3800 3800 F-body Transmission Problems and (Hopefully) Solutions
- Thread starter v6buicks
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For anybody who may be interested in copying my work, the LS/LT TKX kit would be the way to go for a machine-free and weld-free release bearing system. This is essentially what I made using the SBC/BBC kit. Had I known everything that I know now, I would have bought this from the get-go.
Hey v6Buick,
I've been doing some reading trying to put a t5 mustang world class behind a supercharged 3800. Its stock so I'm not worried about power and its just a street driven car. Are you saying at the beginning of all this, that if I can find a 4th gen F body T5 bell, I'll be able to bolt my ford t5 to the 3800?
I've been doing some reading trying to put a t5 mustang world class behind a supercharged 3800. Its stock so I'm not worried about power and its just a street driven car. Are you saying at the beginning of all this, that if I can find a 4th gen F body T5 bell, I'll be able to bolt my ford t5 to the 3800?
Sorta. Kinda. Not really....
This thread aged shockingly well because I had no idea what I was getting into when I typed up the first post. However, I managed to learn a lot and finish the conversion anyway. In other words, that first post is whole lot of me talking out my ass.
The Mustang T5 will bolt up to the 4th gen bell with no issue at all. It's everything else that's going to be a problem. First of all, the pilot shaft has a larger diameter than one for a GM. You will need a custom pilot bushing that fits in the 3800 crank and around the Mustang pilot shaft. You can probably get away with just drilling out the Camaro V6 pilot bushing. Then there are other factors like what bearing retainer and clutch type you want. If you want a fork and adjustable TOB then the 4th gen bell will not work. I would recommend a '94-95 S10 4-cyl bell for that because it will give you the fork and tilt the transmission upright which brings me to the next point. Is this conversion being done in an F-body? If so, 4th gen bell all the way, but keep in mind that your Mustang shifter is going to be positioned somewhere around your right knee. You will be on your own for making a shifter that fits the F-body along with a cross-member to accept the Mustang trans mount, but you can swap in a Camaro bearing retainer and HTOB to actuate the clutch with all stock Camaro parts (except for the 10 spline clutch disk). If the conversion is for a different kind of car, you will more than likely want the transmission to sit in a more natural upright position. The nice part about clutch fork bells is that you have the freedom to use a fork or HTOB. You can only use the HTOB on an HTOB bell.
Clear as mud? lol
Yes. Not because anything is really built beefier, but the gear ratios in the Mustang T5 are such that the counter gear teeth on third gear have to be a bit larger. The Mustang unit would be a great match for an L67. A shifter with adjustable stops is really a requirement for any sort of sporty driving with a T5.
Also, I know a lot about what I did and the combinations that I researched, but that's it. Depending on what car you have and where your shifter has to go, there might be better ideas. There's a facebook group that I would recommend joining. They are super knowledgeable when it comes to mixing and matching parts to suit your T5 needs.
Tremec Borg Warner, T5,T56,TKX,TKO,3550,T45,3650,TR6060 tech,parts
Tremec Borg Warner, T5,T56,TKX,TKO,3550,T45,3650,TR6060 tech,parts
Hey V6,
No, this swap is being done in a Datsun 620 pickup.
So the 94-95 4 cylinder S10 bellhousing also takes the ford T5 trans pattern?
Fabbing a crossmember and machining the pilot bushing wont be an issue. Good to know though! With the S10 bell, which throwout bearing can you use? Hopefully that was a hydraulic slave bell?
Correct. That bell is similar to the F-body bell. It just tilts it straight up and down, but...
I think you will have to use a modified S10 Clutch fork because the S10 and Mustang release bearings have different sized bores. You might be able to convert to Camaro or Mustang HTOB and just running the hoses through the external slave hole, but I don't know enough about the specifics. I think the bearing retainers are all interchangeable. If that's the case I would definitely get an F-body retainer, factory HTOB, and remote bleeder. You might not even have to drill the bell if the hoses can easily get through the slave hole.
If you weren't so far, I'd sell you mine for cheap. I don't want to ship it though.
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