Hi Folks,
Just when I thought I had a definite course plotted for my project, I came across something that made me think otherwise. I recently acquired a wrecked '90 T-Bird Super Coupe with a supercharged engine and a 5 speed OD manual tranny. It was sort of a spur of the moment thing and I got it really cheap. At first I considered rebuilding it but if I did it would be just another car in my stable, and hardly worth the effort considering I probably couldn't sell it for what I would have invested. I also considered parting it out but that goes on forever and usually the first stuff to go makes it stationary and just another yard ornament. Then I started thinking about putting it in my '53 project truck. I liked the idea of having that engine and the 5 speed OD tranny. I mean I might as well because the only actual '53 parts left are the cab minus the floor and fire wall, doors and glass. All the rest is from other Ford products. So, using the SC drive train is not out of step with the theme of the project plan. However I have encountered a few things that need to change if I go this route.

First off, the position of the shifter on the SC tranny is too far back I think. Another problem is that I need a transfer case for the four wheel drive . I have read on some of the forums that it is possible that some of the later light duty Ford F-150s with 4WD have a manual 5 speed OD tranny that is pretty much the same tranny as the SC used. I understand the shifter is placed further forward on it too. My questions here are, does anyone know what will work for me here and if so what year trucks should I look for? I would really like to find stuff I can adapt to the SC tranny but that may not be possible. I really like the ratios in the SC tranny and would like to have something like that. This thing is pretty much a truck in terms of looks but it's really a two seat toy and I doubt that anything weighing more that a few hundred pounds will ever be hauled in it. Probably an occasional recliner chair or a big screen TV.

Anyway,,, Suggestions and good info from those in the know would be helpful here.

Later Folks...

 

what engine is it. im guessing 5.0 ?? if thats the case it would be super easy to find stuff to make everything else work

 

nope it's the supercharged 3.8 from a super coupe . man i'll dig around dave and see what i can come up with as that thing would / will be a sneaky lil' street killer !!!!!!!!!!!don't give up as where there's a will there's a way !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and for you naysayers of the sc 3.8 i can put you in touch with a gent with a street driven , all furniture incl . a/c sc that runs really low 12's for now .......................... this is in a car that weigh's roughly 37-3800 lbs....

 

is your truck 4 wheel drive?why the transfer case?
if that is what you need ,my t5 is from a s10,i was told that the mustang and t-bird t5 were the same and the tail shaft housing is interchangeable.the s10 shifter is set a little more forward than the mustang,so maybe you could look at FWD s10 with the transfer case.if you swap the tail shafts the shifter will clear a bench seat.
i hope this helps.

 

ok doke dave here's what some freinds on the bird forum have given me so far . 1: the 3.8 uses the same trans bellhousing bolt pattern a 302 or 351 does , so yer trans from yer previous idea should bolt up to the bellhousing . @. the 5 speed i was refering to was also avialable in a 5.0 truck in 4x4 , so it should fit both your 3.8 and your transfer case . 3; try this link , http://wikipedia.org.wiki/MazdaM5ODtransmission . the truck trans i refer to is simialar to the m5R2 , diff being the shifter location and gearing . if i find anymore or they come up with more i'll let ya know .

 

the M5R1 and the M5R2 trannies were used in the Ranger pick-up and I know that my 89 SC has the M5R2 in it. The shifters in the explorer seems to me was more of a top loader and the Sc was mounted to the rear of the tranny. I don't know if the four wheel rangers use this type of transmission.

Gear Up

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by vintage tin

is your truck 4 wheel drive?why the transfer case?
if that is what you need ,my t5 is from a s10,i was told that the mustang and t-bird t5 were the same and the tail shaft housing is interchangeable.the s10 shifter is set a little more forward than the mustang,so maybe you could look at FWD s10 with the transfer case.if you swap the tail shafts the shifter will clear a bench seat.
i hope this helps.

I'm using a '99 Explorer rolling chassis that once had a 4.0L with an auto tranny. All that was gone when I acquired the Explorer, or should I say what was left of it. If you CLICK HERE you will find a build thread I am running for the truck. Take a look and you will get an idea what I am doing. I didn't know the S-10's used the same tranny. Are the ratios the same? That is important to me. Do you think a transfer case from the S-10 would bolt up to the SC tranny?

I'm not using a bench seat. I have two 6 way power seats that will bolt right into the Explorer floor pan so the set back on the shifter won't interfere but just the same, if it's too far back it would be awkward to shift.

I am told the 3.8L SC has the same bell housing as the 302's and that the trannys from the Explorers and Rangers won't fit. However, I was hoping that if I could find one of those with a transfer case I could swap parts around to make what I need. Check the thread, you will see what I am going for. Actually it will seem as I am getting ahead of myself but I like to have a plan that will work.

Later Man...

 

Yeah, that was pretty much my take on it but I have to get back to the yards to take a look.

Later Man...

 

My son got his SC before I got mine. They are one of Fords best kept secrets. The things you can do them to get more power is unbelievable and the economy for mileage is great. Mike went out to California once to complete an interior we were working on and he said that while driving from Salt Lake City to California the traffic was doing 95 mph and he went with the flow and got 35 mpg. I know they wind out really nice and ride as smooth as anything I have ever owned. Good luck with the project.

Gear Up

 

Hello, I have a 1951 Ford F1 with a 1968 302 and the 1989 SC M5R2 transmission and just upgraded the shifter to a B&M Ripper shifter. The transmission has an internal slave clutch but the master cylinder bolts up to the frame and I am using the stock clutch pedal. I have not used the new shifter yet, because I am waiting to finish the wiring. I am also looking for some 1965 mustang or t-bird bucket seats to go in the truck (the bench will not work, unless you have it coming through the seat...neat idea...but no). I will build a console to go around the shifter. The PO cut a round hole in the floor to accept the SC shifter and it is about 8" behind the original transmission cover. I had to open the whole to swap out the shifter. I will be adding some supports to the floor to allow me to have the buckets in securely. When I drove it before taking it apart, it was a fun transmission with the original 3.92 rear end. It worked well with the 0.75 OD that comes in the SC M5R2. The shifter was completely worn out, but the replacement parts are available from ford. I just wanted to try an upgrade particularly with the rearward position the short throw should be helpful.

The same year M5R2's from the F150 would also bolt on to the 302...actually came with a 302 and the shifter is further up and would likely line up with the stock floor shifter location. I will likely do that if this transmission wears out. They are about $650 from our local dismantler...rebuilt. They have many of them.

I have no opinion on the 3.8 motor, but the T-bird guys seem to love them.

I hope that this helps.

Steve

 

while finding info on the t5 i read a ton of stuff,im sure that somewhere it siad that the mustang and SC t5's used the ford bolt pattern and the tail shafts are interchangeable from the s10 and ford to get the shifter to where you would like it.i will try and find some of the links i saved,see if this will help with what you are trying to do.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/s...d.php?t=171291

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/s...ad.php?t=20583
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i know most of this is on the t5 to a flathead but it is the same tranny you have and some of the info maybe of help for what you are going....if not it is still some very good reading.

 

dave it's not a t-5 . it's a MAZDA transmission guy's !! look up on wikipedia the M5OD transmission. it is used in many cars and trucks in the ford line , but not the mustang , and it's not a t-5 which is a borg warner transmission guys !!! not every 5 speed in every car or truck is a t-5 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! they were pretty dain common and due to them being in so many 4x4 vehicles including 91-00 explorers and 97-02 explorers w/ a 4.0 dave there should not be an issue getting it to fit seeing as it was an oe transmission. . it has nothing in common with the t-5 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! other than the number of gears !!!!!!! putting a t-5 in a bird isn't uncommon as once you start making horsepressure that weak mazda unit is gonna get cranky , ken's has a t-5 world class swapped into his sc !! it came with the mazda tranny new !!!!!!! ok look it up online fella's and do some research it's all there in black and white . it should serve you well dave as long as you aren't pushing the boundries and trying to build enough power to escape the gravitational pull of mother earth . later guy !!!!!!!!p.s. the non w/c t-5 isn't a whole lot better dave as the one for my 53 out of an s10 isn't rated for much more than what the flatty can push out with a few tweaks !!!!!!!!

 

p.s. sorry for sounding cranky , but there is way too much confusion and speculation and misinformation here . we don't want to create problems or discourage anyone from doing something slightly left of center and cool due to all that . that's why i asked the guy's on the mn12 forum i'm on and went digging for info . to get it right and not speculate !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! can't count the times i gave up on an idea as i had the wrong info , gave the stuff away and found out the truth then kicked myself in the **** !!!!!!!!!! i used to think i knew a lot , but in my trials and tribulations with both the old and modern now i'm learning i don't know jack SH-- !!!!!! thank god for the net !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

just figured out with some help from another place and the same bit of info from a fella with an explorer who's done this , the 1/2 ton truck ford / mazda light duty 5 speed is a direct bolt in to the explorer chassis and transfer case . if memory serves me correctly dave the 300 six , the 3.8 which i did not know , the 302 and 351 all use the same trans bolt pattern so if ya find one from a 300 six or 302 4x4 it should all bolt in nice and neat good sir !!!!!!!!!!!!!! i'm off to look again ................... like learning weird stuff and filling my head with useless info ... makes look inttellikentz every once in a while

 

Thanks Guys,
What a great response... There is a lot to go through here and it's going to take some time.

polarspeed,
Your '51 is probably the closest thing to what I am doing here. Although I am using a 3.8L V6 as opposed to your 302 I am thinking that motor mounts are so positioned that they would be the same as the 302 in terms of distance from the mounts to the back face of the bell housing. I don't know this because I have yet to take the SC apart. My initial concerns about the shifter position stem from some preliminary in car measurements on the SC and measuring from the fire wall to the access hole for the manual shift tranny on the '99 Explorer floor pan & fire wall section I am using. If at all possible I would like to use the SC tranny and get a transfer case mated to it. Information from you as well as others here has given me a place to start from. I now feel that all this is possible and worst case is I'll be swapping out for the truck tranny and transfer case combo. I do feel confident enough to move on with the plan. You can CLICK HERE if you want to see what I am doing. Thanks for the info Man...

Vintage Tin,
Wow, that's a lot of info and it's good to know there is the option of lots of T5's out there to draw from in case I need to. The desire to use the tranny from the SC is primarily one of keeping cost down. I ma one of those guys that is into doing this stuff as cheap as possible and yet getting something I am satisfied with. I try never to pay more than $500.00 for a project or donor vehicle and quite often I part out the stuff from the donors and get the cost of them back. In the case of the SC I doubt that will happen because there is lot of it I plan on using including the pop up sun roof. I also am going to use the complete IRS although I need to swap out the gears from my Explorer rear end as the SC has 2.73 gears and the Explorer 4WD has 3.73 gears which I need to swap to match the front diff. As for the SC tranny not being strong enough I doubt it will matter much in my case as I don't plan on much drag racing or souping up the engine. I might occasionally embarrass a runny nose kid in a rice grinder for about 200 feet but that's about it. Thanks for the info...

Gear Up,
Yeah, I was kind of hoping that this combo would net some decent MPG's as I would like to take it on some touring trips. Even though I'll be running 3.73 gears I am hoping the .75 5th overdrive gear in the SC tranny would help with the mileage. Of course that would be offset by the less aerodynamic design of the '53 cab but I also will have it about 1,000 pounds lighter than the SC. I too think the 3.8 has a lot of stuff going for it. Being as this truck is a '53 there are no rules here regarding emissions so I will be eliminating the cats and going with headers. I will still have to use the oxygen sensors unless I can trick it somehow. I will be looking into that.

55 f350,
Kevin, Kevin, Kevin, what am I to make of you??? First you voodoo my plasma cutter and now you are practically helping me build this thing. You do make me wonder at times. Seriously, I do appreciate the research you did. Info from all of you will be of value in my searching for what I need. If at all possible I would really like to mate up a transfer case from a F-150, a Ranger or an Explorer Sport. However I am nor quite sure if I can live with the position of the shifter on the SC tranny. As I said above, I don't plan on a lot of high stress drag racing so I doubt the strength and durability as compared to the T%'s will be an issue for me. I'm pretty sure it will stand up to the occasional traffic light lane challenge, especially since I'll be running into 3.73 instead of the SC's 2.73 gears and a lighter vehicle. That should account to at least a 30% less demand on the tranny.

OK, once again, thanks to all who have replied and don't let this be the end. I welcome as many comments and helpful hints as I can get. The way I see it, I can't ever have too much information when it comes to stuff lie this.

Later Folks...

PS CLICK HERE to check out the build...