How to install a Camaro T-5

[70 net440]

Did you use your original flywheel, or the one for the Camaro tranny?

[Brad]

I used my original flywheel.

[krue]

Remind me to put this in FAQ once all the questions are answered.

[brendonak]

Sorry about the CamAro issue, not a word I spell often, my b

So you're saying it isn't feasible to run a bench seat and use a Camaro t-5 right? However if you had a Camaro t-5 and swapped on an s-10 bell housing then the shifter should be in the same place as a stock floor shift, right?

Sorry if this is redundant, just want to make sure I know what I'm getting myself into with this swap.

[Brad]

That's correct- no bench with the L6/Camaro T-5. It's possible with the V8 in the V8 mount position only.

Not an S-10 bellhousing but S-10 tailshaft mounted to the Camaro gearbox is what many guys do and it'll put the shifter in basically the stock floor shifter location for our trucks.

[Strider]

This is an excellent thread.
Brad, your work is very good.
Thanks for sharing.
The photos you show at the beginning are excellent and they show 1 thing that you have not stated. I have found only 1 site that details the difference between the camaro T5 and the s-10 T5 that may not be apparent unless you have photos of the 2 or the real thing sitting in your garage..................

The Camaro T5 input shaft is the same length as a saginaw or muncie trans.

I did not know this and was confused as to relative ease of install of the Camaro trans vs the S-10 T5 trans.

I knew that the S-10 T5 had a longer input shaft but thought the camaro one was the same!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm learning.

Thanks for all the good stuff.

Anyone want to sell me a Camaro T5 trans?????

[Brad]

Originally Posted by Strider

This is an excellent thread. Brad, your work is very good. Thanks for sharing.
The photos you show at the beginning are excellent and they show 1 thing that you have not stated. I have found only 1 site that details the difference between the camaro T5 and the s-10 T5 that may not be apparent unless you have photos of the 2 or the real thing sitting in your garage..................

The Camaro T5 input shaft is the same length as a saginaw or muncie trans.

I did not know this and was confused as to relative ease of install of the Camaro trans vs the S-10 T5 trans.

I'm glad you figured that out. I thought I'd made it pretty clear but will see if I can make it more clear in the text.
Thanks for compliments.

[Silvertip1]

Brad: Awesome info and thanks for taking the time to do it. You have definitely saved me a lot of wasted time screwing it up! I was going to go with a 7004R4 behind my L6, but I really don't like automatics all that much. I drive to the Seattle area and back on a frequent basis for work and I really want my '71 as my daily driver for work when I can't take my Acura due to the site conditions. Is the tailshaft conversion difficult or require any special mods to make it work with the Camaro trans? I would like to keep the Caddy bench I have in the truck, but a nice pair of heated buckets sounds nice (thanks, again).

[splehigh]

Nice write up! How is the tranny holding up? Have you put many miles on it so far?

[Realnoisy]

Originally Posted by Brad

That's correct- no bench with the L6/Camaro T-5. It's possible with the V8 in the V8 mount position only.

Not an S-10 bellhousing but S-10 tailshaft mounted to the Camaro gearbox is what many guys do and it'll put the shifter in basically the stock floor shifter location for our trucks.

There is a 3 inch difference between the V8 mount positions. Are you saying the 3" inches would be enough to clear the bench seat if in the V8 was mounted in the forward mount holes on the rails?

Thanks for the time you put into this write-up....it's so well done!

[chevylookin]

Hey forum!
I agree that its awesome that this thread is still ongoing and being added to constantly. Its obvious that the T-5 upgrade is gaining in popularity for these style trucks. Its a wonderful and affordable modification that can be added to any GM vehicle of this era if you enjoy a manual. I have seen several 60-66 trucks listed on E*ay with this setup and people are intrigued.

The only problem is if youre doing it yourself, you have to have a general knowledge of gearing. I didnt when I first started to drop in my T-5 and I thought the lower the gearing, the faster you'll go. A wonderful combination. Not true! Before my old granny SM 420 started to collect dust in the garage, I frankensteined two T-5's together. I ended up with a Camaro .63 OD and and S-10 body and stick location with an analog-ed speedo. I had 3.08's in the rear at the time. You woulda laughed your arse off trying to see me get that thing going of the line. On the freeway, if I was going down hill with the wind on my shoulder, I could get it in OD and maybe push 65 mph. Foot pegged to the floor and nothing! It is just a law of mechanics I suppose that you can not go 200 mph because you dropped in a T-5. And you have many factors slowing you down: body design, wind resistance, body height stance,
weight distribution, gearing, tires, the wind resistance on the tires, friction on the tires from cruddy roads. These trucks were never meant to go more 60+ mph. They were meant for hauling hay and horse trailers on a farm! HAHA!

Anyways, after I turned my clutch disc into glass, I decided enough was enough. I had the 3.08's swapped out for 4:56's. With my .63 OD it is a match made in heaven for highway driving. Ive gotten it up to about 85 mph with a little slightly beefed up 230 making the power. Fun to drive, smooth and quite, and have moderate fuel economy with my 20" rims and tires on there. The next thing I need to do is Custom fab a cross member for the tranny and add power steering. I have been driving the truck around periodically with no cross-member for over a year now with no issues but it still does worry me. Does anyone have any pics to share of how they did there's? I have a short fleet. Good day all, happy holidays!

~Ryan G

[Pillow]

FWIW I have this conversion done on my '71 and love it! 350 with an S-10 T-5, not sure of the rear end ratio though.

2000 RPM in 5th is about 70 on the Interstate! Pulls great from 1st on through the range. No bog in first, and I can creap away if burdened with a heavy load. Like last week with a 1500# engine and crate in the back!

The gears are perfect for a Diesel conversion as I am not over revving in any gear. That is the winter project switching to a 6.2 military take out diesel.

At first I really wanted a Camaro T-5, but I am so happy with the S-10 you couldn't pay me to switch.

[brendonak]

Brad,

In reading over this thread again, you note that the Camaro has better gear ratios for those with 3.73's and higher. Since I'm not sure what rear end I have in my truck, and I want to install a posi, if I were to install the posi with say 3.23 gears, could I just stick with the S-10 tranny rather than swapping tailhousings?

I'm going off the logic that the lower rear end would effectively make the higher gear ratios in the S-10 a non-issue.

Sorry if I screwed up the terms "higher" and "lower" when referring to gear ratios, I'm a bit lysdexic

[Mister laugh]

Do you remember how much you had to have your drive shaft shortened? I am seriously considering doing this swap with an s-10 transmission has sitting around, but what is preventing me is that i had my drive shaft "rebuilt" and balanced last year it cost alot and i don't want to pay for it again. I do however have sever inches of play left in the slip joint in the middle.

[Old Bluey]

I just dropped the muncie 4spd and cracked the driveway! I knew it was heavy, but not THAT heavy. My T5 is on the way. My clutch needed replacing, and I thought I better do it now instead of doing it twice.

Thanks for all the info and motivation, Brad!!

[63 & 64 Bowties]

great write-up Brad, thanks. Couldn't come at a better time too. I just found a T-5 out of a S-10 for $100. After reading this, I think I should be able to swap the input shaft to a Camaro input shaft, trim the S-10 input shaft retainer, then use a Camaro clutch. You see any problems with that?

[Old Bluey]

All Done. (Well, almost)

Thanks again for all your help Brad!!

[Average Joe]

Awesome thread! Thanks for all the effort you put into detailing this swap. I am new to this site but recently purchased a 1967 Suburban with a 283 and truck 4 speed. I think it has 3.73's and weighs around 4200. So my question is do you think this tranny would hold up and what kind of mileage improvements have you guys seen. I'm diggin the idea of a 5 speed burb.

[Brad]

I think the Suburban weighs alot more than 4200 and would be surprised if it held up for more than a few years behind that much weight.
Compared to my mild 350 which seems to be getting 12mpg on average, my 250 was getting 14mpg on average in town (4th gear at most) and up to 18mpg @ 65-70mph! The 250 had about 130K as well.

[MrBlue]

Brad,
Thanks for Serving OUR COUNTRY!
Great write up as we have been searching for an T5 trans to install. Finding a S-10 is almost impossible. Do you think the shifter in this picture would work with a Camaro trans and a bench seat?
Thanks
MrBlue

[Brad]

Originally Posted by MrBlue

Brad,
Thanks for Serving OUR COUNTRY!
Great write up as we have been searching for an T5 trans to install. Finding a S-10 is almost impossible. Do you think the shifter in this picture would work with a Camaro trans and a bench seat?
Thanks
MrBlue

No, I'm almost positive it won't work. The angles are completely off. Take a look at the close up I've provided for my shifter and bench seat. You'd need to have the shifter come forward almost immediately above the floor and then swoop back towards the driver. Check out Tri-5 shifters as I've mentioned before, or make your own. I actually had made my own at one point but it was pretty ugly and found a nice Hurst that I just cut down instead and redrilled. Another option is to have your seat cut out in the right spot and reupholstered. Not worth it IMO ($$$) but I've seen it done very nicely.
Good luck.

[shaneo2112RUSH]

i have to say!! what a great write up!!

Ive installed my T-5 in a 68 1/2T lwb 327 motor with bucket seats, aluminum bellhousing. made my own crossmember and mount for the angle of the tranny. I also had 3.08 gears in it and boy was it a screamer going down the highway but it was a good running truck i have to show you guys some picks of it when i get a chance.

right now im doing a ground up modifications on the truck and have it all taken appart, i sold the motor (I still kick my self in the arse for selling it) and still debating if im going sell the T-5, reinstall the T-5, or go automatic!!

[Strider]

Originally Posted by shaneo2112RUSH

i have to say!! what a great write up!!

Ive installed my T-5 in a 68 1/2T lwb 327 motor with bucket seats, aluminum bellhousing. made my own crossmember and mount for the angle of the tranny. I also had 3.08 gears in it and boy was it a screamer going down the highway but it was a good running truck i have to show you guys some picks of it when i get a chance.

right now im doing a ground up modifications on the truck and have it all taken appart, i sold the motor (I still kick my self in the arse for selling it) and still debating if im going sell the T-5, reinstall the T-5, or go automatic!!

What do you mean it was a screamer going down the highway?? With 3.08 gears it should have been just barely humming in 5th gear, no???
Sounds great nonetheless!

I also found this for those who want to install the s-10 T5 with the 14 spline clutch from summitracing or advance adapters.
Check out this link: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/ADD-716104/

Its a centerforce 14 spline - 1 - 10.5 inch clutch. This will work with your T5 instead of a wimpy vega or some other crappy sized clutch.

Cheers!!!!!!!

[Brad]

Originally Posted by shaneo2112RUSH

i have to say!! what a great write up!!

Ive installed my T-5 in a 68 1/2T lwb 327 motor with bucket seats, aluminum bellhousing. made my own crossmember and mount for the angle of the tranny. I also had 3.08 gears in it and boy was it a screamer going down the highway but it was a good running truck i have to show you guys some picks of it when i get a chance.

right now im doing a ground up modifications on the truck and have it all taken appart, i sold the motor (I still kick my self in the arse for selling it) and still debating if im going sell the T-5, reinstall the T-5, or go automatic!!

The 3.08 gears are not ideal for a truck/T-5 combo as the 5th gear wouldn't be very useful. I recommend 3.73 or 4.10 gears only.

[shaneo2112RUSH]

Originally Posted by Strider

What do you mean it was a screamer going down the highway?? With 3.08 gears it should have been just barely humming in 5th gear, no???
Sounds great nonetheless!

I also found this for those who want to install the s-10 T5 with the 14 spline clutch from summitracing or advance adapters.
Check out this link: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/ADD-716104/

Its a centerforce 14 spline - 1 - 10.5 inch clutch. This will work with your T5 instead of a wimpy vega or some other crappy sized clutch.

Cheers!!!!!!!

Originally Posted by Brad

The 3.08 gears are not ideal for a truck/T-5 combo as the 5th gear wouldn't be very useful. I recommend 3.73 or 4.10 gears only.

The 3.08 is what i had to go with just to get it on the road!! iI didn't have the money to get new rings and pinions for the truck!! she did good from 1st to 4th gear and like you said!! 5th did not do much!