Hi guys,... i rebuild my 235 from 58 but i wanna have a 5 speed and really dont know how i can manage this,.. maybe it's not rocket science but it comes close, and im not a great deal in all the technical terms. I have a buddy thats has a 5speed laying around, but i read that you have to use adapters and all kinds of things to make them fit the engine ,.. does somebody have advice or directions to order parts ect. ? All the help is appreciated!
There's a tech page for the BW T5 conversion on the Inliners International site. http://www.inliners.org/Jack/t5_page.html
I don't doubt that someone makes an adapter. Raven has run5 speeds behind 325s as long as I have known him and I am sure if you drop him a Pm he can get you all the dimensions that you will need, for him on his AD truck it was just a matter of a plate ( I think .375") that bolted to the mounting surface between the transmission and bell housing and the proper spline clutch plate.
The bellhousing in your photograph will bolt up to a S-10 5 speed If you are running swing pedals a 55 and up car bellhousing is are you need. If you are running under floor pedals you will need a 55 and up truck bellhousing.
Options more likely to be available in your part of the world include the Ford Type 9 and the Toyota W55/7/8. Both would handle the torque of a mild 235. The gearbox interfaces with the engine in three places, i.e. the bellhousing, the friction plate, and the spigot bearing in the flywheel. Conventional wisdom is to make an adaptor to mate the gearbox case to the Chevy bellhousing; use a friction plate meant for the gearbox in the Chevy clutch - see if there are different sizes available for the same 'box, and pick one that is close to the Chevy plate; and make, adapt, etc. a spigot bearing that will fit both the Chevy flywheel and the gearbox's first motion shaft. There will be issues around clutch actuation, etc. too, and there may be problems around the first motion shaft being too short to reach the spigot bearing, which would require either modifying the bellhousing or spacing the flywheel back - which is going to cause starter issues. It's one of those mix/match/adapt/fabricate exercises, like home-brew brake or hub conversions.
thx guys,.. i think im gone use the astro clutch plate and adapter setup for the T5 If you go with the Buffalo adapter plate, the only other thing you need to change is the clutch disc. BUT you stock setup is for a 9 1/8" disc, not 11". A 9 1/8" disc for an 80's S10 can be used, but you may need to have the I.D. of the pressure plate turned a little bigger, or get a custom disc made up, see the "tech tips' article over at inliners.org for doing that. If you want to go to the 11" disc, you will need to change the flywheel or at least get it redrilled for the larger pressure plate. If you decide toredrill the flywheel, I would suggest using both the presure plate and disc from the '85 Astro van.
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