The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline New tranny thoughts please..

Hi guys. So my Saginaw 4 speed in my 59 apache is in need of a rebuild. Running the 235 with Patrick's 3:38 rear and 235/75 R15 tires all around.Local shop wants $875 total for removal, rebuild and install. I can go that route, buy a used 4 speed at $300 on Craigslist and put it in but I really don't know if that's a option as it may have needs I won't know about till its in and running. So I was thinking if I'm already in nearly $900 to be right are there other options for a tranny that may be as good or better? Even if they cost a bit more I'd like to hear your thoughts. I know the t5 swaps are common but with 3:38 rear I gather that may not be a good fit any longer. thanks for any thoughts you can offer!

I don't think you'd want an OD with those gears. I don't know what to suggest though. I'd go with rebuilding the original.

I think a trans swap would entail a different drive shaft. I'm not sure but I think a t5 is longer. I'd rebuild.

I'd say if you like your freeway speeds and like the 4-speed then rebuild. That would be the easiest. If you would like to run with fewer rpm's then a T5 would be nice. I have 3:55 gears and run a T5 with 255 15's. I think I could go with taller gears but have not tried it so don't know for sure. The T5s come with a few different overdrive ratios that you might consider too.

Dennis

I have done quite a bit of reading about the T5. I own 3 of them, each is different. I guess you could say I have a passion for them.

An S10 T5 from 1993 or earlier pulled from a 4 cylinder Chevy S10 or GMC S15 usually has a 0.86 OD gear. First gear is gonna be 4.03.

I have no idea what exact modifications you'll need in order to mate a T5 to a 235 bell, but you will likely need an adapter plate ($160) and then shorten the driveshaft. New clutch friction disc and pressure plate and throwout bearing too. Might need to modify your e-brake setup too. Also, It's very difficult to find an S10 T5 with the cable style speedo drive. Most after 1986 are electronic style output.

Let's run some numbers here: a 235/75R15 tire is 29" tall. A combo of a 3.38 rear, a 29" diameter tire, an OD of 0.86 will have your engine doing 2189 RPMs at 65 MPH and 2358 RPMs at 70 MPH. Only you know how well your engine likes those RPMs for cruising.

I got tired of seeing wrong tag and gearing info on the internet websites, so I have a T5 INFO PAGE on my website. I think the info there will be useful.
Link = http://lugnutz65chevystepside.weebly.com/t5-info-main-page.html

A T5 will bolt up to the '59 235 bellhousing without an adapter, the bolt pattern is the same.

The adapter I am referring to acts as a spacer to compensate for the longer S10 input shaft. It does nothing to change the bolt pattern.

Wow! Thanks guys for all this info. Glad this forums around as anytime I get stuck all I need do is ask. I think for now a rebuild the way to go. Thanks again!

And lugnutz that is a great site you made with a wealth of information.

I haven't done this yet, so I'm talking out of school, but I have read a ton. As I bought a S-10 and stripped it down and put an old ford cab on it and going to run 350 with t-5. The T-5's are cheap enough used, but true, is a pig in the poke, may be noisy/broken, etc, I see them from $100 and up. BEWARE: if you get something from '93, it will have small block ford bellhousing pattern. You'll have to use metric bolts to bolt a bellhousing to some of them (if not all unsure, I know mine is, it's a 93).
The spacer referred to is not to bolt trans to engine or bellhousing, it's because the input shaft is somewhere around an inch too long (I'm told) for trans to mount flush. so, either you've got to use a spacer or remove an inch or so off input shaft somehow. And, yes, every easy to get into one with electronic speedo tailshaft, don't know if they're interchangeable with eearlier tailshafts and able to run standard speedo (gear driven).

I bought my T5 rebuild kit from this outfit. www.thegearbox.org
They were helpful when needed. I also bought Paul Cangialosi's
Manual Transmission rebuild and modifying book. That was a big help. First time I ever rebuilt a T5 and turned out not too hard
for a rookie.

I had built a T5 hybrid at a local transmission shop.
ALL new and ready to drop in.
the gutz of a camaro in a T5 mid shift housing out of a n S10- S15 - astro van . a corvette clutch and it sits nicely behind my 292 in our 3104 5 window

http://www.inliners.org/Jack/t5_page.html
http://www.inliners.org/Jack/T5tech.html

http://s67.photobucket.com/user/1951otter/media/DSC00367.jpg.html?sort=6&o=323
http://s67.photobucket.com/user/1951otter/media/20A1.jpg.html?sort=6&o=194
http://s67.photobucket.com/user/1951otter/media/2A-2.jpg.html?sort=6&o=193

manual transmission warehouse , sacramento, ca

Actually, a 1993 S10 T5 should still have the Chevy/Muncie bolt pattern. There is a picture of one on my website T5 Info Page. I believe 1993 was the LAST year they used the Chevy bolt pattern case (1993 for the WC T5 in an S10 and 1992 for the WC T5 in a Camaro/Firebird). 1993 actually was the 1st year that they used a World Class T5 in the S10.


I think Lefty didn't review what he wrote above. I think he was trying to say that it IS needed. The adapter actually IS a spacer plate that moves the transmission a bit further away from the engine so that the S10 input shaft (which is 7.2" long from tip to front of case) doesn't bind in the pilot bearing. Cutting the tip off has been done but I hesitate to recommend it because I don't have the details. If not done correctly, you will end up having to look for a replacement input shaft.

The 1986 and earlier S10 tail shaft housing will have a mechanical style speedometer hookup, but these are getting very hard to find. Ford and Chevy owners want them so they can keep their bench seats and original cable driven speedometers. 1987 and newer S10 trucks have T5 trannies with the electronic pulse style speedo drive. Swapping tail shaft housings is not difficult but making an electronic speedo output into a mechanical speedo output involves more than just swapping tail shaft housings.

I agree, considering the rear gear ratio. Somehow this got turned into a T-5 discussion. I still believe 3.38 is too high a ratio for an OD with a 235.