Manual Transmission Conversion - Five Gears Of Freedom

A closely sized socket drives the pilot bearing into the recess in the base of the crank. If the inner portion of the bearing is subject to any force, then the delicate roller bearing could be damaged. A little axle grease is used on the outside of the bearing to ease installation.

With the bellhousing prepared, it is installed onto the dowel pins at the back of the engine. We had to lift the tail end of the engine a little to create enough clearance at the top of the bellhousing to install the bellhousing bolts. Once every bolt was in place and tight, we were ready for the transmission.

The clutch disc is installed against the face of the flywheel. You must make sure that the correct side of the clutch disc faces the engine. Getting the orientation reversed will result in an inoperative condition and complete removal and replacment of the transmission. Even though we were using a clutch-alignment tool, we were careful not to allow the tool to droop under the weight of the clutch disc. When seating the pressure plate to the face of the flywheel, be certain to support the outer end of the alignment tool, if needed. It's imperative that the alignment tool be exactly perpendicular to the face of the flywheel as the pressure plate is tightened down or the transmission will be difficult-or impossible-to install.

A new clutch fork and throwout bearing are installed into the bellhousing. Notice that the ball stud, which is also new, has been treated to a dollop of grease before the fork is installed. Even if your used bellhousing came with these parts, we recommend replacing them due to high-mileage wear of the pivot.

The T-5 five-speed transmission is hoisted into position. The transmission is heavy and can be a handful even for two people, so a transmission jack is really more of a safety item than a luxury.

We install the four heavy cap screws used to retain the transmission against the bellhousing. The tail end of the gearbox was raised high enough to allow for the installation of the rubber mount and RMP crossmember.

Both the transmission mount and the conversion crossmember are in position. The mount is available at RMP as PN 7113 and costs $18.00.

Here's the situation at the shifter with the automatic shifter removed from the tunnel floor. Although there is enough clearance to work, the fit is so tight that the T-5 shifter plate cannot be removed from the top. This means that if a shifter swap is desired, the whole transmission has to come out. We decided to open up the hole with a die grinder to remedy this predicament.

For shifting, we chose to experiment with a Restomod Speed Shifter from Mustangs Plus. The shifter, PN 10450, costs $189.95. Moving the shift knob rearward can also be accomplished with a vintage handle made to fit the T-5. Mustangs Plus has that option as well under PN 06089 for $143.95.