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.