GM PP and it should clear the collar of the input shaft. I will know this afternoon.

I’m trying to get away from the 3 finger PP. I think I have a fix. Trimming the tips of the PP to fit the ford collar. I will know this afternoon if it works.

I think I have the solution. I trimmed the tips on the GM PP and I think it will work. I will find out this afternoon.

 

I don't think I'd try that. The tips of the fingers on diaphragm clutches I've seen are the contact point for the release bearing, and are bent to a radius. Cutting the tips off will give a flat surface for the bearing to push against.

 

Those fingers are typically precision ground and not serviceable in this fashion without a machine shop. I don't recall anyone here reporting they have had and solved this issue in this manner. Your issue very probably lies elsewhere. Have you been in contact with the supplier or manufacturer on this issue?