We were just talking about the pilot bushing problem in another thread, I guess they must work alright Charlie didn't even know he had a loose fit. Should be fixed though.

   God Bless.   Tim                           http://yblockguy.com/

350ci Y-Block FED "Elwood", 301ci Y-Block Unibody LSR "Jake", 312ci Y-Block '58 F-100, 338ci Y-Block powered Model A Tudor

tim@yblockguy.com  Visalia, California    Just west of the Sequoias

Mornin' Cedric.  Great that you got the 54 on the road.  Bummer about the 1st to 2nd syncro.

You gotta have the right tools and know how to use 'em.

TC - Austin, Texas

First of all, everyone reading this should look at the date on the post just before this one. April 24th 2008, which is just over a year and a month ago. That was about when I started my project. Last weekend being the maiden voyage for the new T5, I thought Id recycle this old topic to give an update on how it all came together.



I purchased an adapter plate, bellhousing, flywheel, and 11" clutch and pressure plate from John Mummert - which would replace the HEAVY and very leaky Ford-o-matic. I also made an Ebay buy to get a Z-spec T5 from a pre '93 Ford Mustang



I threw around the idea of going with a hydraulic clutch, but before I bought one, some kind of miracle seemed to take place. A good friend of mine told me he saw what looked like my wagon back in the woods of a local mechanic. I couldn't believe it, but sure enough 17 miles away from our house there was a rotting 56 ford station wagon in line for the scrap yard. It didn’t have an engine, but it had an overdrive transmission, bellhousing, and most importantly a clutch pedal and almost all the original linkage.



We live on a tiny island in Lake Superior, so 2.5 of those miles is on a ferry over the lake, but a find like this is almost unheard of! The perfect project car - just bad enough not to want to save - but with all the essential parts, and its just down the road! The mechanic took pity or at least related to my story, because he sold me the car for the price it was worth as scrap.



Just as the town was trying to fool the people into cleaning up their yards by taking away -junk- cars, I was proudly having a rotting 56 station wagon delivered from the mainland to the island over the ferry line. Our neighbor needed to get her car towed from the island to the mainland to be fixed. The tow truck was going to come over empty, so I even got a deal to get it delivered!



I ended up using the old bellhousing instead of Mummerts because it had a matching clutch fork. I installed the clutch pedal and all the linkage without trouble. The only part that was missing was the rod that goes from the z-bar to the clutch fork, which I was able to fabricate out of a piece of threaded rod. I bent it by putting one end in a vice and banging on with a mini sledge, then double nutted the other end and found a rocker arm ball from a sbc ( as suggested here:

http://www.y-blocksforever.com/forums/Topic26348-9-1.aspx#bm26431 )

which fit perfectly on the rod and can still be moved for clutch adjustment.



I installed the transmission, but I decided to bite the bullit and cut the hole for the shifter big. It was hard to get a good enough angle to line up the input shaft with the bearing in the flywheel and at the same time line up the transmission the studs on the adapter. I ended up making quite a big hole in the transmission tunnel so it was easier to line it all up. I tightened up the bolts until it got too tight, measured the gap, and removed the transmission to trim off the end of the input shaft. Can’t remember how much I took off, but it worked fine using an angle grinder, finishing off with a metal file. Reinstalled the transmission without too much trouble - lifting it in place over my stomach like a man!



I accidentally installed the nos brass style bushing in the flywheel instead of the bearing type I got from Mummert. I haven’t had any trouble with it yet, and I don’t expect to- so don’t take this as a que to stat telling horror stories or I’ll run away with my fingers in my ears.



I got a rear mount for a mustang transmission, and got it to fit perfectly inside of the small crossmember that bolts into the frame that holds up the old transmission rear mount.. If you unbolt that old crossmember and flip it upside down, there is just enough room to fit a rear mount for a T5 inside of the U-shaped crossmember. I had to re-drill some holes in the frame, but that support is holding about half the weight it used to, its still tucked up and doesn’t stick below the original level, and there should still be enough room so the mount can absorb the driveline vibrations.



I measured for the new driveshaft and ended up getting it lengthened about 6”. II heard some estimates of 3”, but I think if anything I could have gone another eighth inch or so longer. I found someone who could lengthen it locally, and they did a great job. It looked like a brand new piece when they were done, and it installed beautifully.



I got home from work early last friday and installed the driveshaft, put in the new oil filter (unfortunately the new spin on adapter hadn’t arrived in the mail yet, and I couldn’t wait over the holiday weekend so I bought a canister type - you can never have too many oil changes!) filled up the oil, anti freeze, strapped in the old battery, and filled the transmission with some ATF. This is also when I fabricated the clutch rod, and adjusted the clutch.



Not much left to do but drop her off the jack stands and go for a cruise! (only two jackstands in the back, the front was held up by two fat logs - which by the way make great jackstand cause they are more stable than blocks and wont crumble like cinder blocks!) The new gear reduction starter turned the engine over like it spinning a top (thats for a different topic altogether) and the engine blasted to life, clutch already properly adjusted.



Put her into first and edged out of the garage. It was dark by now, lights - yes, brakes - yes pulled out the long driveway and down the gravel road. First to second strangely rough, second to third fine, onto the pavement and up through the gears with no trouble at all! The car feels like it is a completely new car. The engine couldn’t be more responsive now that its not trying to tame a malfunctioning ford-o-matic! And it takes the same old bumpy and lopsided island roads with a newfound finesse. I couldn’t be happier with the switch!



I have since found out the shift from first to second was so rough because for some reason second is not synchronized. I believe this may be a sign I bought something that is not quite what it was advertised as. How could a z-spec not have a synchronized second gear? Any inputs? That issue aside, the transmission is great - geared well, and very quiet.



I ended up removing the old bench seat up front, and putting in the two front seats from a ‘93 Mazda that we need to scrap soon. They were just set in there for the weekend test drive, but I think they will be a permanent addition soon.



The car is back in the garage for a few days to get another oil change (now that the spin on adapter is here) and Im gonna give some attention to the crank-case breather while the oils out. Next on the wishlist/to-do list is a rebuild of the front suspension and a intake manifold switch, along with a modern carb and distributor! Hopefully it won’t be a year til I get those projects done!

There are probably other brake/clutch assemblies available.  I saw this one just this week.  May eventually put hydraulic clutch on my 56.

Good luck and ENJOY.  The T5 really made my former 3 spd car a lot more fun to drive and with the price of gas the .67:1 OD gets good mileage w/ the 3.73 rear gears - - -- if I stay off the secondaries.

TC

http://ecihotrodbrakes.com/hanging_pedal_assemblies.html

You gotta have the right tools and know how to use 'em.

TC - Austin, Texas

Tom,

Thanks for the help, Im glad to hear that messing with the transmission angle isn't an issue. ai talked to John Mummert the other day and ordered close to everything Ill need, new bellhousing, flywheel, clutch. I want to go to a hydraulic clutch like you suggested, but I need a pedal/master cylinder assembly. Does anyone have experience with a universal, firewall mounted clutch assembly? Im thinking of taking out the stock pedal to make room for a clutch/brake pedal assembly that will mount on the firewall. This way when I put disk brakes on front (hopefully soon?) Ill already have a booster setup. Or is there a clutch assembly from another year car I can install somewhat easy?



Thanks for your help everyone,

Cedric

1.  Bell housing for automobile standard shift

2.  If changing from auto to stick, would consider hydraulic clutch - it gets real busy in this area with clutch linkage, header, down pipe, etc.

3.  Mummert adapter.  Others may be OK, this is what I used.

4.  Cut large hole in tranny tunnel and add sheetmetal "flange" then reattach with sheetmetal screws or pop rivets.  Had trouble stabbing the tranny w/ minimum hole and had to hang the clutch on input shaft, stab the bushing in the rear of the crank, then mount the clutch.

5.  Need to have a new tranny mount fabbed.  As I am not a fabricator, I had a shop do this.  Don't have a lift but will try to get usable pics w/ car on jack stands.

6.  Drive shaft will need to be longer.  Measured and took old shaft so could salvage the rear yoke.  Shop supplied the output yoke, u joint and front shaft yoke. 

7.  Speed o cable.  Located shops on the net and called them.  One in MI sounded like he at least had a clue to what I wanted so made sure the old one would be long enough (may not be on wagons) taped a note on the speedometer end that I wanted this connection on one end and taped a note on the other that needed to fit a 90 Mustang 5 spd manual tranny. 

8.  Shifter - I am 6'5" so seat is always all the way back.  Shifter stick located here:  http://www.hurst-shifters.com/shifter-sticks.asp

Hope this helps.

TC

You gotta have the right tools and know how to use 'em.

TC - Austin, Texas

Hello All!

Its been a while since Ive posted, so I thought Id start off by bringing back someones old post! I have a 56 country sedan wagon and I would very much like to put a t5 behind my 312 y-block. Paul f, hopefully you are still checking these forums, but if not, hopefully someone else out there can chime in a few good answers!



What bellhousing/clutch setup did you use to bolt onto Mummert's plate? Do I have to find a stock ford manual bellhousing for it to work? I am replacing a ford-o-matic trans so my current bellhousing has no clutch linkage. I would like to get a more modern bellhousing/clutch setup that will allow a hydraulic clutch setup.



What did you do for a crossmember to support the t5 transmission? can I fabricate the original somehow to accommodate the t5?



And how did the angle match up for your back axle? I would like to keep my stock axle, I can get a drive shaft fabricated by a good shop nearby, but how do I figure out a good angle of the transmission? Or do I bolt the transmission wherever it can go and change the angle of my axle?



Lastly, where can I get a kit to change the placement of the shifter so I don't have to cut a hole in my bench seat? Will this reduce the strength of the transmission at all?



thanks for any help you can give me!

Ced

Thanks JaBoney, that is about the size hole I cut in the tunnel and an additional one further back for my slik-stix adapter that moved the t5 shifter further forward, toward the front of the car to avoid bench seat interference.  Mummert's adapter is perfect and I should have rear mount installed next weekend.   pf

.

Afraid I can’t take any credit for the tranny installation in Jim’s ’56 but vaguely remember it being a Tremec and not a T5.  If any other credit is due, Wayne Gillin possibly gave Jim a helping hand in getting that tranny in place.  I don’t remember the details but thought there were some tunnels mods that had to go with the Tremec installation.

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)

Jim should chime in on this one, I believe he installed a T5 in his 56 club sedan and Ted may have done the work for him so maybe Ted will know. I installed a T56 in my T-bird and did have to modify the tunnel xframe and transmisson itself but what a improvement in the end.

-Gary Burnette-