Please Help With T-5 I.D...........

[Jeffs88]

Hey guys,

I am considering buying a "V8" T-5 tranny that a supposedly only needs syncro's replaced....The bad thing is he says that the tag is gone from the tranny. So I cant look up the # to see what it is. I'm meeting him Thursday afternoon to look at it and buy it if I get some useable info here before I go.

My car currently has a 4 cyl tranny and the tall 1st gear and 5th gear is really starting to bug me.

I know that the input shaft diameter is smaller on the 4 cyl and I can measure that to verify its a .668? But what other things should I look for to identify it as a WC V8 tranny and that all the gears inside are worthwhile and in good shape?

The good part is I can pick it up for $150.00 bucks. I don't mind getting a rebuild kit and rebuilding it myself.......

I know its the "long way around" getting into another tranny for my car but as with all of us these days money is really tight and if I can pick this up cheap and rebuild it over the winter along with my rearend then I'll be really good to go in the spring.....

Here in Northeast Ohio all the ones I do find for sale are at least $400 and thats before a rebuild...I figure $150 for tranny, $250 for rebuild and i have a fresh tranny for the same $400 bucks.

Thanks for any advice you guys may have...

Jeff

 

[ID89GT]

Take the top cover off and look inside, only way really

 

[jrichker]

Some tips once you have the replacement transmission on your workbench...


Check the number of turns of the input shaft for each gear to turn the output shaft one turn. That will help narrow down the possible range of T5 transmissions.

See TTC: Product Literature to download a FREE service manual for T5 or Tremec 3550/TKO
You will need the Adobe Acrobat viewer which is also a free download – Adobe - Adobe Reader download - All versions

See Home | www.hanlonmotorsports.com or Welcome to D&D Performance - The 5 & 6 Speed Experts! for parts

A T5 rebuild kit with syncros, bearings and other small parts costs about $160. It does not include any gears or shafts.

Home | www.hanlonmotorsports.com also has a video on how to rebuild your T5 or Tremec. It costs about $20, and is worth every penny of it.

I did a Tremec 3550 rebuild, and it wasn't that difficult. The video was an immense help, and I would recommend viewing it. At $20, it will give you an opportunity to look and decide for yourself if you think that it is something you want to try to do.

For Tremec 3550 and TKO's:
You will also need a magnetic base and dial indicator to measure the endplay ($40-$120). Browse the MSC Big Book

T5 Shim kits – best product I have seen in a while… T5 World Class 5 Speed Shims
“The Peel ‘n Place T5 World Class shim kit makes shimming T5 counter gear and main drive gears very easy.”

The tricky part is that you will need some shims to adjust the endplay in the two shafts: the new bearings will change the clearance. There is no way of telling what it will be until you get to the point that it is time to measure and check the clearances. Halon has the individual shims if you can wait for them. If you can't afford the wait, the auto parts store can sell you some shim stock and you can make your own, or have a machine shop make them for you. The shim stock comes in brass (easy to cut) and steel, in varying thicknesses. That's where the dial indicator & base come in - there is no way to get the clearance right without it.

Getting the car jacked up high enough to get the trans jack in and out from under the car was somewhat challenging. Since I didn't have a helper, getting the trans out of the car and back it was one of the more difficult things about the job. I built a trans jack out of 2x6's, some angle iron and a $25 floor jack. If I hadn't done that, I would have needed a helper or to rent a commercial trans jack. At 100+ pounds the Tremec 3550 was far too heavy for me to lift by myself.