t-5 tranny on xplorer

[xplore-this]

i was reading the new issue of off-road magazine and found an intresting article about this new product. it is a t-5 tranny conversion kit for the 4.0 engine more namely for the xplorer ranger ands navajo. it comes with a bell housing.hydraulic throwout bearing,lines and fittings, pilot bearing, and a 10 inch clutch and pressure plate assembly. now wouldn't this be a good swap and get rid of those wonderful mazda 5 speeds. the web address iswww.centralcoastmustang.com atleast that is what they put in the mag. but i couldn't get it to come up. let me know what you guys think or if this is not something new or would want to do.

 

[Rick]

It's not new, but I haven't heard of anyone who has tried it. I have a link directly to the page with the conversion parts, but it's not working right now either. Let's hope it's just temporary.

 

[xplore-this]

how would you think the t-5's ratios would work in a 4wd? and would this swap be worth it do you think? it sounds good to me but not real sure.

 

[Guy Groves]

I have called and talked with Centrasl Coast Mustang in the past. I was led to believe by the owner that they just didn't sell enough of these to make it worth their while anymore. He would sell whatever he had on the shelf, which wasn't much and that would be it.

He had another site something like
4literperformance.com

Central coast is not real bright about intenet service and they buy from cheapest possibly service provider / consultant, who usually goes under. This has happened to them in the past. I don't have it handy, but assuming they are still in business they do advertize in the Mustang magazines.

Anyway...

The Original design was to stick the T5 in a Ranger, and they were also going to supply "fast ford" parts for the Ranger with a 4.0. There just wasn't enough demand.

The T5 is not a very heavy duty transmission, but probably still stronger than the stock M5R1 in the Explorer or Ranger. Just ask anyone who takes their 5.0 Stang to the track. The T5 is the weak link in the drive train. Fortunately it is popular, available, and pretty easy to repair.

There were quite few versions of the T5 from Ford. The best (strongest) was a "world class T5" rated to 350 ft. lbs. of torque. Most of the versions are rated at 300 ft. lbs,ands some at 325.

1st gear is something around a 3.35 ratio for most stock T5's, not the greatest for crawling with the stock T/C. The World Class T5 in Cobra Mustangs was a 2.95 first gear ratio (This is why there was an optional 4.10 mustang differential, that also came with the trac-loc)

Jeep used this transmission for a little while with a lower 3.97 or possibly a 4.01 1st gear ratio. I don't know if the bolt pattern, or input shaft is the same as the Ford models. They never published a torque rating for this transmission and it dissapeared quickly, if that says anything. Once I was told thatit was very light, near 275 ft.lbs. for the torque rating

 

[RFR2212]

Originally posted by Guy Groves
There were quite few versions of the T5 from Ford. The best (strongest) was a "world class T5" rated to 350 ft. lbs. of torque. Most of the versions are rated at 300 ft. lbs,ands some at 325.

Um, well as far as I know, the WC T-5 is the only one you can use. There are other T-5s but thery don't work. I think they came in the 4cyl stang. Ya say they're not the strongest trans, but with what the WC T-5 can handle, even a decently built 4.0 wont hurt the T-5. The only down side is the 1st gear.

Maybe if I remember, I'll try and get a shot of my T-5 at home. It's got an AA adapter to a dana 20 t-case

 

[Guy Groves]

I just found out some other info on the T5.

Tremec made a T5 for Ford ang GM (jeep) with a 4.03 1st gear ratio in 1983 - 1985. They were not World Class so they would had a about a 300 ft lb torque rating,or lower.

There was a T5World Class, 350 ft.lb torque, 3.97 1st gear available atone time. I think it was a special order item in 85-87 Mustang 5.4 Cobra or BOSS vehicles. I suspectthis was so the could use a stronger 3.5 or higher differential.

I doubt you will find any of these at the local junk yard. Maby a Mustang specialty shop for mucho dinero.

 

[xplore-this]

so what i'm hearing is that the cost really don't justify the advantages of swapping to a t-5 over the M5R1. i didn't realize there were so many versions of the t-5. As for first gear that would be a killer for me with 31's and the 3.28 rearned or what ever it is i can't ever remember the ratio because it's horrible.

 

[Guy Groves]

Sorry, I don't mean to scare you off from the T5 swap project. I just want you to be aware that there is more to it than just finding a "T5" trans.

Also, You may need to do a little more searching. I know there are some Explorers that have done this, find out what they experienced. I would also suggest you check out the transmission shops on the net and others for waht they can offer. Also check out the mustang and "hot rod" sites. You should find lots of discussions about the T5 because of its abundance.

My experience with the T5 is from past Mustang ownership and friends that used them on the track. They are very popular, and people also complain about them.

That being said, there are MORE complaints about the M5R1 in the Explorer. I would say that the T5 is a better transmission. Is it worth the swap? I don't know.

The T5 was used behind many of the Mustangs - all engine configurations (4,6 and 8 cylinder). The T5 was also used in GM vehicles and others. So the good news is that there are lots of them. The bad news is being able to find the right one. You don't need to use a WC T5, but I would suggest it. There are many T5 models that will have the correct bolt pattern. The adapter lies in the bell housing to engine bolt pattern and the front inputshaft diameter and length.

There should be a tag on the transmission to identify which model it really is. Find out what codes you want.

You also have the option of rebuilding tha transmission you get from a junk yard. I would expect the parts cost to be pretty reasonable. A rebuilt WC T5 can be had for about $1200.

The most common problem (that I experienced and heard about) with the T5 is the shifter and syncronizers. They do NOT hold up under ABUSE(power shifts on the street and track). You can make these repairs youself.

The drive shaft components are notable better than the Mazda Trans. which has something like a 5/8" main shaft. I don't remember the size of the T5 shaft. They do break, but this is usually at the track or with serious street racers where they get considerably more HP and abuse than they they were deisigned for.


Here is a list of T5's that I found at one time:
(The M= medium duty, H for Heavy Duty)

T5 (M) 4.03/2.37/1.50/1.00/0.86/3.76R Jeep '82-83, 4 cyl., GM '82-84

T5 (M) 4.03/2.37/1.50/1.00/0.76/3.76R Jeep '82-83, 6 cyl., GM '82-84

T5 (M) 4.03/2.37/1.49/1.00/0.86/3.76R Jeep '84, 4 cyl., Ford '83-85, GM '82-84

T5 (M) 4.03/2.37/1.49/1.00/0.76/3.76R Jeep '84, 6 cyl., GM '84-85

T5 (M) 2.95/1.94/1.34/1.00/0.73/2.76R Ford '83-84, also '85 up WC version, GM '82-85

T5 (M) 3.76/2.18/1.36/1.00/0.86/3.76R Ford '83-85, GM '82-84

T5 (M) 3.76/2.18/1.42/1.00/0.72/3.76R GM '85 up

T5 (H) 3.35/1.93/1.29/1.00/0.68/2.76R Ford '85 up World Class (WC)

T5 (H) 3.97/2.34/1.46/1.00/0.85/3.70R Ford '85 up WC

T5 (H) 3.50/2.14/1.39/1.00/0.65/3.39R Ford '85 up WC

T5 (M) 3.50/2.14/1.39/1.00/0.73/3.39R GM '85 up