ford t5 trans - which ford t5 trans will be easy to put in a ford crestline y block engine

[tripleh]

which ford t5 trans will be easy to put in a ford crestline y block engine

[Pfeil]

T5 trans did not come behind Y block Fords. Peter has already looked at the topic to change the title. I'm surprised he did not re direct the thread over to Ford or the technical section like he should have done and where this thread belongs.  

[Bloo]

2 hours ago, tripleh said:

which ford t5 trans will be easy to put in a ford crestline y block engine

None of them.... There are so many variations out there it is hard to keep track of. Generally the easiest thing to do is get something like the current Ford Racing "Z" transmission, but with a bunch of caveats. It is on the same standard for fit as the 80s 5 liter Mustang transmission, and directly interchanges with it. The pattern at the bellhousing end is like Ford Toploader and a few others from that period. Probably nothing from the Crestliner period.

 

Easiest road is to see if someone makes an adapter plate to get that transmission hooked to the current bellhousing, and can tell you what clutch to use, etc. The pilot is metric. You might be making a pilot bearing or bushing to fit. The front bearing retainer is also metric, and it needs to register in the bellhousing. An adapter plate might take that problem away. A Jeep retainer fits, is in a US size, and it slightly smaller but might not be a useful size(?). If you change the retainer, you need to re-shim the front bearing.

 

If you can get the front hooked up with no big trouble, then the easiest road is to build the transmission with a GM "S-10" tailshaft housing and shifter. The Mustang tailshaft housing will have the shifter way too far back for 99% of old American cars. The S-10 is too far back also, but less too far back. Having the shifter position at the front of the tailshaft, it can often be made to work.

 

Probably the cheapest way is to have one of the shops that supply T-5s for aftermarket use (Modern Driveline, etc.) build it with the S-10 tail unless you are into transmission rebuilding. Even then the S-10 transmission you need for parts goes at a premium because it has a Muncie/Saginaw bolt pattern at the front, has the S-10 tail, and goes Into an old Chevy comparatively easily. Expensive despite being a so-called "non world class" T-5, fairly weak, with old-fashioned synchros, lousy gear ratios, and internal parts that don't interchange with the "world class" versions. There are some later S-10 T-5s that are a lot better and have the Ford T-5 bolt pattern up front, but those cannot support a mechanical speedometer.

 

[joe_padavano]

Many vendors make adapter plates to bolt newer T5 transmissions to bellhousings drilled for the Ford Toploader or Borg Warner four speeds. As for which one to get, definitely a World Class unit, which is substantially stronger than the original non-World Class versions. There are about a bazillion websites that talk about this and show the process. Google is your friend.

 

Note that the "Ford" pattern T5 transmissions are not the same "Ford" pattern as used on the toploader. You still need an adapter plate. The newer GM T5 transmissions used the "Ford" bolt pattern but they have GM input shafts and bearing retainers so they won't readily work in a Ford application, especially if you require the added thickness of the adapter plate.

 

 

Don't be too hasty to get an S10 tailhousing. I'm in the middle of putting a T5 behind the aluminum 215 in my 62 Olds F85 wagon and the Camaro tailhousing with the rear shifter location is just about perfect. I also have an S10 version and it puts the shifter up under the dash. I'll also note that for me, having a parts car with "Flintstone floors" made it really easy to try both shifter locations. 😁

 

 

I'm also using the factory hydraulic throwout bearing from the 1996-2002 Camaro with the Buick V6 to simplify clutch linkage issues.

 

[Rusty_OToole]

I'm going to put on my Swami turban and try to read the original poster's mind. He asked 2 questions, one about a floor shifter for a Ford and another about putting a different transmission in a Ford.

 

This makes me think he is having a problem with the column shift in his fifties Ford Crestline Y-block. Year not stated.

 

If that is the case it would be easier and better to fix the column shift linkage. This may involve replacing worn bushings, welding up and filing smooth worn parts, or replacing worn parts as necessary. Then lubricate and adjust the linkage. It is surprising how easy and precise the old column shift can be if it is working right.

[EmTee]

The OP asked specifically about "which T5", so I'm thinking he's looking for an overdrive transmission...

[Bloo]

Well yes. Maybe. We'll have leave that to the OP to tell us. Ford Crestline is an early 50s Ford, and chances are good that Ford's own optional Borg Warner overdrive transmission from the period would just bolt in, only needing the simple electrical controls added and probably driveshaft shortening. I happen to think the B/W overdrive is the coolest thing ever, but that's neither here nor there. It isn't a T-5.

 

What I suggested above is what I think is likely to be the easiest way to a T5 (and I have been down the T-5 rabbit hole a lot, just never with a Crestline). What the OP will need to do is measure everything a bunch of times, and do a bunch of calculations of the gear ratios, then compare to what has actually been made over the years. On a V8 car with a lot of torque, the close ratios of the currently available T5-Z Ford transmissions (and the Camaro V8) are probably going to be what you want on first through fourth but not necessarily. Another thing is the overdrive ratio. The overdrive fifth is dependent on the gears on the input shaft and the countershaft to determine what the overdrive ratio will be. The stock overdrive ratio on a currently available T5-Z is pretty tall, and I suspect is going to be a bit much on a small V8 with stock rearend gears. "Close fifth" gears are available, but require more work building the transmission because they don't fit through the hole fifth gear needs to fit through. Also the math doesn't work with the 80s Mustang gear ratios because the currently available close fifth is made for the T5-Z ratios, and fifth gets so close when combined with the 80s Mustang ratios that it might as well be fourth. It would work out OK in the Camaro transmission for gear ratio, except that it doesn't fit. You can make it fit by using a Ford output shaft, Ford yoke, probably move the speedometer gear(?) etc..

 

Edited June 5, 2023 by Bloo (see edit history)