Transmission Rebuild Complete

I spent some time two weekends ago and again this weekend completing the rebuild of my T-5 transmission.

I finally gave up on C J Pony parts sending me the items I ordered.  I called and cancelled my order for the tail shaft bushing.  The second part of my order was a black, six-tooth speedometer gear.  They had this part in stock but were waiting for the bushing to send it out.  Once I cancelled the bushing order, they went ahead and shipped the speedometer gear.

I ended up ordering a Timken 5202 bearing and seal kit from RockAuto.  The set was $11 which was cheaper than the bearing alone from CJ Pony parts.  I installed the bearing from this kit and the seal from my Ford  M7000A rebuild kit using a pair of 3/4" sockets and a rubber mallet.

I then installed the speedometer gear which came from CJ Pony parts.  The black gear on the left is the new one which allows for proper speedometer readings even with gears larger than 3.50:1. 

The gear was initially confusing to me.  I needed a six tooth gear.  If you count the teeth going from one side to the other on the green gear, you count six.  However, that is not how they are counted.  You count the total number of teeth on the entire gear.  You can see where each tooth starts on the green gear below and if you count them all, you see there are eight and the black gear has six.

 

 

Sealing up a rebuilt transmission is one of those 'leap of faith' steps.  Until you put RTV on the mating surfaces and bolt it together, you can always double check your work.  Once it is closed up, that opportunity is over.  I looked over everything one last time and wiped down the mating surfaces and internal areas where it was possible.  I then started the reassembly.

 

The top plate goes on first.  I put a 1/16" bead of RTV on the top of the case.  It is a little difficult to put the top plate on without messing up the RTV.  You place it down a little off center to the passenger side.  You then slide it to the drive side to engage the reverse/5th gear lever.  The bolts on the top then get torqued down to 14 ft/lbs.

 

 

I then put on the tail housing.  This is a little tricky as well.  While you slide on the tail housing, you have to guide the shift rod into the shift block which the actually shifter connects to.  Once it is in place, you then put a roll pin to secure the shift block and then tighten the bolts which hold the tail shaft to the case to 23 ft/lbs.

 

 

I then worked on the input shaft.  I tried the method described in the Tremec rebuild kit for setting input shaft endplay.  When I performed all the measurements, I found a .025" shim was needed but I only had a .023"  I bolted it together with the .023" shim but it did not feel tight enough.  I decided to switch to an alternate method of measuring end play.

 

With the .023" shim in place, I set the transmission on two buckets with the input shaft facing down.  I put a gauge on the tip of the output shaft, set it to zero, and then pushed in on the input shaft to see how much movement would be seen at the output shaft.  I took four measurements and had .010 movement each time when the expected amount is .002.

 

I took out the .023" shim and replaced it with the one originally in the transmission (.032).  I then repeated the process checking four more times.  Between each test, I'd spin the input shaft and give the output shaft a light tap with a rubber mallet.  This time, each test gave me a reading of .002".  Perfect.

 

I mounted the shifter but had a hard time with it.  The shifter would not allow the transmission to shift into reverse.  It is difficult to describe but there are springs which are on either side of the shifter which are inside the shifter housing.  They cause the shift lever to return to center.  They are so tight, you can't move the shifter far enough to the side to get it into reverse.  I'll save you the details on this one but I managed to get this fixed as well. 

 

So here it is..... seven months later.... my completed transmission!

 

 

 

After taking this picture, I realized I did not put on the original metal transmission tag.  I put it on a few moments ago.  I mounted it to the second tail shaft bolt down from the top on the driver side as it was originally.

 

Little Progress Aside From New Shifter

I called CJ Pony Parts this past Wednesday morning as they had not sent me an email indicating my parts were shipped.  The person I spoke with stated the parts were arriving to them that day and would be shipped out to me the next day.  Several days have past since then and I have no email stating they have shipped and they have not billed me for the parts.

I did purchase a shifter for the transmission on eBay.  It is similar to a Pro 5.0 shifter but made by SR Performance.  I picked it up for $50 which is a decent price.  It arrived in the mail yesterday and looks almost new. 

 

 

I plan on removing the handle currently on the shifter.  I've not decided what I'll use for the handle or knob.  I've some time to think it over as I still need to save up some money for the block plate, crossmember, fulcrum mount, and to have the current driveshaft shortened.



Minor Details on Transmission Rebuild

I finished up installing the fifth gear and the shift fork for fifth and reverse gear.  I went ahead and temporarily installed the tailshaft, top plate, input bearing retainer, and the shifter to test everything out.  It seemed to not want to shift well into 3rd or 4th at first but after going through the gears a few times it smoothed up. 

With the transmission case and internal gears assembled, I've a few smaller details to finish up. 

 

The existing speedometer gear on the output shaft is a green, eight tooth gear.  This gear works fine with up to 3.55 rear gears.  A speedometer gear with fewer teeth is needed if you want to use more than a 3.55 rear gear.  I've 3.25 rear gears currently installed but might upgrade after the new transmission is installed so I decided to switch to a six tooth gear.

The M7000A rebuild kit comes with a tailshaft seal but not the bushing.  I ordered the bushing and the speedometer gear from CJ Pony Parts this past Wednesday.  They are often a little slower on shipping but the cost was good.  I don't mind waiting as there are other things I need to finish up and money to save to finish up the project anyway.

I purchased a replacement input bearing retainer which is steel instead of aluminum.  The aluminum piece was held in place with four 8mm bolts (right in picture below).  The new one has beveled bolt holes so it seems like you would need more of a machine screw to hold it in place properly (left in picture below).  The bolts only get torqued to 20 ft/lbs so the machine screws should hold up but I don't really know what I'll do here.

I also need to set the endplay on the input shaft.  When I bolt down the input bearing retainer, it is more difficult to turn the input shaft.  I don't have any shims behind the input bearing so I'm wondering why there is not more clearance.  I'll check to makes sure the input bearing is fully seated when I have time to go out in the garage next.  If this is the issue, it is very easy to fix.

Output Shaft & Countershaft Rebuild

I delayed rebuilding the transmission to finish up a few home improvement projects.  I purchased a bearing press from Harbor Freight earlier this week to continue the rebuild process this weekend.  I spent a few hours this weekend and finished up the output shaft and countershaft rebuild.

There is not a great deal of work in preparing the countershaft for reinstall in the case.  You remove the bearing from the front and rear of the shaft, install the race in the back of the case, and install only the rear bearing (left side in picture above).  The front bearing must be installed on the countershaft while it is in the case as it will not fit into the case if installed first.

 

 

I installed the reverse gear shaft, reverse gear, and the rubber O ring into the case next and secured it with the roll pin.  The reverse gear itself is new but the remainder of these parts are original parts.  The shift shaft, spring, and shift lever were all install next as it would be much difficult to do so after the output shaft is installed.

 



The countershaft is held in place on the rear portion of the transmission with a race, followed by a shim, and then the retainer pictured above.  The endplay must be checked to ensure the endplay is between .001 and .005.  I used the original shim and the endplay was exactly .001.  I bolted the retainer in place and bent the tabs up so the bolts could not back out.  The picture also contains the gear which mounts to the end of the countershaft.

I slowly disassembled the output shaft taking pictures of all of the steps involved.  I thought I might document all of the steps but there are so many guides available I'm not sure that it would really benefit anyone.  I took pictures of every step nonetheless as I could then reference them later if needed.

Everything I needed for the rebuild of the output shaft was included in the M7000A kit except for one item.  A needle bearing set was not included for under the first gear.  There are three used and the kit came only with two of them.  I checked several internet sites and could not find a picture of a kit including the part.  I only found the picture below which shows the missing part with a label of 226.  The one I took out seemed to be in good condition so I decided I would reuse the part.

Once the output shaft was assembled, I placed it into the case.  I then mounted the lever which operates the reverse gear to the side of the case. 

During the upcoming week or next weekend, I'll do a little more work on the transmission.  I want to get it sealed up soon so nothing gets on the components or inside the case which should not be there. 

I have the original shifter which came with the transmission but I'm still looking for something reasonably priced to use instead.  I'd like to use a shifter which has positive stops.  This will keep me from damaging anything internal if I overshift.  Unfortunately, all the shifters with positive stops I've found on eBay are outside of my price range.

Input Shaft Assembly

The following picture is of the input shaft from my '91 WC T5 transmission and the associated parts.  The bearings and blocking ring on the left are the original parts.  The parts on the right are from the Ford Racing (M-7000-A) rebuild kit.

The bearings and blocker ring supplied in the kit are identical to those originally used with one exception (more on this in a minute).  Only the front bearing has a part number on it.  The original and replacement bearings are Timken LM48548's. 

The blocker rings are the one part which seem slightly different.  The new one is in the picture below on the left with the original on the right.  The inside surface of each is rough.  If you view the full size version of the picture, you will see that original has a small groove through the center of the rough surface all the way around.  The new piece does not. 

This ring slides onto the back of the input shaft.  The rough portion fits perfectly against the polished looking cone at the back.  Since this cone fits the contour of the ring perfectly, I don't think the center portion of the old part was wore down.  This appears to be a slight change in design.

Cleaning and Disassembly of T5 Transmission

I worked a little each night this past week to disassemble the transmission.  I checked each of the gears as I disassembled the transmission.  Only the reverse gear had much wear.  However, there was a fair amount of fine metal particles stuck to the magnet in the bottom of the transmission case.

The main case, tailshaft, and top cover are empty and completely clean.  I've not cleaned the gear clusters.  I left the gear clusters assembled and wrapped in plastic bags.  I'll clean the gears as I disassemble the clusters for the rebuild process.  This will keep the arrangement of components fresh on my mind for reassembly. 

I don't have enough money saved up to rebuild and install the transmission.  My focus for now will be on rebuilding the transmission.  While I don't have much money for the entire project, I don't want to try to get by with a cheap rebuild kit or by not replacing items which obviously need to be replaced.

This morning, I purchased a steel front bearing retainer (Ford Racing M-7050-A) and a rebuild kit (Ford Racing M-7000-A).  I also purchased a new Tremec reverse gear (Tremec 1352-584-008).  These should be all the items I need to complete the rebuild of the transmission and seal it off until I can afford the parts to mount it into the Mustang.

If all of the parts arrive this week, I'll start the rebuild of the transmission this weekend.  There are numerous bearings which need to be pressed into place.  I don't have a press so I'll either buy one or find a shop to do the job for me.  This is the main task which might cause the rebuild to drag out beyond this one weekend.

I'll be using the T5 bellhousing to install the transmission.  I'll need to save up for a block plate, new fulcrum, transmission crossmember, and a new driveshaft yoke.  While I have the original shifter, I really want to purchase a new one with shift stops.  I'm hoping to find one used which is in good condition so I'm not spending $150-$200 on a shifter. 

New T5 Transmission & Bellhousing

I found a listing for a T5 transmission and bellhousing on Craigslist this week.  I started exchanging emails with the owner and ended up buying it this evening.  I purchased the transmission, bellhousing, and Energy Suspension mount for $300.

The transmission has the original tag showing the number 13-52-199.  This indicates the transmission was original to a '91 5.0 Mustang.  The transmission is rated at 300 ft/lbs and has the following gear ratios:
1 - 3.35
2 - 1.99
3 - 1.33
4 - 1.00
5 - 0.68

This is compared to the current ratios in my 3 speed toploader:
1 - 2.99
2 - 1.75
3 - 1.00

I started taking apart the transmission tonight to look at the gears.  I don't see any problems with the gears.  The fluid had already been drained.  What was left in the bottom does seem to have some very small metal particles but they are so small they could be from normal wear.

I don't have much money to work on rebuilding the internals but I'm going to go ahead and clean everything up to rebuild it when the funds are available. 

Waking from Hibernation

The temperature this weekend reach the 70's.  I've not drive the Mustang in a couple of months and decided this weekend was the perfect time.

I went and got it inspected as the inspection expired at the end of January.  I did not check anything before going which was likely not smart as things have a tendancy to stop working when you least expect it.  However, I did not have any issues with the inspection.  Two of the three guys working at the inspection station were taking pictures of my motor which was nice but strange at the same time.

After driving around a while, I reached 500 miles since engine break-in.  I changed the oil using another 5 quarts of Brad Penn 10w30.  I used a Wix filter this time but I purchased a few Fram filters not long ago on a buy one get one free program.  I don't think the Fram is as good of quality as the Wix filters so I might change once I run out of the Fram's I purchased.

I'm still having a little trouble with my air/fuel mixture.  The Holley 570 came with size 54 front jets.  I'm currently running size 58's in the front.  However, I still seem to be running a little lean when just cruising (15.0 a/f).  I expected the previous few jet changes to make the difference but I guess not.  If this does not have a meaningful change, I'm honestly tempted to junk this carburetor and buy a new one.

I've not been updating lately as I'm at the point that I'm tempted to start the bodywork.  I don't really have the money for paint and body work so I'm at a tought spot.  I purchased a 60 gallon air compressor which can run a paint gun back in November.  I'm tempted to try to paint the Mustang myself in the future but we will just have to wait and see.