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.

 

[fritschn]

Hey Andrew, great to have you on board! I’m really excited to see how this turns out.


Day 2:

Today I started by scuffing up the flywheel. In the first picture you can see how it looked at the beginning. I used 180-grit sandpaper and then followed up with a red Scotch-Brite pad. I worked in an X-pattern, going over each area about four times from the inside outward, without applying much pressure. The goal was just to roughen the surface, not to remove material. I repeated this process three times. In the second picture you can already see how it looked after the first pass.

Next, the old pilot bearing had to come out. Since I’m currently not eating bread, I figured I’d try the grease method (picture 3)… not a great idea Even with a rag held in front, the grease just sprayed everywhere on the first attempt.
So I drove to a gas station and grabbed a Bavarian Kaisersemmel. I removed the inside and stuffed as much of it as possible into the bore. Then I used a ratchet extension and after two hits with a hammer, the bearing popped right out. Cleaned everything up and finished with brake cleaner.

Meanwhile, the new pilot bearing (picture 4) had been sitting in the freezer for a few hours, which made installation really easy. A large socket, two or three taps with a hammer, and it seated perfectly.

After that, I cleaned everything again with brake cleaner until the rag stayed clean. In picture 5 you can see the final result with the new pilot bearing installed. I think it turned out pretty decent—what do you guys think?

Pictures 6, 7, and 8 show the new bolts for the clutch, the pressure plate and clutch disc, as well as the alignment tool.

I also cleaned the pressure plate with brake cleaner. Then I installed the clutch disc using the alignment tool into the pilot bearing, mounted the pressure plate with the new bolts hand-tight (picture 9), and torqued everything down in six steps in a crisscross pattern:

• 1st pass: 5 lbs
• 2nd pass: 10 lbs
• 3rd pass: 15 lbs
• 4th pass: 20 lbs
• 5th pass: 24 lbs
• 6th pass: 27 lbs

After that, I went around once more in a circular pattern at 27 lbs to make sure all bolts were evenly tightened. Then I rotated the flywheel to check that everything turns freely and nothing is rubbing, and finally removed the alignment tool (picture 10).


That’s it for today—afterwards I just enjoyed the nice weather.


Tomorrow I’ll continue with the adapter and the bellhousing.

Cheers
Chris

 

[DON]

Looks good to me!!

 

[fritschn]

Hey Don, glad to see you’re following along

Didn’t get as much done today as I planned – real life got in the way a bit

---

Day 3 – Bellhousing & Adapter

Today I worked on one of the most interesting parts of the swap: the bellhousing and adapter

First, I prepped the bellhousing and did a test fit with the adapter to make sure everything lines up properly. The centering on the bearing retainer is spot on and the adapter sits perfectly flush – exactly how it should be.

One small detail about the MDL adapter: it rotates the transmission about 5° counterclockwise. Not sure yet if I’ll need to modify the transmission tunnel later… we’ll see

Since two of the adapter mounting holes don’t line up with the existing holes in the bellhousing (as mentioned in the instructions), I had to drill them. For that, I designed and printed a small “IKEA-style” drill guide – honestly, MDL should include something like this to help keep everything centered.

I did the drilling in three steps:

1. Started with a 4.5 mm pilot hole
2. Opened it up to 8 mm from the inside out
3. Finished it to about 12 mm (also from the inside out)

@awasson how was it on your setup – did you have to drill new holes with your CPC adapter as well?

After drilling, I deburred the holes and thoroughly cleaned the entire bellhousing so everything would sit flat and stress-free.

Then I installed the adapter using the countersunk bolts from the front and the newly added bolts from the inside, tightening everything to 19 ft-lbs.

At the same time, I prepared the throwout bearing. I only applied a very light film of grease on the inner surface so it can slide smoothly on the bearing retainer – really just a thin layer (see the “high-tech tool” made from cardboard ). Of course, no grease on the contact surface itself.

After that, I installed the throwout bearing together with the clutch fork into the bellhousing. Everything sits properly and moves smoothly.

Next, I mounted the bellhousing and torqued it down in three steps:
15 ft-lbs → 25 ft-lbs → 30 ft-lbs.

One last detail that surprised me:
I compared the overall length of the T5 (including the adapter) with the original 2.77. The result is that the T5 setup is actually slightly shorter (about 3 mm). That might mean the original driveshaft could still fit – we’ll find out soon

The starter has been reinstalled (with the help of a creative lifting solution ), and the Z-bar is back in place as well. It will need some refurbishment though, as it’s showing quite a bit of wear – but one step at a time

Next step is to build a small transmission jack / helper and then try to mate the T5 to the engine… and see if everything lines up, or if I messed something up

Cheers
Chris

 

[DON]

Thanks for the photos! Nice to see details

 

[awasson]

@awasson how was it on your setup – did you have to drill new holes with your CPC adapter as well?

Yes, I did have to drill at least one hole. I’ll have to revisit my video log of it to see if it was just the one or two.

One last detail that surprised me:
I compared the overall length of the T5 (including the adapter) with the original 2.77. The result is that the T5 setup is actually slightly shorter (about 3 mm). That might mean the original driveshaft could still fit – we’ll find out soon

That is probably normal. My Toploader 3 speed was also slightly longer than my T5 installation and I could have simply left the original slip yoke on mine but I had already transferred it over to the driveshaft.

Next step is to build a small transmission jack / helper and then try to mate the T5 to the engine… and see if everything lines up, or if I messed something up

Definitely make a little cradle that works with your floor jack. Transmissions seem to be the most wobbly shape conceived by man and will always roll in the opposite direction that you think it’s going to roll.

I loosened my motor mounts at the frame and tilted the engine back slightly so that I could slide the transmission into place without the top of the shifter housing getting in the way. I don’t know if it’s possible to install without opening up the shifter opening in the transmission tunnel. It might be with the OEM shifter but with my aftermarket one, I had to do some trimming.

When the transmission slides in and is about 10mm from being in flush with the adapter plate, you might need to actuate the clutch just once to allow the clutch to shift enough to allow the transmission to slide all the way in. I had to do that with my top loader too so it might just be a necessary thing.

Good luck with your next steps.