just finished my t5 install & wanted to post a thread to help any bolters thinking of doing this swap with the parts chasing/cost breakdown
transmission scissor jack - harbor freight 70262 $125 pre 88 s10 t5 (mechanical speedo) - facebook market $300 jeep input 10 spline - ebay - $100 a5 input bearing - autozone $7 t5 input bearing shims - ebay (mine was .42) $13 (for endplay) hurst blackjack shifter - speedway $280 trans crossmember - speedway $103 gm heavy duty crossmember mount - ebay $14 3 qts. valvoline syncromesh - advance $45 lokar xmsl6b2 shifter handle- speedway $86 (open box- saved $100) mr. gasket shift knob - ebay $44 floor shifter boot/ring - ebay $40 trans floor shift cover- npd k-4105-47a $70 ----- $1227 used same bell, pressure plate, clutch disk, flywheel, clutch fork & throwout bearing. Had to cut off input shaft tip 9/16" and input bearing retainer 1 3/8", drill out mounting holes to 1/2", and notch cab frame crossmember to fit. (welded 1/4" steel plate on top to reinforce, sat flat with floorboard.) ended up with 1 1/2 degree down driveshaft angle. tips: keep input shaft from old 3 speed for a clutch alignment tool. also, put trans in gear when installing so you can move rear yolk when aligning the splines. (i wasted a few hours cause i had trans in neutral and it did'nt want to slide in.)
any q's feel free to ask now on to the driveshaft/rear axle!
FWIW, here’s my installation. My T5 had a 26 spline input shaft. I didn’t need any adapter plate. It was a direct bolt on because my T5 was a Camaro V8 T5 that I converted to S10 tail housing. LINK HERE
I guess I got lucky. I just installed mine using a clutch disc and pressure plate and throwout bearing that matched the Astro or Safari van from which Lugnutz got the transmission...11 inch and I already had an 11 inch flywheel from a wrecked 1953 Corvette so that all bolted right up with no alterations aside from reaming the metric mounting holes on the transmission a wee bit. The only two modifications I made were (1) I had to fabricate a new clutch rod because it needed to be a bit shorter to adjust the short throwout bearing correctly (2) I bought a custom-made 1.25 inch thick aluminum spacer to reduce the throw quite a bit...had to drill a new hole and move the pivot point upward on the lever piece. I used a common shifter rod that I was able to make fit the S-10 type stock shifter piece. Don't know if they still are but at that time they were sold by scads of people for about $25...just a common one-bend affair. Would be very easy to make. I believe all in all it cost me about $250 for the parts and resurfacing of the flywheel. I use a GPS speedometer I converted to look like the original and a 5 speed shift knob I bought on eBay. I had a driveshaft made for me by a company in San Antonio and I have a differential from a 1969 Chevy 1/2 ton pickup. Good luck!
~ Jon 1952 1/2 ton with 1959 235 | T5 with 3.07 rear end
You could have saved yourself $117.00 if you would have skipped the transmission crossmember and rear transmission mount as they are not needed for your application. In fact, you may want to consider removing the transmission mount from the transmission and let the transmission be supported by only the front mount and the bellhousing mounts. Why? Supporting the engine/transmission at 3 points can cause serious problems. It has been described to me that it is like holding a stick at the ends with each hand and putting your knee in the middle. The stick is easily broken. If you are concerned about the T5 transmission hanging out unsupported behind the bellhousing, worry not, as these trucks which came with SM420 4 speed transmissions hung out unsupported behind the bellhousing. That transmission will give you a hernia to lift it up off the ground.
1952 5-window - return to "as built" condition | 1950 3100 with a 235 and a T-5 transmission
You could have saved yourself $117.00 if you would have skipped the transmission crossmember and rear transmission mount as they are not needed for your application. In fact, you may want to consider removing the transmission mount from the transmission and let the transmission be supported by only the front mount and the bellhousing mounts. Why? Supporting the engine/transmission at 3 points can cause serious problems. It has been described to me that it is like holding a stick at the ends with each hand and putting your knee in the middle. The stick is easily broken. If you are concerned about the T5 transmission hanging out unsupported behind the bellhousing, worry not, as these trucks which came with SM420 4 speed transmissions hung out unsupported behind the bellhousing. That transmission will give you a hernia to lift it up off the ground.
If you have a Crossmember supporting the Bell housing, then I would recommend removing the Crossmember supporting the T5. There have been many debates online about whether a crossmember is needed. Yet, I’ve never once seen anyone show evidence of failure because of USING or NOT USING a T5 crossmember if they had a crossmember supporting the bell. I personally have 2 short bed C10s with a T5 and neither have a support for the T5. It hangs off the bell because the bell has a crossmember. In the Camaro and S10 applications there was a crossmember beneath the T5 but none supporting the bell.
thx kdrown-to get these old ad trucks back on the road is a commitment/any info to lessen the hassle/workload lugnutz & 52Carl- i was wondering about if a crossmember was necessary too after bolting trans up but that crossmember really fit in between the frame rails nicely & the cheap mount i got on ebay (labeled for gm th350, th400) slid in nicely as well. i did'nt detect any binding or movement at all tightening it down. now i'm torn on whether to leave it or take it out.
Leaving the crossmember in place to stiffen up a 70 year old frame is not a bad idea. Just remove the transmission mount so that the tail end of the T5 is free.
1952 5-window - return to "as built" condition | 1950 3100 with a 235 and a T-5 transmission
As others have said, the crossmember/mount isn't needed. Here is what I learned: when I did this transmission swap, I just used the stock crossmember mount for the OEM three speed and redrilled the holes a bit to accomodate the T5. I used solid neoprene rubber to make the 1/4" cushion I needed and I discovered attaching the transmission to that crossmember only telegraphed more noise through the frame and into the cab. Plus I wasn't convinced it was a good idea from a basic geometric approach. So I just let it hang free and it is all fine that way. The AD frame relies on that transmission crossmember. The design is important, too as the C shaped frame needs flex. Please don't alter that...if things don't flex sometimes they crack. (assuming you're using it as a truck, that is) Good luck!
~ Jon 1952 1/2 ton with 1959 235 | T5 with 3.07 rear end
