Inliners International Forums General Discussion Drive Train T-5 install

I just picked up a WC T-5 from a friend today for $50. It came out of a '91 RS Camaro with a TBI 305. The gear ratios should be as follows: 1st-2.95, 1.94, 1.34, 1.00, and 0.63 OD. I've read almost all of the T-5 posts on here, but I still have a few questions.

Will I be able to switch the mechanical speedo gear out for the electrical one? I think the previous consensus was that we could. I haven't even checked to see if it has an elec. speedo or not, but just in case.

Also, has anyone run into driveshaft length problems when swapping? I'm going to do some measuring tomorrow. Has anyone had any probems with input shaft length?

I'm just trying to get a heads up on some potential problems before I tackle this. The guy said it had a 3rd gear grind if you shift too quick, so I figure that's the synchros heading south. I'm planning on getting a rebuild kit, book, and a counter gear stabilizer from www.5speeds.com Any thoughts or comments would be great. Thanks. John

BTW: This is going in my '68 with 3.73 gears.

Looking at the ones I have, the mech is .87" diameter, and the elec. is .91" diameter. So no, they aren't interchangeable unless you can sleeve the hole and do something about the mounting bracket.

I installed a non world class T-5 in my 48 Plymouth. I had a problem with the length of the original input shaft as it was too short. I was able to find a longer replacement and installed in the transmission when I rebuilt it. This will probably not help you much as the world class T-5 is a different animal. However I can look up the part number for the longer input shaft if you want it.
Don Coatney

The V8 T5 has a one-off input shaft that can't be changed with anything else due to the size of the gear. Since this is a Chevy application with a V8 type bellhousing, changing the input shaft isn't necessary.

Hmmm...I'm going to do some measuring today, so hopefully I'll start forming a game plan. Thanks for the help guys. I'm sure I'll have more problems that I'll post about.

Don, thanks for the offer. I'll hit you up for that number if it turns out I need it. BTW, I don't think I've seen carbs that clean in my life. Good job. Thanks. John

Well the speedo gears WILL swap without a problem. Well, all I have to do is cut out a small metal tab to hold in the mechanical gear on the T-5. Also, both of the plastic gears have to same number of teeth. Pretty cool. I tool some rough measurements too. Old trans= 17" long/ T-5= 24 3/4" long. So I have to shorten the driveshaft roughly 7 3/4". I didn't think to check the output shaft splines on the T-5 and compare them to the yoke. I think that might be another problem. So, does anyone know of a good place to get a custom driveshaft, or get mine cut, around Cornelius, NC?

Also, another crazy thought. I don't want to search for an S-10 tailshaft to swap onto the Camaro one, and I REALLY don't want to cut another hole in my floor. I have a bench seat still. Do y'all think I can run a custom shifter setup that will: come up from the tranny(not the floor), go forward (maybe a little sideways), and come up through the existing hole? I have about 8" from the T-5 shifter to the hole (forward) and sideways will depend on how the tranny lines up. It's crazy I know, but it just might work. I know it'll be alot of work, but I think it would be worth it. Thanks. John

Better check the angle of the speedo hole. If it points directly at the center of the tailshaft, then it can't work because worm gears don't work that way. Take a look at your original tranny and you will see that the hole for a mech speedo passes under the tailshaft.

I'll have to double check that. It went in without a problem, and I turned the input shaft and the speedo gear moved. If it turns out that it won't work, then it'll give me an excuse to go to an electronic speedo. Those things are pretty neat. Thanks. John

So you're saying you have a gear driven electric speedo? That's a new one on me. The S10's I have are totally different. How about a picture of it?

Yeah, it's gear driven with an electrical connector on it. If I had a digital camera I surely would, but my mom has it in GA. It's out of a '91 Camaro RS. I'll try and search the net for a picture of it. John

I have a Dodge NP-241D transfer case that has both an electric and mechanical speedo, so Chrysler has that option also in some applications.

Ed Pruss
Longmont, CO