5 Speed

Post by **Kid** » August 30, 2008, 8:12 am

I was planning on putting a auto trans in my 65 but lately I been wondering if a 5 speed would be better. What would you guys who have put one in recomend......................KId

Post by **Greg D** » August 30, 2008, 8:33 am

2 Options (aside from a new Tremec);

M5OD first make sure to check the shifter seal so it doesn't run dry & kill itself. Hooking up the Hydraulic clutch is the bad part of this one. Otherwise a nice tranny that has a nice tall shifter that looks right in the truck. These are common and reasonable at the pick & pull.

T-5 (MadMax can likely help with this one) You will need one from a 85-93 Mustang GT (World Class T-5), use a S-10 tailshaft and the shifter comes up through the stock hole. You can get a short throw shifter that you can mod your stock handle to bolt to or use the S-10 handle. I am not sure which bellhousing you will need to make the clutch setup work though. But as you know Windsor bellhousings bolt right to your 300-6. Finding an unabused good one can be a challenge though. There are plenty of rebuilders out there who sell a fresh one for under $1000.

http://www.smartpartsauto.com/manual_tr ... stang.html

Hoofbeat Racer · Post by **Hoofbeat Racer** » August 30, 2008, 1:00 pm

Go 5 speed Darrell

66freezerburn · Post by **66freezerburn** » August 30, 2008, 2:43 pm

there is a pretty nice Richmond 4+1 in the summit catalogue for just over
$2000
Says it is drilled for use with most popular 4 speed bellhousings.
also has 3 different available first gear ratios.

MadMaxetc · Post by **MadMaxetc** » August 31, 2008, 11:34 am

Kid wrote:I was planning on putting a auto trans in my 65 but lately I been wondering if a 5 speed would be better. What would you guys who have put one in recomend......................KId

If you like to DRIVE, go with a manual.

If you like to CRUISE, go with a slush box.

Manual, M5OD or T5. It depends on you torque output and driving style what T5 to use. (More info can be posted if needed)

Slush Box. AODs are good, but you kind of just have to use what will bolt up.

Deside the type, then the model.

I would go Manual!

fmartin_gila · Post by **fmartin_gila** » August 31, 2008, 12:27 pm

Darrell,

The T5 wasone of the best upgrades I made to mine(the other was the disk brakes with dual MC). This trip to SS08 was the longest trip I have made with it (4161 miles) since I installed it, and I am so very pleased with it, I can't hardly stand it. The T5 gives you a lower starting gear (easier on the clutch) and OD for good mileage, plus you have a better gear selection in between for most all situations. As to the slushbox/manual, that's a personal thing, I enjoy shifting for myself, even in traffic. Overall, I am very satisfied and pleased with this modification.

Fred

jecsd1 · Post by **jecsd1** » August 31, 2008, 10:20 pm

I agree! Banging gears in a 5 speed seems way cool. I can't wait to get mine up and running. I wanna put a tko 500 in it. I have heard that a stock T5 (even the world class) is only rated to about 280 ft/lbs. Is that true? If it's behind a I6 then no biggy I guess but it doesn't seem that it would last behind a torquey V8.

Johnny Canuck · Post by **Johnny Canuck** » September 1, 2008, 1:37 am

One thing I can tell you is , riding in Fred's (fmartin_gila) 223 and 5 speed truck, you could see that that, and disc brakes makes a whole world of difference to a 46 year old truck. Fred's drove like glass, and I would recommend it to ANY 6 cyl. guy I will ever meet.

One advantage of not bringing a truck to Slickstock is the ability you get to ride in other guys' trucks. And, Fred's was among the best, especially those with a six.

cdherman · Post by **cdherman** » September 1, 2008, 9:59 pm

OK, I feel compelled to chime in here as well, as I thought long and hard about what I should do orignally 2 years ago as well.

First decision: How much am I going to drive it? If you are going to put more than 1-2 thousand miles a year, the 3-5 miles per gallon benefit from a manual tranny makes a big difference over time. Not that you can pay for a new tranny from the gas savings, but we are assuming here that you plan to do something, either automatic or a different manual. Even though automatic transmissions in modern vehicles are almost as efficient as manual transmissions, this is clearly NOT the case when debating C4, C6 and even AOD. You WILL lose efficiency compared to the T-5, M5OD or even a decent 3 or 4 speed with a high speed rear end.

If you are going to drive a lot, go with a manual -- I think the t-5 is a great solution behind a 240 or 300, even a 302 or very mildly driven 351.

But if you (like me) realize that you DON'T put many miles on your truck, then forget about efficiency and decide what you want to drive.

Do you like to "cruise" and pay attention to the traffic, the scenery, talk to the person next to you, fumble with the cell phone, catch the kids icecream etc.??? I really would rather watch out for other idiot drivers when I am driving and trust my tranny to shift for me.

Or does the thrill of shifting make you happy? Chousing your own shift points has its benefits. A manual will be more reliable over time as well, assuming you are not a clutch slipper.....

I have no idea about ease of installation, but judging from the trouble I went through getting my C4 in, I cannot imagine that the T-5 swap would be harder. That being said, I think I can really help anyone contemplating a manual to automatic swap, particularly in a 65-66 being an I6 or SBF engine. Might be easier for you.

Good luck....

Thunderboy · Post by **Thunderboy** » September 4, 2008, 11:54 am

I would agree with the previous post. What are you using it for? An F100 that you use as a cruiser would certainly be easier to drive with an auto. Your trans choices might also be determined by your engine. FE's trans options are more limited than the small blocks or 385 series engines. If you don't drive a lot of miles, an overdrive trans (manual or auto) probably isn't worth the extra $, IMO.

I plan to eventually make my 66 F250 suitable for towing a car trailer (about 6000 lbs. loaded). I plan to use a 351W (good torque for its displacement), which gives me a lot of trans choices. I prefer to use a manual when towing (more control over engine for power as well as engine braking in the hills). I plan to keep my NP435 for now, but if I can find the right M5OD, I'd go with that.

Drew

Garbz · Post by **Garbz** » September 4, 2008, 3:29 pm

Kid

Use the M5OD, easy to find and easy to hook up using a hydraulic master and the M50D internal hydraulic throw out bearing. It will bolt to the six with zero fuss and come out in the stock four speed location.

To mount others you need to scroung up all knsd of stuff to do it.

Garbz

rider307g · Post by **rider307g** » September 4, 2008, 6:26 pm

OK, I have a 65 long bed with an FE motor (352) and would like to do the 5 speed swap but I do like to hot rod it. Anyone with a Trans recommendation?

Post by **Greg D** » September 4, 2008, 6:29 pm

Do a search, there was a thread here awhile back about using a NV 4500 behind a FE. Or you could go with a Tremec.

Garbz · Post by **Garbz** » September 4, 2008, 6:39 pm

Buy a bell from speedway and drop a new TKO500 or 600 or T5 behind it.

about 2500 will do it. Steve has yet to break his TKO3500 with over 1K horses.

The NV converion about costs the same as the asking price for a NV used let alone rebuilt is real steep, also the NV needs adaptors to work..

Garbz

FORDBOYpete · Post by **FORDBOYpete** » September 4, 2008, 9:31 pm

Don't use the OEM Mazda 5 speed. It's a POJ & is really pricey to maintain BUT even more pricey to repair when it craps out & it will crap out.
The mainshaft bearings go away, syncros stop aligning, a wave washer that preloads "feel" in the tall shifter fails so pieces of the tensioner/ feel system drop in the trans case so your gears can chew them up and. . . . Oh wait the internal expandable throw out bearing system & cockamamy clutch master Cyl is a nightmare in & of it self.
I recently sold a otherwise perfectly good 88 F-150 for $500 about 75,000-80,000 mi after putting $600+ worth of main shaft bearings and syncro parts & a days labor in one. I was warned, but I thought I could do better, NOT it's a evil gear box.

Here's a heads up for you, when it gets "hard to go into 2nd from 1st, or into 3rd from 2nd get ready for it to crap out.

FBp

Thunderboy · Post by **Thunderboy** » September 4, 2008, 9:57 pm

Gotta rebut (respectfully, I hope!) the post above. My 92 F250 4x4 with a 460 and an M5OD has just kicked over 194K miles last weekend towing my enclosed racecar trailer through the hills.

Is the tranny worn? Yes, somewhat, it is sloppy, but fully functional, and honestly, I wouldn't mind going through it. It isn't as tough as a ZF ($), but it would work fine in many, many applications, and it fits easily in 65-66 slicks, I'm told. I plan to get another one for my slick to put behind a 351W for towing, and get rid of the 92 (I have 6 vehicles and live in suburbia - gotta lose some).

My $.02

Drew

Post by **Greg D** » September 4, 2008, 10:23 pm

FBP, You know I respect your opinion.I think you ended up with a rare bad one. I have had 3 M5OD or R1s, killed one at 170,000 miles only because of a leak I didn't catch. Have a total of almost 400,000 miles on 3 of these Mazda trannies and except for the one I killed from lack of observation - I have had literally NO problems with them. Gotta check that seal on the M5OD though, aside from abuse it is the number one reason they fail. Behind a 300-6 perfect!

5 Speed

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