4 cyl T5 swap, yeah yeah i know

[85LTDCrownHip]

Sup yall. Hopefully yall didnt forget but I got that 4cyl T5 a few months ago and I think im gonna begin the swap soon enough. Let me Give yall a quick update. Last week in my 2nd period (Im still in highschool) i was scrolling through my local craigslist and saw someone posted 5.0 parts. So I got curious and clicked on it and the guy was selling a T5 for 250, bellhousing clutch, flywheel, pressure plate, and all. I messaged it instantly and the ad wasnt even up for 2hours. He agreed on a package and i waa getting a T5, bellhousing, clutch, pressureplate, flywheel, hurst short throw shifter, Clutch cable, pedal assembly, and a weiand action plus intake, all for $425. I feel this was a good price for my area because the next t5 that was posted recently was 500 for just bellhousing and trans. I drove to the guys house with my dad and had a little chat with him. Came home and started looking at the trans to realize this 2nd one too also has a 4:1 ratio . The transmission cameout of one of them aero foxbodies with a 306, So I assumed the trans was a v8 trans and so did the guy that sold it to me. Keep in mind this guy bought the car weeks before and was parting out the motor and trans so he could turn it into a drag car. So i startes inspecting the transmission. It has an input shaft with a lot of play so i started to get uneasy. I started looking at the serial code of the trans, bellhousing said it was from 83, the main housing was from 83, the tail housing was from 85-90, and the input shaft bearing retainer was from 90-93, and the gearset was from some 4cyl. I tore it apart and foundout that reverse is synchronised which means its from a later T5, and inside the case the gears look immaculate. There is not a single chip or scratch or discoloration or anything. Draining the rest of the fluid i saw a little bit of glitter but nothing too bad. So from what ive concluded is some wizard in his backyard hobbled this together and used it to race or something. The guy that sold the trans also said the motor had svo roller rockers under the valve covers. I think im gonna run this behind my 302 because well, I really wanna start driving a 5spd Boat. I think the next thing im going to do is drop my pedal assy and see if the mustang pedals will work. If they dont fit ill just chop off the clutch tube and pedal then weld it on my pedal assy. And ive heard that my driveshaft wont work but my aod is the same length as a mustang, and aod's driveshaft and T5 driveshaft are interchangable between mustangs. Ive still got a lot of stuff to plan out, but im certantly closer. And I will take pics and propably record some video of the steps so if yall wanna copy i can show you how. Do yall think I should run the 4cyl T5, i have two 4cyl T5's so if i blow one, No Bigee, ill just throw the 2nd one in. Keep in mind the T5 was already from a v8 so it held up long enough for someone to run it, I dont know hoe long or how hard, but svo mustang guys have put a lot of torque down to these transmission and dont think theyre as weak as people claim them to be, guess ill find out.

[87gtVIC]

You will have to fab up the pedal assembly. I done it. You can find info on it somewhere in my build thread.

Driveshaft will fit fine if going into a mercury or ford. Town cars not so much.

I’d run it. It may go...but whatever.


Please document. One thing nobody does is just that. No great documentation on the 5 speed swap.

[gadget73]

it'll work so long as you don't beat the thing like a rented mule. The problem (benefit ?) of that really low first gear is that it will run out really quick. With the tall stock rear gearing it might work out decently.

[Mustang Eddie]

The 4 cyl t-5 has a smaller input shaft end you will have to find a custom pilot bearing to make it work.Keep in mind the 4cyl t-5 was in a 2800lb car with 3.73's that made 86hp. You are trying to put it in a 4000lb+ car with more than double that hp not really a recipe for success. It may work for a while but don't plan on beating it.

[Tiggie]

Check the input shaft first - someone may have swapped a V8 part there given the Frankenstein nature of this crashbox. Otherwise I think it’s the pilot bearing for a first gen Ranger with the diesel that does the part.

I don’t think I could live with the 4:1 first even with a 2.73 rear.

[Mustang Eddie]

Check the input shaft first - someone may have swapped a V8 part there given the Frankenstein nature of this crashbox. Otherwise I think it’s the pilot bearing for a first gen Ranger with the diesel that does the part.

Not possible v8 & 4 cyl input have a different amount of teeth you would have to change the whole gearset to make that work.

[Tiggie]

Not possible v8 & 4 cyl input have a different amount of teeth you would have to change the whole gearset to make that work.

Guess that’s one less thing to worry about then.

Did some math. The 4:1 coupled to the 2.73 gear isn’t that far from a 3.35:1 with a 3.08 gear which Ford made many of and I have driven. It’s still a bit short for me but maybe livable.

[knucklehead0202]

The t5 with a good shifter and in good shape is a fairly tough trans. Having been through a handful of fox mustangs, i never managed to break one, although many others did. Worst case scenario you buy the "z" rebuild kit with the 2.95 first and rebuild it. 4:1 1st sounds miserable and would be almost useless even in our heavy cars.

[gadget73]

with a 2.73 it might be acceptable though. if it was a more reasonable ratio, basically it would end up being a 3 speed with granny and OD. It would be hilarious with a 3.73 or 4.11 rear. First would run out like an old Mack truck.

[knucklehead0202]

My '90 gt had 2.73s in it and the 3.35 1st. Even with mild mods 1st gear was like having a granny low and would usually just blow the tires off at anything more than 1/4 throttle.

[DerekTheGreat]

My K1500 has a 4.00:1 1st gear, with 3.73's out back. 1st gear does indeed feel like a granny gear. If put in 4Lo it just millimeters along. I've taken to starting in 2nd unless I need to merge into traffic quickly.

[sick88tbird]

The one nice thing about the 4:1 first gear is if you ever drive in stop and go traffic or are inching through parking lots in search of the perfect spot. I’ve had a 3.35 first with 3.73’s AND 2.95 first with the same rear gears....in slow traffic and parking lots, it made for a ridiculous amount of clutch work. I say run it, but I wouldn’t go with more than 3.55 gears. You’ll have to see for yourself what you like and tailor the rear gear to YOUR liking.

[knucklehead0202]

The one nice thing about the 4:1 first gear is if you ever drive in stop and go traffic or are inching through parking lots in search of the perfect spot. I’ve had a 3.35 first with 3.73’s AND 2.95 first with the same rear gears....in slow traffic and parking lots, it made for a ridiculous amount of clutch work. I say run it, but I wouldn’t go with more than 3.55 gears. You’ll have to see for yourself what you like and tailor the rear gear to YOUR liking.

Granny low crawler gear for traffic, i like it. Living here, the only way to have anything with a stick is as a weekend hopper, certainly not something i'd drive daily.

[DerekTheGreat]

Yeah I forgot to mention that's when I use first, does come in handy and it saves the clutch. I used to use the actual granny gear in our C3500 for that reason. That thing made so much torque it was as if you could just dump the clutch when starting off in granny. I miss that turd.