After numerous issues with the C4 and some friendly ribbing from a few friends I decided to swap the C4 for a T5 5-speed. Below are some pictures and information on the swap.
1983 Non World Class T5 from a 1983 Mustang. I purchased this through a friend. It was rebuild a few years back but never installed in a car. Lets keep our fingers crossed that it's ok.
The first thing was to choose a Bell Housing. I went with a 2.77, which is my original one from this car.
The original 3-speed fly wheel resurfaced. Thanks to Drakes Machine Shop in Rochester NY
New Clutch and Pressure Plate installed. This also must be purchased through Modern Driveline. The kit includes the clutch, throw-out bearing and pilot bearing to match the T5 input shaft and the alignment tool. The parts are top quality!
The key piece is the adapter plate which can be purchased through Modern Driveline. These guys are your best source for everything that you will need to do this the right way.
The 2.77 Bell installed with the stock fork, the Modern Driveline throw-out bearing, and stock return spring and bracket. So far it's a piece of cake.
Once the T5 is installed now it's time to gulp...cut the floor..... As you can see the shift box hits the floor brace. There are 2 solutions. 1) cut the brace out.
2) change the tail shaft on the T5 to a tail shaft from an early 80's S-10 T5. This moves the shifter box forward. I chose to cut the floor brace.
I cut the brace with a 4-1/2" cut-off wheel from the top. It cut the brace clean so it could be welded back in if someone wanted to pit the car back to original.
By not using the S-10 tail shaft the shifter is very close to the bench seat. I don't have an issue with this as you will see in the other pictures.
I took a piece of sheet metal, cut a 4" diameter hole in it and pop rivet it to the floor.
I ground off this tab because it was hitting the floor.
For the mounting bracket I used my C4 bracket, cut 2" off and added new slots.
Bracket with the C4 rubber mount. It works perfect. Also the stock Speedo cable goes right into the T5 with no modifications needed.
This is a picture of my homemade console. You can see it's right against the set. The shifter I chose is a Hurst model number 5380201. It's 9.5 tall and bends 5.7" rearward. 3/8"-16 thread. I purchased this off of Ebay for $65.00.
The position of the shifter for me is perfect. Im not reaching and it clears the cup holder.
The console is complete. This shows the shifter in the 3rd gear position.
After driving the car for a week it developed a leak out of the input shaft bearing retainer.....AUGHHHHH
Input shaft seal was toast. All I can think is that it had dried out from sitting dry. I got the replacement from Modern Driveline.
The new seal going in. I would strongly suggest replacing this seal if you are installing a used T5 or one that has been sitting for a long time. It's a $3.50 seal. Don't make the mistake I did.
It's hard to see but Im installing the bearing shim.
Bearing race is dropped in.
Some side notes: I did not have to cut my drive shaft. The yoke is the same as the C4 and the length was perfect.
Go to the Modern Driveline website, they will have ALL the technical info and parts that you will need. These guys are top notch.
Buy your self a transmission jack. I got mine from Harbor Freight, it was worth every penny.
I also purchased a plastic cap that slides onto the tail shaft. This allowed me to fill the T5 before I installed it.
When purchasing a T5 look for one between 1983-1993. On the housing you will find a "star". The number is the year of the unit.
Side shot showing the drain and fill plugs. Any 3/8" ratchet will remove the plug. The unit takes 2-1/2 quarts of fluid. Check the Modern Driveline site for the correct fluid. This is important!
Front view of the input shaft and bearing retainer. The seal that I had to replace is in the retainer. Remove the 4 bolts and there it is. Use sealer on the flange and torq to 15 pounds. Super easy. Don't worry nothing will fall out when you remove the retainer.