World Class T-5 swap "how to" w/pics!

[Jason]

Well, I had a post going detailing the T-5 swap, and while trying to delete some clutter and move it over to the performance section and make it into a sticky, I deleted the whole damn thing!

First things first: The swap will require above average mechanical skills, some fab work, you'll need a welder, and machine work is required if you use the adapter I used. There is one available that doesn't require machining of the bellhousing, but it cost $125 more than the one I used... That pretty much comes down to whether or not you have access to a machine shop, or a friend that can do it for cheap.

You will notice that I titled the thread "world class" T-5 swap. There is TONS of T-5 info on the net, but the main thing to remember when buying one used or rebuilt is to get one that is a "world class" T-5. These are the later T-5s found in V-8 mustangs, some SVO turbo mustangs, etc. I found a few different sites that listed the part numbers and what the gear ratios were, along with whether it was a world class trans or not. The world class designation is a overall stronger and better trans. It has taper roller bearings, better syncros, stronger gear sets, and naturally a higher torque capacity. Since your looking at buying a old trans from the 80s to early 90s anyway, might as well wait around for one that is a world class, the difference in price is going to be minor if anything. Mine came off craigs list for $100 out of a '89 5.0 Mustang.

Here is a parts list. If you are swaping from a auto like I did, you will need to find a M46 bellhousing (make sure its for a turbo diesel if you are doing this in a 7xx series car). A flywheel, a clutch/brake pedal assembly and clutch cable as well. Since you are using the M46 bellhousing, all the volvo clutch stuff is the same, except for using a Mustang throw out bearing (or stock volvo is you get the expensive adapter that doesn't require machining).

You will have to get a clutch disc made. Clutchnet can make you a Volvo 9" disc in whatever type friction material you want, with the T-5 10 spline center. I'm using a stock TD pressure plate with a 6 puck and it has PLENTY of grip!

Mustang shifter if you trans doesn't have one (mine still had to stock one stuck to it). I would just get a stock one, I had to cut and weld mine at a different angle for it to work and not hit the console. An aftermarket shifter may not be the correct angle/shape. I doubt you will want to hack up a expensive aftermarket one. The shift distance between gears is shorter than the M46 anyway, so its kinda like getting a short throw compaired to what you started with!

Mustang slip yoke or front chunk of the drive shaft. You will have to get the front section of the driveshaft made to go from the T-5 slip yoke to the volvo u-joint. The local drive shaft shop here had a u-joint piece that was the same as the T-5 joint but made for a 2" drive shaft. That piece, and the drive shaft work (shortening, welding, balance) was only $80.

Misc metal like tubing, thick sheet metal for fabbing a mount plate, etc...


Here's where we are starting, this is my trans after being rebuilt, no bellhousing attached:



First thing that needs to be done is a shifter extension setup needs to be made. The shifter needs to be moved back almost 7" to come out in the same location as the M46. I know some guys just make a L shaped shifter that makes a sharp 90 degree turn right where it comes out of the trans, but I wanted it to have he same shifting feel. Doing it that way will make the shifter move more in an up and down motion, rather that front to back. After some measuring, I found that if I moved the shifter back the distance of the length of the shifter base plate, it was the perfect amount needed. I fabbed up a new shifter mounting plate that covers the old hole and allows the shifter to be bolted to it. The shifter's front bolt holes are not bolted to the rear holes on the trans.

For shifting, I used a pice of tubing and a old socket that was the correct ID for the plastic shift ball bushing to fit into. I popped out the plug in the back of the shift housing, and the rod sticks out through that hole. I welded everything together, making sure the rod was inline with the shift cup where the shifter ball would have engaged. If its not, the shiftmovement wont be correct.



Here we have the driveshaft, with the T-5 slip yoke piece at one end.


Adapter plate:


Adapter plate mounted to trans:


Bell housing after being machined to accept the adapter plate (5.250" hole milled into center)


Complete trans:


Clutchnet 6 puck with mustang T-5 10 spline center:


Here is the rear cross member. Its bolted to the original location, I used a couple small pieces of 1.5" tubing to support a piece of thick sheet metal that I drilled to fit the stock mustang trans mount. It has a simple mount with two long studs pointing straight down. It was easy to build the mount for since it wasn't at a odd angle like the M46 mount, and also wasn't very far away from the cross member. I used the Mustang mount as its quite a bit beefier than the M46 mount.


Shifter location, comming up through the same spot as the M46:


Starting with my auto console, I cut out the center area and glued in a universal shift boot. If you started with a M46 you won't have to screw with this type of stuff:




For the imput shaft, I left in the stock M46 pilot bearing as there was only a .028" difference in diameter. I just packed it full of grease. The T-5 has a big support bearing right at the front of the trans on the imput shaft, so it really doesn't rely on the pilot bearing like some transmissions do. So far, I haven't had any strange noises when shifting or when the clutch is in. I used a stock Mustang throw out bearing, and just slid it onto the sleave. The distance worked out just right with the stock volvo clutch fork. It just sits against it, as the mustang throw out has a big flange on the end. Normally throw out bearings are attached to the arm, but it really has no where to go when the clutch is not depressed. So far, no problems.

End result is a much stronger trans, and a real 5th gear that is pretty tall for great highway cruising. I can cruise at 65mph and only spin 2500rpm or so!

Jason

[jbg]

This is such a worth while swap, thanks for taking the time to document it. I've wondered for 4 years if the T-5 could be adapted to the D24T. Ever since I heard the Volvo gasser guys doing just that I have been searching half-assed for a manual D24T bell housing to see.

Oh, thanks for the pictures, no thread - especially one as epic as this - is complete without them!

[Jason]

Thanks!
I think so too. It has already held up longer than the M46 did! Just a much stronger trans, and the 5th gear is awesome for highway cruising.

Jason

[Jason]

Update 11-17-10: I put over 5k miles on the trans and found a couple things... With the lack of a decent pilot bearing, you get some higher rpm vibration through the trans (feel it in the shifter) from the imput shaft wanting to walk around. The shaft is supported pretty close with a bearing, however its not a super tight fit, as both bearings at the ends of the mainshaft are taper bearings. They are a little loose to accomidate expansion from heat, so the shaft can walk around a little. The diesel engine has a odd size hole for the pilot bearing. From doing some reading on turbo bricks, you can apparently use the stock mustang pilot in the redblock engine. For us, that is way to big, the OD of the factory mustang pilot is almost 1-1/2"! Our pilot hole in the crank is only .944" After calling a few bearing specialty places and comming up dry, I figured I was gonna have to do something so I went out and bought a mustang pilot bearing and figured worst case scenario I would have to machine it down somehow. Once I got the bearing I was pleasently suprised... The actual needle bearing is much smaller than the assembly, with the large size being made up by a big sleave. I measured the bearing itself and came up with about .942" Perfect! I pounded the bearing out of the sleave and did a test fit in the crank. Its not a light press fit like the stock bearing, but just slides in smoothly. No big deal, a small coating of JB weld will hold it in and I now have a pilot bearing that actually does something. On another note, filling the old bearing with grease wasn't a good idea, with the extra clearence between the shaft and the bearing, all the grease flew out and got all over the flywheel side of the clutch... D'oh!

The bearing I used came from Autozone and fits a mustang GT with the 5.0 engine (which is was the world class T-5 comes from). I told them 1987 model, but anywhere from '85 to '92 should be the same.

Jason

[ThickasaBrick]

Nice write-up and pics!

There are a lot of shady operators out there so I thought I would share my favorite trick on how to quickly tell if a "World Class" T5 really is "World Class".
On the non-WC T5's, the freeze plug looking thing on the front of the trans (it's actually a bearing retainer for the front bearing of the countershaft), is rounder looking on it's edge and says "Torrington" while the WC T5 has a flatter looking one the says "Timken". This is because (as Jason said) one of the improvements that made a World Class T5 "World Class" was the substitution of Timken roller bearings in place of the inferior Torrington needle bearings that the non-WC T5s used/use.

Something else to be aware of too: While I agree this is a great swap, folks should be aware that this particular T5's first gear ratio is only 3.35 (which is still the lowest ratio of all the WC T5s [highest numerically]), vs. the better than 4 to one first gear ratio of the M46. So if you are starting out with an M46 and you do this swap BEFORE you hop up your D24T your car may feel like it's a bit more sluggish off the line. But you will be able to hold onto first gear longer too though.
Regards, Eric

[v8volvo]

Jason,

I have started looking into T5 swap information for my 1986 745... it has the original ZF in it now with almost 300,000 miles on it, still working fine, but I am gathering parts to build a new motor for it this summer with a VNT, hot rod pump, IC, etc and I am not going to ask the mega mile automatic to try to stand up to that.

I have been looking at different versions of the T5 that are available and found out that the GM F-body version has a shifter location that is several inches further back, as well as an input shaft diameter that is identical to that of the M46.... thinking that may be a better option than the Ford setup. I like your shifter relocation modification but if there is a version out there that already has the shifter in the right location, or close to it, that seems easier...

Did you look at the GM units when you were getting into your swap? Any reason you know of why they are not as desirable? I assume the same adapter plate still bolts up to the front of the case, don't know why they would have made that part different...

Thanks

George

[Jason]

Didn't see this post, I know its kinda old but anway... From looking at the different options, I think the F-body issue was that the imput length wasn't going to be right. The pilot shaft diameter isn't an issue since I found that bearing that fits thats for the 5.0 v-8. As for shifter location I'm not sure what the difference is, though further back would have saved some extra work for sure. I never got that far with it though because of the imput issue as I remember. Not saying you couldn't swap to another imput, but that was more than I wanted to get involved in.



Jason

[Jason]

On another note, I just finnaly got around to rebuilding the trans after burning up the imput and counter shaft thanks to towing a trailer to Kansas! Anyway, for any naysayers about how well one of these holds up, I have beat the crap out of it countless times, multiple passes down the drag strip launching hard on sticky track surfaces, and managed to blow the rear end up TWICE and the trans was still fine... The trailer tow thing overheated it I think and ruined the gears.. As much as I like working the volvo now and again, its really not suited for towing. Maybe with a NV4500??? Hmmm


Jason

[anders]

Most of the GM T5 transmissions use GM's bolt pattern on the front, sometime in the 90's they swapped over to the Ford bolt pattern. (maybe with the introduction of the WC) Tail shaft housings swap over from one T5 to another very easily, as long as the tailshaft is the same length. Or you can swap the mustang input shaft into the camaro T5 as long as the gear count is the same.

[BluevanACD2005]

Jason (or others),

Did you ever have any issues with fluid leaking from the area in the picture below?

I am trying to figure out if I have a seal problem or the area where the shifter originally mounted has fluid sent to it and it is over flowing out this hole. I just replaced the seal, but still have the leak. Seems like when I take off from a stop, I get a little line of it on the ground. That leads me to think it is building up in the area where the detents for the shifter are, and all coming out this hole at once from the force of taking off.


-Spenser