The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop what t5 tranny am I looking for?

I have heard different theories but i have narrowed it down to a 2wd s-10 six but what years are the best? I heard early 90's will work but I also want to use the rear end-(s-10). So I figured when I find one I could pull the rear-end as well. If anyone knows what yr and model i need to do this I would appreciate it greatly-thanks

T5's were used in soooo many different applications it isn't necessary to limit your search to S10 models. Even then there were different engines hooked to them and the gearing is different. I'd look for one that had gearing matched to whatever engine your running i.e, a 216 or 350V8 sure have different requirements for a transmission, don't they?

I've seen things that indicate up to 260 different applications for that tranny in GM, F*&d, AMC, Nissan, even Cosworth and Isuzu. LOTS of them out there so just be sure your getting the one you need. If you have more specific info I can give you more detailed help.

The mid 80's S-10 is the most common. The 88 up S=10 is a good one but has electric speedo drive. You would have to use an inverter or custom gauges. There is a tag on the rear housing under one attach bolt. It has a bunch of numbers but find the one that starts with 1352-. The 3 didget number after that ID's the tran. Usually 145 on the mid 80's trans. If you log on
www.mongosgarage.com you can ID. it. Like Moneypit say's you want to pick a ratio to match your engine & rear end.

I am using the original 235 and just wanted to start hunting down a new tranny and rear end. I have seen some in cameros but a friend of mine says that my best bet is an s-10. I was also told there were 2 different 6 cylinder chevy s-10s and one will work and one wont. I am not a tranny guy so I am getting lost but I am sure if someone knows what model s-10 or anything else for that matter. Also about rear-ends what is the most compatable when it comes to width-since the truck is lowered I really dont have room to play. thanks

The camaro T5 will have better gear spacing and a longer spline area on the input shaft. The S-10's have a short spline area and will require you to machine the splines longer and cut back the input shaft bearing retainer and the tip off the pilot area. The S-10 rear housing has the shifter moved forward. The Camaro rear housing has shifter mounted farther rearward and the trans mount clocked at 15 degrees because the trans was clocked to move the shifter 2" closer to the driver in the camaros/firechickens. The trans can be mounted straight-up. Any 4-cylinder of 6 cylinder T5 has 10 spline input shafts and has a limit of 220lb-ft from the factory (a little more if you baby it). The V8 camaro trans have the 26 spline input shafts and are good for 300-330 lb-ft of torque (just a little more if you baby it). If you run a 10spline input trans, then you will need a clutch disc from an '88 Chevrolet Astro van with a 4.3 / T-5 arrangement. The 4.3 liter S-10's did not get the T5, however a NV3500 with integral bellhousing (which wont work with the 235).

T5's also came in Toyota Supras, Isuzu Rodeos and a few others. Another trans is the NV4500 from a Dodge. The input shaft is 1" longer and would require a spacer, however it is a much more stout trans than the T5.

The rear you want for width is either a GM metric or a 4x4 S-10. I personally would look for the 8.5 rear out of a ZR2. The AD has a 58" track width. A 2WD S-10 has 54.4" track width.

Hope this helps

Anyone have an idea of what years the Astro had T5s? I've heard that they make a good donor for a T5.

I've been running a 1985 S10 mechanical speedo .72 OD T5 in my 54 truck behind a 235 for the past year and a half. I used a 3.42 88 Camaro drum diff with a 28" tall tire and the truck cruises at 2000 rpms @ 70 mph. I've documented the modifications necessary for the install of both the transmission and the diff in my webshots "shoebox" album. I run a tank of gas through the truck most weeks so it's not a garage queen....it's on the road most every day. My mileage averages 18-20 although the new E10 we're forced to run, has required a bit of re-tuning and some modifications to the fuel delivery system.

If I had it to do again, I'd really opt for a 3.73 which would let me cruise at max vacuum at between 60-65mph. The .72/3.42 combo lets me drop down to 45 mph in 5th without a downshift and accelerate with the normal flow of traffic. The 3.76 1st gear winds very quickly and you can putz around town in 4th gear at 35 mph with no lugging. I'm running dual carter/webers with Fenton splits through glass packs with an electric pump at the tank (E10) and fuel pressure regulated to 3.5 psi.

The .72 T5 came out of a 2.8L shortbed S10 and the driveshaft will bolt up to the Camaro diff with only slight modifications.
I run 5 lug on 4-3/4" 15X7 rims with 4" BS and a 235/70/15 tire on front and the same lug pattern with 15X8 rear rim with 4" BS with a 255/70/15 tire. There is ample clearance from the tie rods in the front and from the box and fender in the rear. The Camaro rear sway bar will adapt to the AD by mounting it on top of the diff housing. The 39" eye to eye width will require only two holes in the frame for the control links.

To answer your question about the S10 rear diff...the 4wd will work but the axle ratios are limited. If you do decide to use the Camaro be sure to salvage the emergency brake cables. They are easily adapted to the AD emergency brake system. Be advised that most any diff you choose will require cutting away coil spring pads and setting new perches and pinion angle. However, being able to cruise with traffic and get decent performance and mileage make the effort to convert well worth it. Hope this helps you with your planning.

Dave

1985 - 1989 had T5's, however only 1% of production so they are few and far between.

Scott

Something to kick around.....the 89 and up T5's with the electronic speedo might not be such a bad choice for adding to a 235. Granted, the little "Cable X" box at $300.00 is a bit pricey but.....you get to use your stock gauge package and the converter box has switches that let you calibrate your speedo without changing the driven gear in the transmission. It took me some time on my back to get the right ratio for accuracy.

Secondly, the later model transmissions are going to have the potential for less mileage. The cost for rebuilding a high-mileage early mechanical speedo T5, will be appreciably more than the cable X converter box. If your stock gauge package is going to require extensive renovation, you might be dollars ahead to go with a later model, lower mileage electronic speedo T5 and the electronic gauge package. Same goes for the diff mods....I've located a 3.73 2002 Camaro diff which is supposed to be 62" wide with discs from a front-end wreck for $100.00 and all the coil spring hardware has been removed.

However, I would do some research and find out if and when the bolt pattern changed to insure your later model T5 will bolt up to your 235 bellhousing. Somebody might be able to shed some more light on this.

Dave

Ok...I'll need some imput from guys who have tried this swap. I got a T-5 from a 1986 V-6 camero.
1st. 4.03
2nd. 2.37
3rd. 1.49
4th. 1.00
5th. 0.76
I have a have a nova rearend with a 3.08 final drive.

With my 29 inch tires @ 70 mph the old 235 will be spinning @ 1900 RPM in 5th. gear.

At 55 MPH in 5th. gear the motor will be turning at 1500 RPM.

Would this be a good swap into the old truck as far running gears go?
also would I have to do the astro van clutch deal with this as discribed in other part of this site?
I thank you. Joe

Here is a web site that ID's the T-5 that I used for my info.

http://www.britishv8.org/Articles/Borg-Warner-T5-ID-Tags.htm

This is a good site that will calculate your gear ratios.


http://csgnetwork.com/multirpmcalc.html

The rear end gear is too high. 5th gear would be near useless. About 3.73 or 390 would be about right. Ive never done one with the Camero trans. but I understand you can use the conventional disc with it.

52AD, the 3.08 rear is a little steep for the 235 and the 29" tall tires. I would either find a set of 3.73's or find a way to get much more torque out of the engine at low RPM's

52 AD...you might want to go back and check your numbers on the 86 Camaro T5 box. The 4.03 1st gear is most often found in an S10 T5 box. None of the numbers you listed jibe with any of the numbers in my book with the exception of the 1.00 4th gear.

To identify a t5 correctly, you need to get the numbers of the little tag on the drivers side of the case. The numbers cast into the case are not going to identify the transmission. Some of the later models also have a bar code that can be deciphered.

I'm currently running a 3.42 R&P with an 85 S10 T5 w/.72 5th gear. I tried a 3.08 and as Wrenchbender pointed out, it will eliminate being able to use 5th gear entirely. The 235 is going to be happiest (highest vacuum at constant speed) at 1900-2200 rpms. With my setup I cruise at 70 mph at 2000 rpms and I'm still a couple hundred rpms from optimizing my engine efficiency so I'm looking at a 3.73.

It's not going to do you any good to calculate if you haven't locked in on which OD ratio you have. A .86 OD t5 might be fine in 5th but most of them have the 4.03 1st gear which is going to have you shifting out of first at a very low speed.

If you don't have a tag on the transmission to identify the specific year and OD ratio send me a PM and I can show you the procedure you use to figure it out.

Dave