All Small Six T5 Swap Build Diary

[fritschn]

Hello everyone,

some of you may already know me — I’m finally getting around to starting my swap project. It definitely took long enough, especially considering how long I had to wait for the transmission. I originally bought it in March last year, and it only got delivered this February. There were some issues with the importer, which caused the delay.

I’ll try to document my build as thoroughly as possible — what I’m doing and how I’m doing it. I’m sure I’ll still have a few questions along the way, even though I’ve already read countless threads and watched pretty much every video I could find. I had plenty of time for that . I’d really appreciate any support or advice from you guys.

My car is a ’66 Mustang with a 200ci engine, currently running a ’78 block and a ’66 head. I’m planning to upgrade to a 250ci ’69 M-code head later on — I already have it, along with new valves and adjustable rocker arms.

The current transmission is a 2.77, which has been rebuilt multiple times and kept failing. It’s finally coming out. Most recently, I barely managed to get the car back into the garage in second gear — the transmission is now stuck in second and won’t shift at all. That made things a bit more complicated since I couldn’t really drive the car anymore, not even out of the garage.

So I got myself a heavy-duty jack that can lift over 60 cm — an absolute beast — lifted the car, put ramps under the front wheels, and placed jack stands in the rear. On top of that, I secured the front with ratchet straps over the tires and ramps. I may not be the youngest anymore, but I’d still like to stick around for a while .

For the swap, I’m using a T5 from an ’87 Mustang, a clutch from a ’78 Fairmont, a pilot bearing from a diesel Explorer, a throwout bearing from a ’68 Mustang, and a bellhousing from a ’67 Mustang 6-cylinder. Since I have the small driveshaft with 1100 U-joints, I also needed a matching yoke, which I could only find at Modern Driveline. That’s why I ended up sourcing the other parts like the adapter from them as well.

Please take a seat — we’re about to get started with day one.

Cheers
Chris

 

[bmbm40]

Hello everyone,

some of you may already know me — I’m finally getting around to starting my swap project. It definitely took long enough, especially considering how long I had to wait for the transmission. I originally bought it in March last year, and it only got delivered this February. There were some issues with the importer, which caused the delay.

I’ll try to document my build as thoroughly as possible — what I’m doing and how I’m doing it. I’m sure I’ll still have a few questions along the way, even though I’ve already read countless threads and watched pretty much every video I could find. I had plenty of time for that . I’d really appreciate any support or advice from you guys.

My car is a ’66 Mustang with a 200ci engine, currently running a ’78 block and a ’66 head. I’m planning to upgrade to a 250ci ’69 M-code head later on — I already have it, along with new valves and adjustable rocker arms.

The current transmission is a 2.77, which has been rebuilt multiple times and kept failing. It’s finally coming out. Most recently, I barely managed to get the car back into the garage in second gear — the transmission is now stuck in second and won’t shift at all. That made things a bit more complicated since I couldn’t really drive the car anymore, not even out of the garage.

So I got myself a heavy-duty jack that can lift over 60 cm — an absolute beast — lifted the car, put ramps under the front wheels, and placed jack stands in the rear. On top of that, I secured the front with ratchet straps over the tires and ramps. I may not be the youngest anymore, but I’d still like to stick around for a while .

For the swap, I’m using a T5 from an ’87 Mustang, a clutch from a ’78 Fairmont, a pilot bearing from a diesel Explorer, a throwout bearing from a ’68 Mustang, and a bellhousing from a ’67 Mustang 6-cylinder. Since I have the small driveshaft with 1100 U-joints, I also needed a matching yoke, which I could only find at Modern Driveline. That’s why I ended up sourcing the other parts like the adapter from them as well.

Please take a seat — we’re about to get started with day one.

Cheers
Chris

T5 is the perfect choice in my opinion. Really looking forward to hearing all about it.

 

[bmbm40]

A lot of T5 swapping is going on around here, so you will have access to all the info you want.

 

[powerband]

Cheers ! - another T5 swap to make an old car more viable for modern driving!.
.
the Mustang V8 T5 can make early small six cars totally change their drivability for the better. Much better low speed acceleration through gears and much more confidence at higher speeds without winding out the torquey but RPM limited small six. The V8 T5's typical 1:.68 Overdrive will drop engine RPM's at 'modern' interstate cruise speeds to reasonable sustainability.
.
Sounds like you have all the essential parts ready to go, although a few issues may be found on installation.
.
Just plain more fun if you enjoy having greater control over all aspects of accel/decel while rowing through the gears.
.

have (3 pedal ) fun
.

 

[fritschn]

Today was finally the day:

First, I removed the shifter, then unbolted the driveshaft at the rear. I secured the U-joint caps with tape so nothing would fall apart. I placed a container under the transmission to catch any fluid — and yeah, quite a bit of oil came out, believe me.
Next, I disconnected the handbrake cable, removed the linkage, unplugged the reverse light switch, and took off the speedometer cable. I placed a piece of wood between the oil pan and the linkage to support the engine.

Then I loosened the nuts on the crossmember and positioned the transmission jack underneath. In hindsight, I realized the jack is pretty useless because it’s way too tall — I’ll have to come up with something for reinstallation.

After that, I removed the four bolts between the transmission and the bellhousing, then took out the crossmember bolts and lowered the transmission. Since the jack was way too high, I had to somehow wrestle the transmission off it — a bit of a struggle, and I have to admit I was pretty glad it didn’t fall on my head.

Now came what I’d say was the worst part so far: removing the starter while the car was on jack stands. I had to grab a box just to reach high enough to loosen the top bolt. The lower bolt was removed from underneath, and I just set the starter aside in the engine bay so I wouldn’t have to disconnect the wiring.

Next, I removed the two lower rear bolts on the bellhousing, the adjustment rod from the Z-bar, and the four main bellhousing bolts. I pulled the bellhousing off, then loosened the clutch bolts in a crisscross pattern so the springs could release evenly — and out it came.

I originally planned to remove the flywheel as well, but in my opinion it actually looks pretty decent. I’ll clean it up and lightly scuff it with a crosshatch pattern, then it’s time to start putting everything back together.

Here are a few pictures so it’s not too boring.

Cheers,
Chris

 

[fritschn]

Hey bmbm40 and pb, great to have you guys along.

I’m really looking forward to the swap being finished, and of course I’m hoping for as few complications as possible.

I deliberately chose a T5 from a 4-cylinder Mustang. At some point, someone installed a rear axle from an automatic car, so the gearing is quite long i think 2.80. Starting off with the old 2.77 transmission wasn’t fun at all. That’s why I’m especially excited about the short first gear of the 4-cylinder T5.

More to come tomorrow.

Cheers,
Chris

 

[awasson]

Hey Chris,
I’m excited to see you’ve got things started. You’re going to love this upgrade. What a difference this is going to make. I’ll make sure to check in tomorrow to see the next installment.