T5 Transmission Installation - Part 5

The first step today was to install the shifter.  It occurred to me yesterday the brass colored ring to the top of the shifter can be removed.  This originally kept me from installing the shifter from under the vehicle.  With this ring off, I put some RTV along the bottom of the shifter base and then bolted it to the transmission.

I then raised the transmission to ride height to install the cross member.  The work I did yesterday bending the mounting ears paid off.  The cross member went into place with no issues.  I bolted it into place and then lowered the transmission onto it and bolted up the transmission bushing.  (The picture below was taken at the end of the day after installing the exhaust so this picture also shows the clearance I have with the cross member).

With the transmission in place, I installed the brass colored ring on the shifter from the inside of the vehicle.  I'm glad I took the time to file away at the side of the shifter base yesterday.  Despite the work to realign the transmission to the driver side, it seemed to gravitate to about the same spot.  The filing gave me at least 1/8" of clearance which will be plenty as the transmission should not rock side to side much.

I then installed the lower shift rod on the equalizer bar.  This morning I read a little about the proper was to adjust it.  My approach has always been to just lightly put pressure against the throw out bearing lever.  A few individuals state more preload is needed to avoid grinding placing the transmission in reverse.  I'm not sure why that would be so I just adjusted it as I normally do and will keep in mind it might need some additional adjustments.

 I adjusted it to where there the throw out bearing would be touching but there would be no preload.  I read a little on this and many state this is needed for the transmission to shift into reverse without grinding.  I'll start with this and decide if it needs to be adjusted further.  If it is not necessary, I'd rather loosen it up some so that the throw out bearing does not wear excessively by always spinning.

I then reconnected the parking brake lines and worked on the exhaust.  The exhaust went in a little easier than I expected.  I purchased new collector gaskets and installed them using the Prematex copper RTV.  Finally, I reinstalled my O2 sensor.

The last of task of the day was to pick up the drive shaft.  BVD appears to have done an excellent job decreasing the length from 51" to 50".  They welded the end of the driveshaft back on by hand but it is so perfect you would think a machine did the work. 

They balanced the driveshaft as well.  They removed both the rectangle weights put on by the factory and just installed one set of weights side by side at the front.  I'm not sure why but they removed the weight from the rear end side and did not put another one on.  I'm hopeful technology provides a better balance and even this small change will make it a little smoother but it is probably just wishful thinking.

I sanded the drive shaft down with 220 grit sand paper.  It is really humid (misting rain) and cold today.  I decided to go ahead and top coat it with another coat of Eastwood's Chassis Black.  I'm not sure how the paint will turn out but I want to finish up the project by the end of the weekend and the weather is not suppose to change.

At this point, I'm waiting on the 17 tooth speedometer gear which should arrive in the mail today.  Additionally, I need to wire up the reverse lights.  Once I do these two things and put in the driveshaft I could realistically go for a drive. 

T5 Transmission Installation - Part 4

Since today is New Years, I'm not working on the transmission installation much.  However, I did take care of a few small items.

First, I worked on the shifter some to ensure there would not be any clearance issues.  The aluminum body of the shifter is at least 1/4" thick.  I decided to take an 1/8" off a section of the side which is most likely to come into contact with the shifter hole.  While I centered up the transmission already, it is still a little closer to passenger side than the driver side and I view it as cheap insurance.

I then turned my attention to the Modern Driveline cross member.  It took a fair amount of test fitting and bending the ears to get it to fit properly.  It is made out of some fairly thick metal which is hard to bend.  I tried not to scratch off the powder coat much and was successful except for one area where it chipped off.  At least the part that chipped off is on the top and can't be seen when installed.

The last thing for the day was that I picked a can of Duplicolor TR250 from NAPA.  I used it to fix a few chips on the undercarriage from removing and then installing the new transmission.  The undercoating matched the original coat and looks good. 

I'm going to try to tackle most of the remaining tasks tomorrow.

T5 Transmission Installation - Part 3

This morning I installed the new transmission in the Mustang.  I used the same unorthodox approach as in the past where I lift up the transmission using a standard floor jack.  I place a 2x6 on the floor jack to create a larger surface and then add pieces of wood to the top so that it fits the grooves and webbing on the bottom of the transmission.  As I've said before, I don't recommend it to others but I've removed and installed the transmission three different times using the approach.

Installing the transmission took a little time.  It can be difficult to align up the throw out bearing, clutch, and input shaft bearing.  I'd say it took more than an hour easily as I stopped several times to look everything over and contemplate the best way to move forward.  I then bolted it up with the grade 5 bolts which were provided with the CPC adpater plate.

I was incredibly happy to have the new transmission in place.  While it took a little while, I shed no blood in the process!  Unfortunately, a few issues came to light after wards...


Issue 1 - Installing the Shifter

The transmission had to be installed without the shifter.  Otherwise, the shifter would hit the tunnel during the process of installing the transmission.

With the transmission in place, installing the shifter became difficult.  The shifter is too large to install through from inside the vehicle.  Instead, I have to let the transmission hang incredibly low and install it from below.

With the shifter in place, I started raising the transmission and realized the brass colored ring at the top of the shifter is too large to move straight up through the hole in the floor.  I took the shifter back off and could fit it through the floor by pushing it through at an angle.  I then let it hang there and raised the transmission up to normal level.  Luckily, the transmission raises enough that the shifter will bolt up fine.

Issue 2 - Transmission Off Center

The second problem with the shifter is that it is off center.  The shifter started off touching the passenger side of the opening with plenty of space on the driver side.  To fix this, I loosened the engine mount bolts, raised the engine with a jack, and then used a strap around the tail of the transmission to pull it to the driver side centering it up.

I'm not sure if the issue is entirely the transmission.  I suppose it could be the floor is off center.  Since I've had the engine, transmission, and floor out, I'm just going to roll with it as it is the only way to get this to work without cutting my new floorpan which is something I really don't want to do.



Issue 3 - Transmission Mount

I planned to use the Energy Suspension transmission mount which came with the transmission.  I was under the impression it was for a classic Mustang.  When I attempted to use it, the transmission would hit the top of the tunnel before I was even close to being high enough to install the cross member.  It is simply too tall.


I pulled it out and compared it to the stock one which I removed with my 3 speed transmission.  The Energy Suspension mount (Part # 1044) is 2.445 inches tall.  The stock mount is only 1.642 inches tall.  I then realized the mount holes of the stock one match the cross member but the Energy Suspension one does not.

I searched and found Energy Suspension Part 1044 is for a 85-93 Mustang.  The Modern Driveline website shows their cross member being used with the stock style mount.  They sell is stating the same mount is used on a T5 conversion, TKO conversion, C4, or toploader.  I put the old mount in place and it was the right height.  Easy fix. 


Issue 4 - Transmission Cross Member


The Modern Driveline cross member I purchased does not fit well.  The two mounting ears on the passenger side are too close together.  I heated it and used a vice to pull them apart some.  This worked marginally and allowed me to get it in the car to test out the shifter and driveshaft.  Once those items were checked, I pulled it out as it needs more work to actually fit the way it should.  I work on this more later.


Issue 5 - Driveshaft Length

I test fit the drive shaft with the front wheels of the Mustang up in the air.  There was only about 1/4" of space between the yoke base and the tail housing.  This is obviously not enough.  I was hoping to not need to have is shortened but unfortunately it is necessary.

I dropped the drive shaft off at BVD Driveshaft to have it shortened.  I dropped it off with the U joints attached in case they were needed for balancing.  They are going to shorten it from 51" to 50" and then balance it for me.  Unfortunately, it cost $154 ($77 to shorten and $77 to balance).  It will be ready by Friday at 3 o'clock!

T5 Transmission Installation - Part 2

Today, I removed the pressure plate, clutch, and flywheel to find the source of an oil leak.  I always suspected it was coming from the rear seal without considering the most obvious.  When I took everything apart, it seems to be leaking from the back of the oil pan.  It could be leaking a little from the rear sides and running to the back.  I tightened the oil pan bolts despite them being fairly tight and I'll see if it helps.

The flywheel, clutch, and pressure plate were all in great shape.  I cleaned then up with brake cleaner and back in they went. 

I installed the flywheel using my existing ARP bolts (#100-2801) which Itorqued to 62 ft/lbs per ARPs instructions. The pressure plate was also installed with ARP bolts (#250-2201) and they were torqued down to 20 ft/lbs per ARPs instructions.  I put thread sealant on the flywheel bolts and high strength thread locker on the clutch bolts.

The next step was to install the CPC T5 adapter plate on my stock 6 bolt bell housing.  The plate mounts to the bell housing using four supplied bolts.  Two of the bolts have a tapered head and use existing bolt holts in the bell housing.  The other two bolts are placed through two 15/32" holes you must drill in the bell housing.

You can see in the image below, there are a total of six bolt holes in the part of the bell housing where the transmission mounts.  The outer four are used to mount the stock transmission.  The inner two on the right side are the ones which I drew.  The left side is mounted using the tapered bolts from the front.  The other two bolts are installed through the drilled holes from the inside of the bell housing and into threaded locations in the adpater plate. 

I put some medium strength thread lock on all the bolts and put the adapter plate in place.  I then mounted it under the car and then installed the starter and the battery wiring.

The last task I was going to complete was touching up  the transmission tunnel where removing the transmission left a few marks in the original paint.  I kept two cans of the Dupli-Color TR 250 black bedliner spray cans I used on the entire under carriage two years ago.  Unfortunately, I found that both of my cans are bad.  I think the material hardened in the can as I can't shake it and it will not spray.  

I calculated the speedometer gear I need and checked the ones I've accumulated.  Unfortunately, I needed a 17 tooth and did not have one.  I ordered it from CJ Pony parts and used some accumulated 'frequent buyer' points to get $7 off the order.  This allowed me to order it and have it shipped to my door for $5.

I'll call it a day for today.

T5 Transmission Installation - Part 1

After a long delay, I'm starting the installation of my T5 transmission.  The plan is to complete a little each day this week as I'm off work.  However, I don't expect to be driving at the end of the week as I will need to have the driveshaft shortened.

Today, I started at about 11 o'clock and completed the following:

• Removed the front carpet
• Removed the 3 speed shifter, boot, and bezel
• Removed the dual exhaust H-pipe
• Removed the shifter linkage
• Removed the speedometer cable
• Drained the transmission fluid
• Removed the drive shaft
• Removed my O2 sensor

All of that was not too difficult and took a little over an hour.  The removal of the transmission and putting the new one in place are the tricky and dangerous parts.  There are better ways to do it than the approach which I take.  However, I've removed and installed it twice in this way so I know it can be done.

My approach is to use a 2x6 piece of wood with a cutout which matches the location of the transmission.  I put this on top of a jack and jack up the bottom of the transmission.  I then remove the cross member, unbolt the transmission, and use the jack to wiggle the transmission out of the bell housing and throw out bearing.

Once the input shaft is clear of the bell housing, I start to lower the jack.  While doing this, I balance the transmission on the jack with my other hand.  Needless to say, it is a little tricky.  Once I have the jack all the way lowered, I roll the transmission off the jack and onto a creeper laying right beside it.
I don't recommend anyone use this approach but I was successful with it yet again!

With the transmission out, I went ahead and finished up the following few things before calling it a day:

• Disconnect battery and starter
• Remove starter
• Remove bell housing