Inliners International Forums General Discussion Drive Train Adapting a 1955 open drivetrain

I picked up a 3-speed transmission, bell housing, clutch, flywheel and open drivetrain from a 1955 Chevy truck.

I have a 1946 truck with the closed torque tube.

Is it possible to use this open driveshaft on my '46 and attach to the carrier, does anyone know? I've read that '55 will do that, but just got the stuff home last night and haven't had time to measure too much stuff.

I'm looking at adapting a T5 into my '46, as I saw this adapter plate that looks like it would work.

https://www.hotrodworks.com/product/1937-1947-chevrolet-pickup-t5-transmission-adapter/

There's a couple places that have those. That is for a torque tube, by the looks of it.

Ideally what I would like to do is be able to replace the ring/pinion in my rear end, adapt the open drivetain to my pumpkin, and use an adapter to use a T5 with the best ratio. The Astro vans had a 0.68 5th gear, but the more common is the S10 which used either 0.72 or 0.73. All of these are pretty close and will get me approx. 30% reduction in RPMs according to my calculations. That's a big drop, like going from 3000 rpm to 2190 rpm using the 0.73 5th gear.

I'm going to try and look at the u-joint back at the pumpkin and try to understand if adapting the '55 is possible. The other end on the T5 will most likely need a spline->u-joint adapter, those are fairly common for about $60.

(pics, cause it happened)

On the left of this page is a link to Tech Tips. There is great info on T-5s there and even a link to the Stovebolt site. It will help you sort out the T-5 choices including using an S-10 tail housing to locate the shifter to a better place and which ones will bolt to your bell housing. Patrick's used to adapt Saginaws to closed driveline and sell a 3.55 gear set. Patrick is gone but the info is out there somewhere. He sold a nice shifter for a T-5 too.

My '53 pickup has a '57 GMC 270. The bell housing is the same as a '55 pickup and locates in the same place. I first went to open driveline with a Saginaw 4 speed. I went with a 3.55 Dana 44 limited slip from a '68 GMC 4x4, I welded new spring perches on it. If you go with open driveline and the old rear end I'm not sure how the hinged mounts on the springs will work. I lucked out and was able to pull a driveshaft out of a parts pile. Later I installed a T-5 from an S10, can't remember which one. I do remember that I found a clutch plate that fit the input shaft and worked with a pressure plate that bolted up. I was a parts man back then and could go through boxes till I found what worked. The T-5 input shaft is 3/8" too long on the very front. It can be cut. Since the bolt pattern on my T-5 didn't fit I made a 3/8" adapter plate and left the shaft long. I had to carve on the tranny case some because a couple of bolts were too close. I would not do it that way again but it has been working for about 20 years. My Ratios are not perfect low gear is a bit low but comes in handy for hauling heavy loads up the hill I live on. Second is a bit high for taking off from a stop most of the time. A little rear end gear change would fix that. It cruses between 70 & 75 at around 2,200 rpm and 3,000 rpm is 90. Tire size is important.

Beater,

I have the 3.55:1 ring/pinion I got from Joe (Mothertrucker on the H.A.M.B.) I think he took over from where Patrick was, after Patrick passed.

I was hoping I could use that ring/pinion in my current '46 rear end and adapt the open driveshaft of the '55 to connect to the T5.

Will that work? Seems I've read the first year ('55) after the transition will work on the old torque tube, but I'm not absolutely certain. Like most things on the Internet, Abe Lincoln told us to be careful what we read...

I have never messed with the closed drivelines except for one my dad and I shortened when I was in high school. I do believe that pumpkin can be changed but not sure. The way the axle mounts on the springs is sort of hinge that allows it to move with the ball connection at the tranny end. I think that would not work with two U-jounts. But again I'm not sure. It is a pretty easy fix to weld new mounts on the axle housing. The oldest rear end I have here is a '49. I also have what I think is an early open drive line rear end. I'll try to check them out. You might have some luck on the Stovebolt site.

STOVEBOLT

Beater,

You know, I think I'm just gonna get this adapter. This wasn't available a year or two back when I was looking but there's an adapter plate for the torque tube.

I have the bushing to fix the trans side (the Oakie) so I have what I need to use the torque tube with that adapter. All I need now is an S10 T5. (found one I'm working on that has a .72 overdrive.

T5 -> torque tube drivetrain adapter.

There is also an adapter for the '55 and up drivetrain, but I see no reason to change that with the Torque Tube adapter being available. The biggest problem with the torque tube, IMO, is that the bushing gets wallowed out and the oil leaks down into the rear end.

That looks like it will adapt a transmission to the bell housing but how can you adapt the back of the transmission to the closed driveline?

I was thinking the spline would fit. Maybe you're right and I need to look at that end.

Things I'd like to know.

1) will open drivetrain connect to rear end / carrier?
2) do I need anything to connect open drivetrain to t5?
3) with the torque tube adapter above, what else needs to be added?
4) do I need to replace the clutch? Seems that might be the case I saw someone using an 11" clutch for an Astro.

I'm not entirely sure and still doing some research, but it seems the yoke can be replaced. I don't know if the closed drivetrain is a problem with that or not. I do have the open drivetrain from the '55, and for certain if I got the rear end from the '55 this stuff came out of, it would connect. I also see an S10 rear end for $95 not far from me.

I have the bellhousing from the '55 and it will bolt direct to the T5 I'm told, but that would mean changing out the bellhousing. Can I get the bellhousing off without removing the clutch and flywheel? I think I would need to remove both before swapping out the bellhousing?

1. No, I think a later carrier and gears can be bolted to the old housing. It may be better to find a rear end for open drive line. It will have better brakes as well.
2. You will only need the right U-joint to fit both the T-5 yoke and the driveshaft.
3. I don't think that adapter has anything to do with the closed drive line. I think it adapts the S-10 T-5 to the original bell housing '46. Since your truck has a 325 you may have a later bell housing and transmission? Some later transmissions can be adapted from closed to open driveline by using a different rear plate. I used a open 4 speed trans in an closed driveline by doing this. A T-5 from a Camaro will bolt to your '55 bell housing with out an adapter. You would have to trim 3/8" from the pilot bushing area of the input shaft.
4. The clutch issue would be in matching the spline on the transmission input shaft to the center of the clutch plate. Some T-5s use a standard GM clutch spline I don't know if they can be swapped. I was able to find a clutch plate that worked with my stock pressure plate. Sorry I don't remember what it is. To use an 11" clutch plate you would likely have to change the flywheel and get the right pressure plate.

I was just thinking that while I was swimming, and probably need to get under and measure the bell housing bolts. The bell housing I got is definitely a later one, it has 9" and 8.5" center-to-center on the 2 sets of holes. I spoke with someone earlier that. If I have the new housing I don't need the adapter, as I understand it, that would be great. I do have the other bell housing and it's definitely newer, so I could plan to use that and save myself the adapter. Is that understanding correct?



The guy I spoke with today (transmission shop) said there's a yoke that goes on the rear, and that the yoke is difficult to find. That yoke needs to match the splines on the rear of the tailshaft.

The guy was trying to talk me into a T4 4 speed, but I explained to him that it's really the 5th gear that is most important to me, it is what will bring the RPMs down.


No worries on trimming, it's like a 2 minute job with a cut-off wheel in a die/angle grinder, have seen that done.




I think so Tom, isn't that the retainer shaft which the spline shaft comes out of on the front? That is in fact that one that gets the nose cut down. Those are interchangeable and some use a Jeep nose as it has the right spline. I can't remember the count.

FWIW, I have pics coming tomorrow, of an '86 (1352-145) with a 0.76 5th gear ratio and mechanical speedo.

This might be the yoke I need:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/272201532539

EDIT: found this is the manual, what I need is a spline to u-joint like this one, but to adapt to the rear of the T5. See attached image.

Have a quick update, there's an S10 rear axle locally which is an older one with drums, but he was told it was the 3.42:1 gears which is good for me, slightly better than 3.55:1. Best of all, it's only $90.

He says he's going to hold it, but can't meet until Thurs. Hoping it's not what happens on craigslist right before the seller tosses you under the bus and sells it out from under you...(I think he'll hold it )

I'm not familiar with that rear end. Is it 6 lug or will you have to change the wheels? How big are the brakes? How does the width compare? How close are the mounts to your spring width? The ratio sounds good. You'll be hauling ass it OD. Pay close attention to which T-5 ratio you choose.

I read this post this morning and near the end of the first post it mentions a T-5 adapter to closed drive line. It's for Ford but....?
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/chevy-ii-vs-the-iron-duke.568975/

Beater,

Unfortunately I would need to get wheels, it's a 5 lug 4.75 diameter, similar to camero, nova, s10, et al. This would mean front and rear wouldn't be the same unless I replaced the front axle also and moved to 5 lug 4.75" diameter.

On the AD trucks it seems they need the 4wd version as it's wider, but I think the narrow version will work with my '46, which has a 48" bed and the fenders are 11"-12" on each side.

The s10 axle is 54" I believe, from plate to plate. Don't know too much about the brakes other than it is an older rear with drum brakes. If I'm not mistaken the width of 2wd is 54", 4wd is 59", and ZR2 is 63".

EDIT: on brakes, from what I can tell the 2 sizes are:

10" x 2.24"

and

11" x 2-3/4"

I wouldn't want to have two spares. I think there is a Datsan/Nissan rear end that some have used that is six lug.

The closed AD rear ends I have have a 10 bolt pattern that looks the same as an open drive line rear end that is from a Chevy pickup that used the truck arm mount with coils springs. I have never broken a stock closed driveline or it's rear end.

There was a Truxtill (?) Overdrive that mounted into the closed driveline. I have actually only seen one on a pickup my friend had. I'm sure his in-laws have destroyed it by now. It operated much like a Borg Warner OD but was in the driveline. Ot had cables, linkage, and switches.Without a complete unit it would be hard to make work.

There are other OD transmissions beside the T-5s that have been used. The more you look dig into this stuff the more confusing it gets

Me neither.

As luck would have it, I sent a text to the guy I got the '55 parts from, telling him I was sorry I didn't get that rear axle from him...as it turns out that would have given me the same bolt pattern as my wheels, so I found out. Oddly, he implied I could still buy it from him.

I told him I thought he sold it, but if it still has it how much does it want. He said he would take $220, but we agreed to $200. Picking it up on Sat.

Although I don't really need the trans anymore, I can probably sell it and/or rebuild it and sell it for about $300.

While I knew about the wheel difference, I hadn't thought about the spare.

Thanks for mentioning that.

I think you are on the right track. That'll make things easier. The T-5 conversion will be easier. If a 3 speed OD would work for you you have some options there too.

MUNCIE (Light Duty) 1940-63 Cars, 1940-68 Light Duty Trucks: Parts List 74
Cast iron case and extension housing with 4-bolt side cover. Has non-synchro 1st and a "barrel" type 2/3 assembly. Units from 1940-54 have enclosed driveline, otherwise known as a "torque tube". Those from 1955-68 may have electric overdrive. Some of 1964-65 units have larger gears with the same tooth count as the 1940-68 units.

SAGINAW 1966-81 Cars, 1966-87 Light Duty Trucks: Parts List 92
Cast iron case and extension housing with 7-bolt side cover. Fully synchronized with 30 tooth synchro rings. 1966-69 units may have electric overdrive. It has a four step cluster and all the gears are helical cut.

There are other choices too depending on what works for you. The Saginaw 3 speed OD can take the gears & side plate from a Saginaw 4 speed. There is also a later 3speed with a 4th OD. The '55 trans you have is the Munci and there is an OD version of that. Not the best because it is not sincere into 1st but easy. The Od would be Borg Warner R10. They are old school but fun to drive and can be wired to give you 5 or even 6 forward gears. They take some study. The T-5 may be easier.

It probably could work but would requiring cutting down the driveshaft. I might need to do that with that one, that I'm not sure.

Anything that is better than direct drive (i.e., 1:1 ratio) would be an improvement. I am not sure what gears are in that rear end, but will find out tomorrow morning. My initial goal would be to swap out the rear axle and pull my torque tube, then remove my 3 speed. I believe I have the later bell housing, but if needed I got one with the '55 parts. Once the open driveshaft and rear end are in, when I get a T5 it will drop right in, sans the length difference on the input shaft (commonly known problem which I'm sure you know about). I was supposed to get some pics of a 1352-145 which has a .72 5th. That's 28% lower RPMs no matter how you look at it.

Imagine the seller did get the pics before the weekend like he said...



And it is the best choice, IMO, those T5s are bullet proof. I think it would be the best choice of the possibilities.

Ok, making some progress, picked up the '55 series 2 axle today, and there's a guy not too far (SacOTomatoes) that has a 3rd member with 3.55:1 ring/pinion for $50. Gonna try to get that first.

There are also 3.38 sets for this diff, but they sell for $400. If I need to, I'll sell the 3.55:1 set I have for my torque tube and take a loss to buy the newer set. I might be able to use my carrier with the older set, in the newer axle, that I'm not sure of yet, but that $50 3rd member would do it. Missing one stud from one side, he had to bust it to get the wheel lock off.

EDIT: I thought best thing to do is contact Mothertrucker (JoeM) who I bought my 1940-1954 set of 3.55:1 R/P from to see if he would exchange for a set of 1955-1962 3.38:1 set for the axle I have. He sells the set I have for $75 more.

The Series 2 set are 3.38:1, which is almost another 5-6% lower than the 3.55, best I can tell. Might as well see what he says. It costs $30 to ship them on Ebay, but he sells the Series 2 sets for $75 less. I'll see what he says. If I only had to pay shipping that would be a sweet deal and I'd be done, except for the T5.

There is a reason these engines are so respected. It is because they do the job they were engineered to do so well. They develop good torque when working in a certain rpm range. The gearing in the transmission and rear end allow you to select were in the mph scale the engine hits the torque range. Some engine mods come into play too. The smaller the numbers in the rear end ratio the faster the axle turns and the higher the mph. This comes with the cost of less power for moving stuff. The 3.38s might be great for a light load at highway speeds. With an OD higher speed lower rpm and less power. Try to find ratios with the best use of torque through the rpm range your engine likes best.

This is where you have to be honest with yourself about what you will "really" want the truck to do. There are many ratio-rpm charts on line that will help get the speed you want in a rpm range you are comfortable with. Tire diameter is as important as gear ratios. (the original reason for big & littles) Where you will be doing most of you driving is important too. Flat land at sea level has a different effect than mountains at 6,000 feet. Do it once.

Beater,

I completely agree, and I know I won't be using this for towing, other than 1000 lbs. in the bed. I think I will drive it empty most of the time. No trailers, just haul items in the bed as I go shopping and such. I want something that is reliable and that I feel confident that I can jump in and drive 200 miles if needed, which would include hills, flats, and everything in between. My property in Lake County is 3 hours from the house (175 miles). I'd like to have a truck I would feel confident in driving that far and know I'll make it back home. I don't need it to haul a trailer, I will use another truck for that.

In that regard the lower gearing in 5th gear is the most important to me.

Good news. Joe got back to me and is going to exchange my 3.55 set for a 3.38 set for the 2nd series.

Once I find a T5 I'll be set.

Funny story about me and Mothertrucker...we were banned from the VCCA site at the same time. Both of us hate those pukes with a vengeance. I will NEVER, EVER have anything good to say about the VCCA.

You might wonder what we did or said...well, we were talking about ring and pinion gears in the truck forum, and that's supposedly only allowed in the Modified forum, because it's modifying a Chevy from original. WTF ??? Well, my truck doesn't have the original spark plugs either...I'm gonna go cry...

For anyone reading this, don't join the VCCA, it's a waste of money. They're just a bunch of old women sitting around the knitting table. Rather than create some trailer queen that you tow around to shows, drive 'em! Like all cars, that's what they were intended to do!

Lucky for us there are places where we can discuss this stuff. Lucky for them they don't have to listen. It seems like every site has it's rules and I know it takes a lot of work to attempt to keep our ramblings in some sort of order. Many sites get really pissy if you post in the wrong spot or heaven forbid something from the wrong year.

it sounds like you are well on your way to building a truck that will work for you. It is good that you won't have to make big modifications so if you decide later that something else will work better it's not a big deal. I have had both a closed and open driveline version of the 4 speed "granny gear" pickup trans, a Saginaw 4 speed, and a T-5 and could go back to the stock setup with no problems.

I've posted in the wrong forum here, or should I say wrong data. I posted some V8 stuff, but had stock49 remove it after I realized.

The VCCA makes me unhappy I can't discuss anything, they nitpick over so much. Many of the questions on their site are asking stuff like, "how many points do I lose if I don't have authentic wire? Stuff like that...



I'm looking forward to having better RPMs, the old ring/pinion are on their way back to Mothertrucker and I'm awaiting the replacements. In the meantime I'll be on the lookout for a T5. If I can get the rear end cleaned up and get the new r/p installed in it, I might be able to use the '55 trans to connect it all up. Of course if I find a T5 I'll swap it out.

take my word cutting your rpm by near 30% will make a huge difference. It will be good to go with the new rear end gears first. You may find with 338 and a tire that fill your wheel cut out ,around 30", you don't need or want OD. I think I have an OD version of your '55 trans.

Since I have this rear axle in addition to my truck, I can get this one all prepped and ready to install. When I get the ring/pinion I will be able to get it all installed, cleaned up and ready to put on my truck.

If I find a T5 I will get it, but if not I will use the 3 speed that came out of the '55 as it has the right fittings on it to connect to the driveshaft I will need to use with the T5.

The gears will only bring it down 18%, AFAICT (3.38/4.11), but the big gain comes from the T5. That will give me another 28%. Just the r/p gears would get me from 3000 down to about 2500.

So the T-5 will drop it to 1950 rpm. Where does you engine produce it's best efficiency? The cam in my 270 loves 3,000 and I have to pay attention to keep it from going there. With my tires, 3.55 gears and T-5 3,000 is 90 mph. 2,000 rpm is 60 mph but it doesn't pull well there. So 2,200-2,500 IS 70-75 mph and I got right at 17 mpg. I'm sure ai could tune and get 20. With 28" tires it pulls better but goes slower. It sounds like you are getting in there, in that range of efficiency. I think tire size is the last adjustment.

That's a very good question and I don't have an answer to that. I just know that I have more power and the tires are about the same size of original. I currently have 235/xxr15 radials (can't remember the ratio) which is almost the same size diameter as the original 650r16s or 600r16s, the original tires
GM shipped with them.

I'm not entirely sure where the noise is coming from, but I suspect some is from the torque tube front bushing being wallowed out, and possibly low oil in the trans.



If I could get to 90, I'd be doing the snoopy dance.



I think I would drive it quite a bit if I could get that type of mileage. I have a little 2WD Tacoma with a 2.4L that gets me about 23 on the highway. And the flat bed, let's not talk about that...8 mpg when towing...



Let's face it, the biggest gain is from both the r/p and the overdrive. With both, most of the problems are resolved.

If you do either by themselves, it still leaves problems on the highway. In the future I might not be in a position to get a T5, who knows, so while I can I want to get one.

Yeah, they sure seem to go for more $$$s than they're worth, but the T5 is just about the best Transmission to put in these old beasts it seems. To me, the T5 seems like the right transmission.

Then there is getting the speedometer regulated. I had mine working well enough then the plastic gear in the T-5 began slipping. No speedo for w while. I'd have to pull the tail housing. I'll pull it out someday. I need to modify the shifter to tighten up the pattern. Do that to yours before you put it in.

I've seen in a video that there's a clip that sits under the gear, and there's a little tab that goes in a hole. If that tab breaks off the gear will spin, which is bad mojo.

Maybe the little tab on this clip broke on yours?

Retaining Clip for GM T5 Output shaft

If you need a gear:

9 Tooth

7 Tooth

That may be it. Someday I'll know. For now I'll use the tach. The only real problem is in Peoples Republic of Nevada, Eastern California we have to report milage each year to register our vehicles. Mine is always the same.

Go ahead, rub it in...(I don't have a tach), my RPMs guesses are just that, a guess.

My tire size is 235/75r15, the diameter is 28.88".

The original 650r16 was 29.26". There's about 1/3rd of an inch difference, but the amount of tires to choose from is enormous. America's Tire has 44 different tires to select in that size, ranging from about $70-$200/tire. Tire Rack has 39 to select, $85-$210/tire. FWIW, if/when I buy new tires I see that have the Yokohama Geolander in that size, we've had really good wear on my wife's Honda CR-V, nice DEEP tread, they seem to last well.

Plenty of choices!

I dont know if this will help,but when I built my 36 Pontiac, I found out that a 55 or later pickup 3rd member will bolt right in. All I had to do was change the axle gears to match the Pontiac axles. I even used the original brakes because they were slightly wider than the 55 brakes. As far as using the 5 speed trans, I only had to space the trans from the bell housing using a couple 1/2” washers
In between the bell housing &trans. You will need to drill out the mounting holes to 1/2”. Hope this helps. Joe

Joe,

That actually does help some. Are you saying the third member from a torque tube will bolt into the open diff of the '55? That would have been helpful if so, but would have been before I sent the other 3.55:1 gears back to Mother Trucker. I'm currently waiting on the 3.38:1 set to come back to me.

Seems Joe said those gears wouldn't fit in the carrier, the pinion is quite different between the 2, when I was looking at them, the shaft is completely different.

EDIT: Update from Mother Trucker, Series 2 3.38:1 r/p on the way!

Ok, let me start this over...I had found an S10 in Sacramento that was a '93 with elec. speedo, but cheap at $350. Gearing not the best, 4.03 2.37 1.49 1.00 0.76.

However, another S10 surfaced for $425 w/mechanical speedo and it says rebuilt in Dec. 2020.

Hoping to get one this Sat. Waiting to find out about the gearing on the mechanical speedo trans, but that would be a great deal without having to pay shipping.

Ok, not sure where I am with the guy who has the mechanical speedo S10 T5, but I'm still scheduled to pickup the '93 S10 T5 with electronic speedo, and convert it.

Beater, I was asking this in the previous message, but removed it as I thought I was going to get this one that would have better gearing, but the 4.03 ratio rots for our trucks from what I've read. The .76 is not too bad on the 5th, but if I had my choice I would probably go with 3.73 on the 1st gear. My question is what do I need to change on a WC T5, so it has the synchros inside the gear, but I'm mainly wondering what needs to be done if I wanted to change 1st gear, as an example, do I only need to change the gear on the mainshaft ? I see a lot of gears, but they seem to be sold separately with no opposing gear, and this makes me wonder if those helical looking gears can mesh up with the opposing gear on the countershaft no matter what is on the mainshaft. Any thoughts of wisdom? Honestly, I don't really need the WC in my truck, not like the 235 is gonna blow it up, but the added bearings can't be bad.

EDIT: Update

Ok, not as bad as I had thought, I did cancel on the first guy with the '93 WC, but if for any reason the other guy with the mechanical speedo model falls through, I will buy the WC. I know the WC is the better trans, just that it will require more work. But I would get a better trans, IMO. I don't really need it, I think the non-WC will be such a difference, it will be like night and day...

The other guy has 3 T5s for sale, 2 are for Mustangs and this one is from a '91 S10, but he doesn't have a tag number. He said it was smooth and it shifted smoothly in all the gears. However, it's a strange deal...this trans is in storage and he owe's about $300 back rent on his storage, so they took his code out of the fence lock. I would hope they will let us in to see the trans before he has to pay as he need most of the money to pay his back rent. This is all seems like a craigslist debacle. But I have the '93 WC in the pocket if this falls through.

Ok, a long hot day on the road to snatch the '93 WC T5. The 2nd guy with the mechanical speedo was a giant flake, and finally this morning after my Bay Area Inliner metting at 11:00am, he said he was not able to get a hold of the storage office, or get them to call him back...I just said, thanks you, I'll buy the first one I was looking at. This is a 1352-216 tag. He gave me the bell housing with the clutch fork, which I need like a hole in my head. Maybe I can sell the bell housings on craigslist.



And the new 3.38:1 ring and pinion arrived today, that was faaaasssssstttt service from Mother Trucker. I can't thank enough for his more than warranted exchange. I bought the old set about 2-1/2 years ago. They were unused, I had never mounted them though.

This set is a 44 tooth ring gear with a 13 tooth pinion. (3.384615385)



My hope is that the 3.38:1 might offset the 4.03 1st gear and make it slightly more tolerable, as hopefully the .76 on the 5th would be more tolerable also. I will see soon enough. First thing to do is convert to mechanical speedo, I think I'm gonna send it to the guy in Washington on YouTube, he charges $200, you send your electronic speedo, he converts it and supplies all the parts.

I think with the 3.38s you will be fine. If not you will at least be better until you can make it fine. Mine must be 4.03 low and it's a little low with the 3.55 rear end but comes in handy on the steep parts of my road with a load. Not like a "Granny" gear but low. You'll get used to it.

I once drove a '42 with the 4 speed tranny, what a frickin' dog...even 2nd gear is pretty low also. I thought it was useless driving on regular roads, and the truck was fully restored.

Made some progress today. First bill of order, loose the bell housing. I noticed this trans has support arms on it, I had first thought maybe it was from a 4WD, but after I get it off, I realized this bell housing is aluminum, my '55 series 2 bell housing is cast iron. Maybe that's why the supports were added. I wonder when that happened? There was some interesting changes happening around '93, Ford created what they call the T5z, a hopped up WC T5 for the mustang, and somehow GM seems to have used those changes as well. Lots of silicone sealer all over, gives me the feeling it's been rebuilt and someone has been in there, but gears feel good and smooth. A tad of end play on the input shaft but I think I can shim that out.



Then I separated the tail shaft, saving the shifter lever, pin, spring and ball bearing.



Here's the 5th gears, they look good:



Close up shot:

Looking good! There is a way to move the pivot point on the shifter and shorten the throw, a handy thing with a long lever.
It looks like I can get to my speedo gear by just removing the tail shaft. Iy's been a while since I put it in.

Yes, you can change the speedo gear by removing the tailshaft, do a google and refresh your memory as you need to pull the shift lever and there's a spring and ball bearing and the pin that you knock out...but the tail shaft needs to pull past the top rod holding the forks in order to be removed.

The guy in Washington, from Ebay, takes the tire size and calculates the rear diff to decide what gear he needs. The online calculator I used basically did:



That will give you the ratio the rear end should be, and by doing that I get a 3.34:1, pretty darn close to the 3.38 I'll be putting in there. I don't know if he will adjust up/down for the speedo drive gear.

Just sprayed some brake cleaner on it to try and clean the outside before I send it off to Washington. Need to find a box big enough also.