Ok, I can't afford it yet, but is it possible

[blueroo]

Hey all,
The car is still running great since redoing the timing although steering is a problem since the idler arm bushings need to be replaced (any ideas on an easy way <64 Fairlane w/manual steering built with later year bushing style> to get them out)

Anyhow I was thinking of a new transmission for down the road. My preference is to have it set up to look like the 3 on the tree it came with but I don't know how to do that with 5 or 6 gears (manual) so I'm thinking a floor shift HOWEVER I want the arm offset to the left not centered on the hump. I know Richmond offers a 5 speed with external shift linkage to do that but 5th gear is not O/D and Richmond costs a good deal of money. Is there a way to set up a late model Mustang 5 speed with a type of remote linkage to offset the shift arm?

What I'd really like though is a 6 speed manual for not just the extra gear but to be able to say that my car has a "gear for each cylinder" (yes, I need a hobby ) However, would my fairly mild 170 be able to work with a 6 speed. I have been told that 6 gears would bog the motor down too much. Anyone know if this is true?

Lastly, I'd like to run a bigger clutch with more springs. Mine came with a 6 spring disc and the only replacement I could find was a slighlty smaller 4 spring disc. Is there a way to run a small block v-8 disc with six springs? Thanks.

 

[WhitePony]

blueroo,

I've yet to see where someone has been able to mate a T56 to an early ford six. I'm not sure what the issues are, but if it was easily doable I'm sure someone would have already done it by now. The main transplant from late model Mustangs is a T5 5 speed OD. That's done quite a bit, and there are several specilized parts on the market for this conversion.

As far as a six speed 'bogging the motor', well it's all all a matter of ratios, and has alot to do with the gearing in your rear end to give your final gear ratios. A 5 or 6 speed transmission will have the gearing much closer together than a 3 speed, as well as having an overdrive. In OD you won't have alot of acceleration power with a small engine, but you can downshift for that. The only bogging that I could see was if you had very very high final ratio in top gear, then you may find yourself downshifting alot.

I've seen remote linkages to a T5 that allow you to move the shifter forward or backward, but I've not seen one that would offset to the left.

Kris

 

[ASMART]

The number of speeds do not relate to bogging you engine down. Just think about when you were a kid. A single or 3 spead bike would be much harder to accelerate than a 10 speed. The key to it all is the gear ratio. If 1st gear of the 6 speed is like that of 3rd gear of a 5 speed then it would bog down. However, this could be "fixed" by changing your rear axles gear ratio to on ethat would be numerically higher.

 

[Anonymous]

Every transmission loses power through it.

Adding a six speed adds a lot of extra gears, shafts and bearings that are always moving and using up power, I would avoid it at all costs.

Everything is possibble, but be prepared to have over $3000 in it by the time the swap is done.

 

[blueroo]

Ok, I'll probably go with a 5 speed then. But Richmond aside, are there any 5 speeds that can be set up with an offset shift arm?

 

[WhitePony]

Just curious, why is an offset shift a must?

 

[blueroo]

White Pony,
It's not really that the offset is a must however the answer will probably seem somewhat "childish"

I'm 19 years old (just turned 19 on 9/11) and I've grown up listening to stories of my dad's GTOs and Tempests and being semi-immersed in a lot of 60s cars through countless model cars. All the cars from the 60s seemed to have an offset shift, granted, the tranny design mandated it and most new cars have a center shifter. While it's symmetrical to have it centered, to me at least, a console looks so much cooler with a "pocket" off the side for the shifter.

 

[XFlow_Fairlane]

yeah a t56 is over 100# I think in weight....a T5 is like 75?

also I hear that the T56 is a pig on power (IE sucks up alot to spin all those gears)

a T5 works great. if you want to offset it you can gain an inch or so to one side by mounting the shifter lever to the drivers side of the "nub" I also bent my lever to the side a couple degrees and sits in there pretty nice.

 

[Anonymous]

I've grown up listening to stories of my dad's GTOs and Tempests and being semi-immersed in a lot of 60s cars through countless model cars. All the cars from the 60s seemed to have an offset shiftrr.

Linkage style shifters are gone ...... AND GOOD RIDDANCE!!

Forget nostalgia, I have had many "linkage" type trans and hope to never have another.

 

[StrangeRanger]

Other than co$t there's no problem with the Doug Nash/Richmond box with a 1:1 top gear. You just change the axle ratio to accomodate. Since 5th is direct, it's actually a bit more efficient than running an indirect OD.

As an example, suppose you're running a 4 cylinder t5 with a .79:1 5th gear ratio and a 3.50 rear. With a 1:1 5th gear you'd need a rear end ratio of 0.79 x 3.50 = 2.77 to have equivalent overall gearing.

But you can do a T5 for less than 1/5 the cost. That's a lot of money that could be used elsewhere to buy disc brake conversions, suspension upgrades, new upholstery, etc.

 

[Johnny Ray]

I've grown up listening to stories of my dad's GTOs and Tempests and being semi-immersed in a lot of 60s cars through countless model cars. All the cars from the 60s seemed to have an offset shiftrr.

Linkage style shifters are gone ...... AND GOOD RIDDANCE!!

Forget nostalgia, I have had many "linkage" type trans and hope to never have another.

I whole-heartedly agree!

8)

 

[Anonymous]

If you want to keep your column shift you could go with a 4 speed toploader. Perhaps a wide ratio for the lower first gear, then change to a higher ratio rear end for better fuel economy.

Anyhow, as for the column shift... It's possibly to set it up so your column shifter works the 4 forward gears. Then for reverse you can fabricate a linkage and run it up through the floor under your seat. So to engage reverse you pull the lever under your seat while the column shift is in neutral. For your forward gears you just slide your reverse shifter to neutral. It's pretty slick.

 

[Anonymous]

It's possibly to set it up so your column shifter works the 4 forward gears.

Doable....yes.

Would I ever bother?? Never.

 

[addo]

If retro is a must, what about a twin-stick?

 

[Lazy JW]

When I was in high school a friend had a late 60's vintage Toyota sedan that had a column shifted four speed. It only had one shifter lever but I have no idea how it was set up.
Joe

 

[XFlow_Fairlane]

trust me go to a floor shifted T5!! If you are gonna put alot of miles on a linkage trans you will have issues. the bushings will wear and then it will hang up in one gear while you shift to another. my old hurst did this all the time pulling up at lights between 2nd and first.....this effectivly locks the transmission up...not alot of fun. I have had my T5 for only 6 months (about 3K miles)and love it!!

 

[blueroo]

Thanks all,
I wanted to get some advice from people who've been there before I can afford it that way I don't something incredibly stupid when I have the money (although I still wouldn't put it past me, lol). 62fairlane170, since we basically have the same car in terms of construction I was wondering if you had any pics of your conversion to the T5 as well as a rough estimate of what I should expect pricewise.

Also to everyone who's done this conversion, is there anything in particular I should look for and anything I should stay away from in terms of using the T5. Thanks.

 

[WhitePony]

I'm currently in the process of installing a T5 in my 65 Mustang. Here's a list of the parts that I'm installing.

-T5 transmission (DUHH!!) These come from 79-93 Mustangs or 85-87 T-bird Turbo Coupes. The 4cyl and 8cyl T5's are geared differently, as is the one from the T-bird.

-T5 shifter

-Manual 6cyl bellhousing (Best to use one from a 1968 or later 3.03 3 speed manual). The bellhousing will have to be slightly modified to mount to the adapter plate, but it's a 10 minute job with a drill.

-T5 adapter plate to mount the T5 to the older bellhousing and give the proper input shaft spacing.

-9" manual flywheel from a 1968 or later 6cyl 200 (Not a 250) You can use an 8 1/2" recessed flywheel from an early model Mustang, but then you will HAVE to use a 3 finger pressure plate, because they don't make a diaphram type for the 8 1/2".

-Clutch kit for the 9" flywheel (Clutch plate, Pressure Plate, Throwout Bearing) I'm using a later model kit for a 1978 Fairmont to get a diphram pressure plate rather than the early model 3 finger type. But if you do that, you still have to have the early model throw out bearing to match the fork on the bellhousing.

-Pilot bearing

-T5 crossmember with parking brake bracket. Not sure if this will fit a Fairlane though.

-T5 yoke

-New u-joints

In addition, you may need to have the driveshaft shortened, as this is usually the case on the Mustang T5 conversions. And of course you will have to make hole in the hump for the shifter, and will need a lower and upper dust boot.

It's a substantial list, and the total cost can excede $1K depending on how much you pay for a used T5. But, EVERYBODY that I have seen who has done the swap LOVES it.

Kris

 

[Anonymous]

A T-5 shifts like butter compared to older linkage type shifters, so it is easy to fall in love with it. I f you want REALLY crisp shifts, you can add a PRO - 5.0 shifter to it, but that can come later.

There are a bunch of different T-5's,
These should help a little :

http://www.fordmuscle.com/archives/2000 ... ndex.shtml

http://www.fordmuscle.com/archives/2000 ... dex2.shtml

http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/T5ID.htm

http://www.vanpeltsales.com/FH_web/t5_fivespeed.htm

http://www.drivetrain.com/borgwarnerT5.html

 

[StrangeRanger]

A lot of it comes dwn to axle ratio. Most 6 cyl carshave economy axle ratios so they need the bigger ratios of the 4 cyl T5, a few have more performance oriented ratios and can use the V8 version.