I ordered a new frpp one last night, my original one was shot to hell and leaking anway, hopefully the frpp one is an actual production piece. Should be here Saturday if the post office actually works the way it should
Build Thread My C I P (continuous Improvement Program) Thread
- Thread starter Chuckman
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so for those of you with a low gear (3.73, 4.10, etc) and a tko, if you want to make you're speedo read right, and if you have access to the tooling (or know someone who does) you CAN adapt/modify a t5 drive gear to fit the tko.
first step is to open up the bore to 1.376" (the output shaft measures 1.375, and you want a good, but tight, slip fit), i just used an open manual lathe with a boring bar, took all of about 5 minutes, just watch out because the plastic these things are made of wants to melt rather than cut, so some kind of coolant is advised.
next step is to take a 1/4" ballnose endmill, and feed it down 7/16" (.4375") from the face of gear on the side that has the "deeper" counterbore. this is for the "key ball" that stops the gear from going forward and from just spinning on the shaft. i forgot my notes on how far off center it should be, but i know it was less than .6875, theres less than half the ball sticking out of the shaft.
heres what a modified 6 tooth gear looks like next to the stock tko 7-tooth gear
on the output
like it never even happened
buddy of mine came over today to help put it in (and got my dog so excited she starting peeing on the kitchen floor
)
and you can see how much i had to slide the crossmember back on its tubes, more for clearance around the 5th gear "hump" than where the bolts line up:
also got the valvetrain on and the valve covers mocked up, drivers side didnt have any problems, but the passenger side baffle hits the lock nuts, so ill have to deal with that tomorrow.
first step is to open up the bore to 1.376" (the output shaft measures 1.375, and you want a good, but tight, slip fit), i just used an open manual lathe with a boring bar, took all of about 5 minutes, just watch out because the plastic these things are made of wants to melt rather than cut, so some kind of coolant is advised.
next step is to take a 1/4" ballnose endmill, and feed it down 7/16" (.4375") from the face of gear on the side that has the "deeper" counterbore. this is for the "key ball" that stops the gear from going forward and from just spinning on the shaft. i forgot my notes on how far off center it should be, but i know it was less than .6875, theres less than half the ball sticking out of the shaft.
heres what a modified 6 tooth gear looks like next to the stock tko 7-tooth gear
on the output
like it never even happened
buddy of mine came over today to help put it in (and got my dog so excited she starting peeing on the kitchen floor
)
and you can see how much i had to slide the crossmember back on its tubes, more for clearance around the 5th gear "hump" than where the bolts line up:
also got the valvetrain on and the valve covers mocked up, drivers side didnt have any problems, but the passenger side baffle hits the lock nuts, so ill have to deal with that tomorrow.
So, it's been a bit since i updated the thread. I have been tinkering on it almost everyday though, just in small steps so hasnt been much to show.
after a bit fooling around with the stock valve covers, i finally came to the realization that there was going to be no possible way to get the drivers side on with the baffle, whether it was flattened, ground down, or not. so i just left it off, sanded with them with 120 grit, washed them up, painted, and bolted them on. i'm 50/50 on keeping it like this, or getting something like the frpp covers. i have a set of silver tfs covers, but i've never actually gotten them to seal before so
nasty before
after a splash of paint, arp studs (really damn handy btw) and reusable steel-core felpro gaskets
also found a good spot for the shift light on the a-pillar, using the existing hole there to mount it
since this is an easy spot to get to, i decided i wanted to make it easy to take in and out at will, so i wired it up with a trailer connector (since i couldnt find a good 3 or 4 pin weatherpak or other o.e. style connector locally)
where its going in the car (i still had the factory speaker here, had to take it out for this connector to fit with enough excess wire on it to make it so i wont rip it out when i disconnect it)
all buttoned up:
and of course, no project is worth doing without a good garage dog
i'll have more later today, gotta do a little family stuff then its back to work (and bbq and beer) while the weathers nice
after a bit fooling around with the stock valve covers, i finally came to the realization that there was going to be no possible way to get the drivers side on with the baffle, whether it was flattened, ground down, or not. so i just left it off, sanded with them with 120 grit, washed them up, painted, and bolted them on. i'm 50/50 on keeping it like this, or getting something like the frpp covers. i have a set of silver tfs covers, but i've never actually gotten them to seal before so
nasty before
after a splash of paint, arp studs (really damn handy btw) and reusable steel-core felpro gaskets
also found a good spot for the shift light on the a-pillar, using the existing hole there to mount it
since this is an easy spot to get to, i decided i wanted to make it easy to take in and out at will, so i wired it up with a trailer connector (since i couldnt find a good 3 or 4 pin weatherpak or other o.e. style connector locally)
where its going in the car (i still had the factory speaker here, had to take it out for this connector to fit with enough excess wire on it to make it so i wont rip it out when i disconnect it)
all buttoned up:
and of course, no project is worth doing without a good garage dog
i'll have more later today, gotta do a little family stuff then its back to work (and bbq and beer) while the weathers nice
Well, there is your problem. Spinning the hose when the stuck rubber bond is stronger than the solder they use is asking for new parts. New hoses are cheaper and easier to change. I have sold too many water pumps and thermostat housings when the old hose ripped off the nipple rather than come off. I have a flat screwdriver that is bent over to help loosen newer hoses if I feel broke.
I suppose this is old news, but what besides the Tremec TKO transmission did you have to replace when ditching the T5? Are the following parts reused; bell housing, clutch fork, driveshaft? Thanks!
I suppose this is old news, but what besides the Tremec TKO transmission did you have to replace when ditching the T5? Are the following parts reused; bell housing, clutch fork, driveshaft? Thanks!
Bellhousing is different (same casting, different bolt pattern), clutch disc goes to 26 spline, and driveshaft yoke goes to 31 spline. The stock t5/aod crossmember can be reused, as can the t5 pilot bearing, fork, throwout bearing, and driveshaft. The electricals hook up the same too, but the nss is in the tailhousing instead of the top cover. If you're doing the swap id out fresh pilot and throwout bearings in, but theres nothing special about them.
Attachments
the bell's actually the same as the old top-loader/srod bell, so if you still have that.....
so had a slight change of plans, and took my upper intake, valve covers, and power steering and alternator brackets to a guy on the local forums who powder coats, should have them back next week.
i also over the weekend tried to do another update post with some pics of porting the bbk short-tubes that im going ahead and using for now (which is why it posted a random pic a few posts back, somehow got stuck), but all the "after" pics came out looking waaay too blurry, and the headers are already on the car, so meh. all i did was just sand the welds down to the i.d. of the tube anyway, didnt want to risk punching through.
i'm halfway keeping an eye on the local classifieds for a set of lt's and matching h-pipe, but since i know the next motor in this thing is NOT going to be 302 based (although probably a couple years off), it's not that big of a deal for me to wait on a killer deal, or just skip it all together. time (and stlmustangs, and cl) will tell.
i've spent the last few days tinkering around figuring out how to get the starter solenoid and all the wiring in the fenders, i think i got it pretty much all figured out, and all i need is a new fuse holder for the amp since i cant find one side of it now (note to self: organize better). assuming my little heater can halfway keep up and i'm not freezing my ass off in the garage this weekend, i'll aim to get the driveshaft and exhaust back in, starter, water pump, and other little piddly stuff.
i also over the weekend tried to do another update post with some pics of porting the bbk short-tubes that im going ahead and using for now (which is why it posted a random pic a few posts back, somehow got stuck), but all the "after" pics came out looking waaay too blurry, and the headers are already on the car, so meh. all i did was just sand the welds down to the i.d. of the tube anyway, didnt want to risk punching through.
i'm halfway keeping an eye on the local classifieds for a set of lt's and matching h-pipe, but since i know the next motor in this thing is NOT going to be 302 based (although probably a couple years off), it's not that big of a deal for me to wait on a killer deal, or just skip it all together. time (and stlmustangs, and cl) will tell.
i've spent the last few days tinkering around figuring out how to get the starter solenoid and all the wiring in the fenders, i think i got it pretty much all figured out, and all i need is a new fuse holder for the amp since i cant find one side of it now (note to self: organize better). assuming my little heater can halfway keep up and i'm not freezing my ass off in the garage this weekend, i'll aim to get the driveshaft and exhaust back in, starter, water pump, and other little piddly stuff.
i have a whopping total of 3 posts over there (and a paypal i last used 2 years ago), but i have been keeping an eye out.
anyway, half a step forward, one full step back.
went to put the driveshaft in just now, and just could not get it to go in far enough to be able to get the differential end flange around the end of the pinion gear/nut. after a little investigation (and almost freezing my hands off, shafts been out in the un-heated sunroom since i got it and its in the teens right now), it seems that the very bottom of the splines on the yoke are twisted. so, need to order a new yoke, hopefully that will fix it. yay me.
just spent a good chunk of my tax refund (first time since i bought my old house that i dont have to pay in) and ordered a pair of 15x8 5.5bs prostars, and a pair of 26x11.5x15 mt et street bias plys. tires were on sale, im guessing because theyre getting replaced in the m/t lineup by super-sports or whatever theyre calling them.
new yoke should be here tomorrow, but its also supposed to be freezing ass cold for the next few days, which means the garage will probably not even be 40 degrees with my little heater, so may not get too far for a bit.
new yoke should be here tomorrow, but its also supposed to be freezing ass cold for the next few days, which means the garage will probably not even be 40 degrees with my little heater, so may not get too far for a bit.
yay, more money i get to spend
went to put on the balancer, and, well, i'll let the pics show:
the next two show the same socket on opposite sides of the balancer
what REALLY irks me, is this is what's supposed to be one of the better o.e. style replacements (pioneer) that i put on when i first did the explorer swap. that was 3 or so years, and about 20-30k miles ago.
now i'm looking for an sfi one on summit, i know the pioneer one is recommended a lot, but this kind of burns me, and i dont know if i want to risk ~$180 for the same company that had this happen. anyone know who makes the summit and tfs balancers? theyre inexpensive, but i dont know if thats because theyre just house brand, or they just go to the cheapest (chinese) vendor they can find?
went to put on the balancer, and, well, i'll let the pics show:
the next two show the same socket on opposite sides of the balancer
what REALLY irks me, is this is what's supposed to be one of the better o.e. style replacements (pioneer) that i put on when i first did the explorer swap. that was 3 or so years, and about 20-30k miles ago.
now i'm looking for an sfi one on summit, i know the pioneer one is recommended a lot, but this kind of burns me, and i dont know if i want to risk ~$180 for the same company that had this happen. anyone know who makes the summit and tfs balancers? theyre inexpensive, but i dont know if thats because theyre just house brand, or they just go to the cheapest (chinese) vendor they can find?
thats what I went ahead and ordered, too many positive reviews. Shipping confirmation says i should have it Saturday. Gotta love summit.
well, summit may be awesome, but fedex SUCKS. wheels and tires were supposed to be delivered today, tracking said they were on the truck and everything.....nada, not even a notice on the door. we'll see if they (and the balancer) show up tomorrow.
UPS and Fed Ex are discussing a merger. The new company will be called FedUp and daily *ups will earn bonuses.
I feel your pain.
I feel your pain.
amazingly, i've had 0 issues with ups for the last 5 years or so, they've even thrown stuff on delivery trucks a day earlier than they said they would, but fedex.....well, once i had a package sit at the local hub for two days before going out on truck.
oh, and not even 10 minutes after i posted that last post, guess who rang the doorbell.....that's right, fedex.
ty packaging on the tires, hopefully theyll mount and balance alright (and i need to find a local shop to do it). also forgot to order the special lugs, so more shopping to do.
btw, since when are welds centercaps made in freaking taiwan? i mean, seriously, wtf?
oh, and not even 10 minutes after i posted that last post, guess who rang the doorbell.....that's right, fedex.
ty packaging on the tires, hopefully theyll mount and balance alright (and i need to find a local shop to do it). also forgot to order the special lugs, so more shopping to do.
btw, since when are welds centercaps made in freaking taiwan? i mean, seriously, wtf?
a little progress on the driveshaft this afternoon after a 3+ hour road trip to drop some stuff off at my stepdad's.
heres how twisted the old yoke was (amazed my phone camera picked it up as well as it did btw)
of course, nothing ever goes exactly as planned, and when i undid the u-joint to get the old yoke off, low and behold the first cap's seal is broken and is missing a few rollers. grrrr.
after a quick trip to the parts store to get a pair of new precision/federal-mogul American-made joints, the old and the new next to each other
NO TWIST!!!!! this is the frpp yoke, looked into getting a 4340 one, but they all take a 1350 u-joint, and the driveshaft i have has 1330's, and i really dont need any more spare parts right now.
put together
shaft fit in perfect this time, and while i was down there i even soldered on a real reverse light switch connector instead of the bullet connectors that kept falling off the t5 (no pics though).
still waiting on the balancer (fedex can kiss my ass, now tracking says it wont be here till tuesday? wtf?), and still waiting on powder coat to come back too. tomorrow is another parts run to get a new steering reservoir (mine has a small crack near the top), then get the exhaust back on, maybe some other odds and ends, but other than that, i'm at a standstill waiting for parts or weather good enough to push it outside and put it where i can get the axles out.
heres how twisted the old yoke was (amazed my phone camera picked it up as well as it did btw)
of course, nothing ever goes exactly as planned, and when i undid the u-joint to get the old yoke off, low and behold the first cap's seal is broken and is missing a few rollers. grrrr.
after a quick trip to the parts store to get a pair of new precision/federal-mogul American-made joints, the old and the new next to each other
NO TWIST!!!!! this is the frpp yoke, looked into getting a 4340 one, but they all take a 1350 u-joint, and the driveshaft i have has 1330's, and i really dont need any more spare parts right now.
put together
shaft fit in perfect this time, and while i was down there i even soldered on a real reverse light switch connector instead of the bullet connectors that kept falling off the t5 (no pics though).
still waiting on the balancer (fedex can kiss my ass, now tracking says it wont be here till tuesday? wtf?), and still waiting on powder coat to come back too. tomorrow is another parts run to get a new steering reservoir (mine has a small crack near the top), then get the exhaust back on, maybe some other odds and ends, but other than that, i'm at a standstill waiting for parts or weather good enough to push it outside and put it where i can get the axles out.
