Hey guys, I've some quick questions regarding possible 5 speed conversions (for my father's 68 with a Muncie). Been reading about Mustang T5s, but haven't found a real good accounting for the modifications and parts necessary (such as bell housing and clutch).

Secondly, what manual transmission does chevy use in their 90s half tons? These are 5 speeds and can be found behind a 350. Some are even in 4x4s. Would these not be a canidate?

Thanks
Robb

If transmission strength is not a concern, than a T5 out of a mid 80's to early 90's Camaro would be a good choice. I believe that they bolt to the same bellhousing that the Muncie bolts to, but I could be wrong. There could be some shifter hole and console clearance problems that need to be rectified with the swap as well. And, of course, the drive line would likely need to be altered. These transmissions are pretty weak though. So weak, in fact, that GM never put one behind a 350. The largest engine that they would put one behind was a 305.

Another better alternative, if you plan on putting a stout engine in the car and you plan on beating on it some, would be the Tremec 3550 or the Tremec TKO 5 speeds. These trannys bolt to the same bellhousing as the Muncie. They will work with a stock 26 spline clutch and your mechanical linkage will work too. They are very strong transmissions. You can buy a conversion kit that comes with the transmission for around $2000 so they are a little pricey. It just depends on what you want to do.

Even another alternative would be the Richmond five speed. 5th gear is not overdrive though, but the extra low first gear allows you to run 3.08 gears in the rear so highway driving is still enjoyable. The ratio spread is also closer than that of the Tremec. The shifter would be harder to get to work with the console, but it is doable. I think that cost is about the same as the Tremec conversion.

Originally posted by robbm:
Hey guys, I've some quick questions regarding possible 5 speed conversions (for my father's 68 with a Muncie). Been reading about Mustang T5s, but haven't found a real good accounting for the modifications and parts necessary (such as bell housing and clutch).

Secondly, what manual transmission does chevy use in their 90s half tons? These are 5 speeds and can be found behind a 350. Some are even in 4x4s. Would these not be a canidate?

Thanks
Robb Hi Robb. Cameron covers this topic pretty well. The T-5 will require a different bellhousing, and 'yes', they are weak. They'll hold up ok on a mild small block, if you don't beat on it. Just treat it gently, and 3rd gear is generally where they break first. The 3rd gen T-5 are canted at an angle, 17 degrees I think.


Our GM conversion 3550 5sp will bolt right into your car. I have swap details at my website if you're interested. http://www.5speedtransmissions.com

Pls let me know of any further questions. I'll be glad to help where I can.
Mike,

wow, they're only around 2k? I thought they were a lot more expensive than that. MJPell, do you know what kind of total cost figures would I look at if I have a muncie in there and wanted to swap to a 3550 or TKO?

*edit*
wait, never mind, I found it on your site... nice!

I am getting ready to do the same thing to my 67 Camaro & was told to go with the Tremec 3550 and was referred to www.fortesparts.com. (http://www.fortesparts.com.) They can put together a whole package of what you need. Check the site out it has some cool pics.

the whole conversion depends on how much you want to spend.

you can modify a th400 crossmember and mount to work by cutting the tang off and welding it on the opposite side of the original mounting position and redrilling the mount for the tremec bolt holes. this costs $50 for the x-member and ten for the mount.

that beats the 125-150 that fortes charges for theirs but is a little more work. took me 3 hours

$150-400 on a clutch depending on what you want
original bellhousing $0
lakewood skattershield $300 (not sure went the cheap route)
shorten driveshaft $75-100
conversion u-joint $25

hope this helps

chuck fry

What kind of horsepower/ torque can the T-5 handle, yes i know the T-56 is the way to go, just wondering.. smile.gif

Originally posted by TEAM CANADA:
What kind of horsepower/ torque can the T-5 handle, yes i know the T-56 is the way to go, just wondering.. smile.gif TTC rates them from 175 - 300 ft/lbs depending on the model. I'm pretty sure the 300ft/lb unit is the World Class T5.

http://www.ttcautomotive.com/English/products/T-5.asp

Originally posted by mjpell:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by robbm:
Hey guys, I've some quick questions regarding possible 5 speed conversions (for my father's 68 with a Muncie). Been reading about Mustang T5s, but haven't found a real good accounting for the modifications and parts necessary (such as bell housing and clutch).

Secondly, what manual transmission does chevy use in their 90s half tons? These are 5 speeds and can be found behind a 350. Some are even in 4x4s. Would these not be a canidate?

Thanks
Robb Hi Robb. Cameron covers this topic pretty well. The T-5 will require a different bellhousing, and 'yes', they are weak. They'll hold up ok on a mild small block, if you don't beat on it. Just treat it gently, and 3rd gear is generally where they break first. The 3rd gen T-5 are canted at an angle, 17 degrees I think.


Our GM conversion 3550 5sp will bolt right into your car. I have swap details at my website if you're interested. http://www.5speedtransmissions.com

Pls let me know of any further questions. I'll be glad to help where I can.
Mike, </font>[/QUOTE]ok i am confised, the web site says they are in MA,376 Cambridge Street Burlington MA 01803
you say your in IN?

also the web site says the tko-2 has .83 5th gear,but if you go to gm conversion it shows 5th gear is .68
"The TKO II is a TKO with a stronger 3rd gear, and a 5th gear ratio of 0.83.
" Or upgrade to a TKO with the items below:


TR-3550 TKO, 5 speed, 0.68 5th gear, 525 ft/lb rating"



"http://www.5speedtransmissions.com/tr-3550.html http://www.5speedtransmissions.com/gm_3550_package.html

and where is the coarse spline? that a lot of GM
vehicles used? :(

I purchased a complete Tremec TKO conversion for my 69 camaro from Fortes. Mike was great to deal with and for around $3k I got every last part to convert from an automatic. I had read great things about the TKO and wanted a complete kit.

Originally posted by cavemanmoron:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by mjpell:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by robbm:
Hey guys, I've some quick questions regarding possible 5 speed conversions (for my father's 68 with a Muncie). Been reading about Mustang T5s, but haven't found a real good accounting for the modifications and parts necessary (such as bell housing and clutch).

Secondly, what manual transmission does chevy use in their 90s half tons? These are 5 speeds and can be found behind a 350. Some are even in 4x4s. Would these not be a canidate?

Thanks
Robb Hi Robb. Cameron covers this topic pretty well. The T-5 will require a different bellhousing, and 'yes', they are weak. They'll hold up ok on a mild small block, if you don't beat on it. Just treat it gently, and 3rd gear is generally where they break first. The 3rd gen T-5 are canted at an angle, 17 degrees I think.


Our GM conversion 3550 5sp will bolt right into your car. I have swap details at my website if you're interested. http://www.5speedtransmissions.com

Pls let me know of any further questions. I'll be glad to help where I can.
Mike, </font>[/QUOTE]ok i am confised, the web site says they are in MA,376 Cambridge Street Burlington MA 01803
you say your in IN?

also the web site says the tko-2 has .83 5th gear,but if you go to gm conversion it shows 5th gear is .68
"The TKO II is a TKO with a stronger 3rd gear, and a 5th gear ratio of 0.83.
" Or upgrade to a TKO with the items below:


TR-3550 TKO, 5 speed, 0.68 5th gear, 525 ft/lb rating"



" http://www.5speedtransmissions.com/tr-3550.html http://www.5speedtransmissions.com/gm_3550_package.html

and where is the coarse spline? that a lot of GM
vehicles used? :( </font>[/QUOTE]Sorry for any confusion...

The Gm conversions only have the 26 spline input.

The TKO II has a 0.83 5th, and is a little stronger than the TKO.

The TKO has a 0.68 5th, and is rated at 525 ft/lbs.

The " Or upgrade to a TKO with the items below"
statement is on my GM Conversion package page. The first of the page shows the std 3550, the 2nd part shows the TKO package.


Right, I'm in Indianapolis, IN, and I'm a distributor for Forte's Parts Connection. Forte's is in Burlington, MA.

Hope that clarifies. If not, let me know. graemlins/beers.gif
Thanks.