nex2nutin said:
ok, this would be news to me. every manual tranny has shift linkages, be it mechanical, cable or electronics. how does it shift gears then on your T45 or 3650??
On our ford traniers here at the job I see mechanical shift rods which are adjustable.
The "linkage" you are thinking of is internal on these transmissions (the T-5, T-45, TR-3650, etc) and is non-adjustable. And it is nothing like older Mustang manual transmissions like the Ford Top Loader -totally different way of moving gears. It's really not linkage, per se. It's mechancial (as opposed to electronic, but as stated, completely different than the external rods and levers from old style automobile transmissions), and it's not cable actuated, though the clutch is, of course, operated by cable.
If you own a Mustang...and it has a manual transmission...put an aftermarket shifter in it (or just remove the one that's in there) and you'll see how the transmission's gears are changed.
Here's a Top Loader (note the access plate on the top where the gears are loaded in - hense the name 'top loader') Also, though they are on the other side of the transmission, you can see the shift rods / linkage you were talking about.
Here's another...almost laughable -
This is an old 65-66 Mustang 3 speed. (Capable of over 50 ft/lbs torque!
) It's a good picture showing external shift linkage.
And here's a modern Mustang 5 speed, this one is a Tremec TKO-500 (not actually a production transmission, but very similiar to the TR-3650, just beefier). This, and especially the TKO-600, are the most popular manual transmission upgrades for late model Mustangs. Hopefully this helps explain how the modern Mustang transmission works. Though technology has certainly changed since the transmissions shown above, you still can pick out the shift linkage, per se (a pair of rods running horizontially, and the shift forks that ride on them.