You are correct. Anyone turning High RPM (Insert your own level of risk here) in any Slant six will have to deal with the clutch issue. We installed a McLeod SFI. Clutch ,PP, and Flywheel in Ryan's Dart. Now we can rest a little more comfortably turning 6000-6200 RPM. If you want more safety wrap the belhousing with an automatic transmission blanket. Hopefully the Quicktime belhousing will be a help in this area.

As for a T-5 swap article. I think just having a step by step in one place will be a great help. That is why we have an articles section after all. There are a lot of variables to the swap and no need for anyone to reinvent the wheel. I think all of us want to avoid the troubles and pitfalls that other pioneers have overcome.

Rick

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2 Mopars come with Spark plug tubes. One is a world class, racing machine. The other is a 426 CI. boat anchor!

12.70 @ 104.6

I have a plate at the shop which will allow you to bolt a small block scattershield onto a Slant. Team Green made it for me almost 10 years ago. It just replaces the blast plate that comes with a Lakewood.

It's one of the things I have laying around that I should sell, but "I'm gonna use it someday".

IF anyone has the ability to make a design drawing off of it, I would loan it out for that.

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Official Cookie and Mater Tormentor.

Vynn3, I think some of us who have made the T-5 conversion would be honest in saying if they had it to do over again, there would be some things we all might do a little differently. So part of the reluctance to put this down in writing is thinking the jury is still out on the best way to do it. Then again, I also think some of us, myself for sure, don't remember every single step in the process.

If I put my mind to it I might be able to come up with some guidelines for those working on this project. I actually think maybe this project is even less frightening than the prospect of rebuilding an engine. Most of the work is external to the sensitive mechanics of the system, and requires little real skill. Or so it seems to me. You do not need to open the engine or the trans to make this work.

I do not think I could give you a cook book explanation of how I pulled this off, but I could perhaps someday describe what I thought were the more critical elements of the project, and how I dealt with them, if there was enough interest expressed in this. Most of the tasks fall into the realm of careful blacksmith kind of work, and are not rocket science at all.

Before I tackled the writing challenge I would want to know a little more about the group bell housing configuration.

If you started this project for yourself, I think all of us would be happy to talk you through any part of it that seemed to stop you.

Sam

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Thankyou Sam!
You managed to state this far better than I. You have my agreement with every statement.

Every project that involves design and fabrication has its own moments of doubt. I face mine today as I contemplate cutting out the fabric for my new firesuit. All the reading and research is done....all the materials are at hand. All I lack is the courage to make the first cut.......

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Yeah....Im the one who destroyed this rare, vintage automobile.....

Thanks, Sam. I appreciate the insight.
Fire away! I'll tell ya whatever I can figure out, and/or maybe others from the group buy can chime in.
Okay, guys, I'm assuming I could use the stock flywheel (which I don't have, and would have to get). I also got one of the aluminum flywheels in THAT group buy, but I sold it to try and fund a trip to Kearney (which failed). The thing that appealed to me most was that it was drilled for a Mustang clutch, opening up more possibilities there. As if I know anything about clutches in the first place...

So, what are my flywheel and clutch options, along with the pro's and con's of each? Remember, I've DRIVEN sticks over the years, but never worked on any...

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vm

Well you can use the stock pressure plate, flywheel. You will need an actual clutch plate that will fit under your press. plate and has the same spline count and Diameter as your t-5 that you are Planning on Putting in.

The Flywheel you sold would have been helpful in getting you a bit more useable HP since it's 1/2 the weight of a stocker and creates options for a better Pressure plate i.e a safer one above ~4000-4500 RPM - -If you intend to use this for street driving then it's really not an issue just get a good remanned stock press. plate (preferably 10" in my opinion) If there is a local clutch rebuilder around you get one from him with some stiffer springs The group buy bell is fine for this. (Other folks have explored different options on this; That's just what I did and it worked for me.)

You will need to check the input shaft to pilot bearing distance and diameter and make appropriate pieces to locate the snout of the trans into the back of the crank.

I have not done the t-5 Swap yet but Have pretty much everything to do it.

Just need to finish some other projects that keep pooping up and take my daily driver off the road to do so.

anyone else feel free to chime in.


Greg

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http://www.youtube.com/hyperpack

Perhaps if this will be now be primarily a T-5 swap thread, we should begin a new thread? The thread kind of morphed, and I was part of it, sorry.

Rick

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2 Mopars come with Spark plug tubes. One is a world class, racing machine. The other is a 426 CI. boat anchor!

12.70 @ 104.6

Im in on that Rick, Maybe a mod Can start the t-5 Post and then copy and paste a few of the replies from this post to the new one?


Greg

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http://www.youtube.com/hyperpack

agreed, and since we are off the beaten path, are all the cross members the same for the tranny's (A904/727/833/A833OD) ?????? or are they body specific ??

-Mike

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I am the Guardian, I hate helos, everything leaks.......

They are "family" specific, as I remember right, and sometimes generation specific (early crossmembers would use the "sandwich rear mount" instead of the bolt through spool (or if you have an early 60's manual tranny truck the bellhousing ears have the tranny mounts...).
I know the auto tranny cross members in the later a-body have a slightly different "bend" in them compared to the late manual tranny cross members...I know that the F-body crossmember will work in a late a-body...

-D.Idiot

I agree, someone should start a t-5 thread that becomes a sticky. This could and should be strictly about the details of this swap, and not other discussions of whether a 5 speed is desirable, or if other brands or styles of tranny are better. I think this is actually better than one person writing an article as it would contain multiple perspectives, and fill in any gaps in memory which might be present, (as in my memory). Anybody want to start this off?

Sam

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