The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk T5 question

I've been reading everything that I can find on the T5 swap. The number 1 problem seems to be not enough spline on the input shaft. The number 1 solution seems to be to extend the splines just a little. What I haven't seen much written about is using a 1/4" spacer plate between the bellhousing and the tranny. This seems like a better alternative than modifying the input shaft. Would the spacer work? If it would, why aren't more people going that route?

I don't think they had to use a spacer...if and when they slid their disc on the tweaked shaft and it passed the end of the splines, the problem was resolved.

Can't speak for the others but some very, very, minor tweaking of the bottom of the end of the splines allowed my clutch disc to disengage. Also, the clutch centers vary with different models/brands and the one I used, slide past the end of the splines 3/16". This let everything disengage properly. Putting a spacer between the bell and the transmission would accomplish the same thing.

I think possibly that some folks just ground away and assumed that their disc would slide the additional 3/16" and it didn't. I may be mistaken, but to discover you're having a release problem, you've got to have your disc and pressure plate installed, and I think possibly some folks didn't want to go through the R&R process to verify the disc would slide past the end of the splines.

To me, that is the key element in a successful T5 install.

Fortynine5 -

I agree with the comments Fla54Chevy3100 has made. I also agree that a 1/4" to 3/16" spacer would solve any problems and could be used without any consequences if you interested in being sure that a one time installation of the T-5 and other components was what you were looking for. I think I would be willing to test it without the spacer before I decided I needed it. If I did, I agree 100% that the spacer would be my choice before I tried to do any "machine work" on the input shaft with a grinder or Dremel style tool. On an older truck, such as my 37, I had to use an adapter plate in order to have the correct bolt pattern. That adapter plate, 1/2" thick, took care of any triming of the front of the input shaft and lengthing of the splines. It slipped right in and everything worked as it was supposed to. All I had to trim was the throw out bearing retain, which is the easiest of all alterations.

Joe

Fortynine-
You can use a spacer plate-if you go to 1/2" you probably will not even need to cut off the input shaft of the T5. You WILL still need to cut the bearing retainer. However, performing those modifications (including the spline cuts) really was not a big deal. You are not going for great precision, and since nobody will ever see them, they don't have to be pretty.