HEY BRAD of Monmouth, OR

[gr8scott51]

Brad,

I bought my T5 on e-bay from a guy near Spokane. I spent another chunk of money to rebuild it before I installed it. I was like you, I had decided that the T5 was the answer to my dreams. It replaced the 34 year old 3 speed in my '68. At the same time I put in a 350. The 350 could overpower the T5 if I drove hard. A T5 is rated between 290 and 300 foot pounds of torque. I did a lot of research in choosing which T5 model to use - there's lots of help on the internet (Jags that run (JTR) is a good source). Pay attention to the vinyl sticker on the top of the tranny. Mine is a 1352-145 which gave me this gearing: 3.76, 2.18, 1.42, 1.0, and 0.72. I love having 5th gear. Now I can cruise the hiway at 70 or 80 with ease. I did have to make an adapter/spacer plate (I read about this on the Inliner page) and cut back the input shaft collar 1/8". Again using info from the Inliners, I used a clutch/pressure plate from an '85-'89 Astro van and a driveshaft from an S10 was almost the exact length for my swb C10. Good luck, Scott

[Brad]

Hey, Scott thanks alot.
I keep reading all the tech posts on how to do it, but I can't seem to find one out of a 4.3L vehicle in my neck o' the woods. A month ago I was in a junkyard in Tacoma where they allowed you to pull your own trans! Of course, all they had at the time was Th350's. I'll keep looking...

[gr8scott51]

I've seen quite a few in the wrecking yards around my place. Anywhere from $300 - 500 with no guarantee of condition. I just kept watching e-bay til I found the one I wanted. If you ever have any questions, drop me a line. Scott