Hey guys, I have a question...I have a 59 GMC Suburban Carryall (270 w/ 4 speed floor shift) and i was thinking of putting in a T5 trans behind the original 270. Question is... Will the trans bolt right up to the bell housing? or does it have to be modified? or is there a different Bell housing i will need before i can bolt up the trans? any help will be greatly appreciated....Thanks in advance!
If it's a GM cased T5 it should without too much trouble. You will have to change the clutch disc to something compatible with the T5 splines, and some need about a half inch or so shortened on the imput shaft. I believe the bell housing on your truck should have the same bolt pattern, othewise any chevy truck will after '54 or so.
some of the tail housings on the t5 is made to make the trans tilt. I ran into that problem with our 1955 bel air. We did the tailhousing swap. The camaro bell housing and tailhousing was set up for tilted trans. The s-10 tailshaft we used was for straight mount. Had to use original bell housing behind the 350 could not use the camaro bell housing with the slave cylinder mount on it. So if its a short (forward mounted shifter) bell housing i think you will be alright
You may need a adapter, contact buffalo enterprises he is a great guy and has built a adapter for my gmc. 360-652-7689
The Camaro/Firebird T5 are mounted at about a 15* angle toward the driver. The tailhousing mount, consequently, is also angled. The "tilt" is ALL in the bellhousing. The trans can be mounted straight up using any GM bellhousing - a simple wedge will solve the tailhousing mount if you retain the stock tailhousing. Don't let this deter you from using one of these trannys.
Sorry, I always assume an S-10 T-5 for shifter posistion and lack of tilt. But we do know where assuming gets you, right?
same procedure as doing a Chevy. If you use a '83-89 vintage S10 T5 with a cable driven speedo, all you would need to do is change the clutch disc, run a 1/2" drill bit through the bolt holes on the trans, cut about 3/8" off the tip of the input shaft, cut 1" off the bearing retainer, and test fit the trans and disc to make sure the disc will pull back far enough to release from the flywheel. If it doesn't, and it likely won't, you will need to do one of the following: grind some off the backside of the clutch disc center section, lengthen the splines on the shaft, or use an 1/8" spacer between the trans and bellhousing. There is also several places selling a special spacer for about $150 that will allow you to use this trans without the above modifications. To use a version of T5 other than the one I listed will mean a different set of problems, such as shifter location, electric speedo, or trans bolt pattern, depending on which one you try to use. Using a '83-89 S10 T5 with a cable driven speedo will give you the least expense and problems overall. Note that not all of these were cable driven, so put your eyes on it to make sure of what it is before you buy it.
Thanks Snarl, The Trans is out of a 84-85 S10 and is a cable driven version. I guess Buffalo would be the place to get this "Adapter" i need then huh? Thanks alot!
You'll also notice the lube fill hole was relocated down about an inch on these tilted trannys.When using it in a conventional upright postion you may want to drill and tap a new oil fill in the original location that's still there but undrilled. I did this,don't know it it's teally necessary,but doesn't hurt to play safe. The very earliest Camaro V-8 T-5's have a typical 1-1/8 10 GM clutch shaft idential to all the other GM standard transmissions.Other drilling the mounting holes out to 1/2 inch,and the tranny length,it's bolt in. If your vehicle will tolerate the Camaro V-8 T-5 shifter location..this tranny has way better ratios for normal road use. On the modifying the S10 tranny as mentioned above,i know more than a few guys that did this,no need to spend 150 bucks on an adapter. But you do have to spend the time to mock it up as mentioned.
No. Why would you need an adapter if the bolt patterns are the same? there is a difference between a SPACER and an ADAPTER.... maybe Buffalo has both, but he is known for selling an adapter to use the later bolt pattern trans with an earlier bellhousing. This is not what you need.... I sell an 11 ga. spacer.... Or, if you don't want to do all of the shortening to the trans, you could use this instead http://hamiltonintakes.com/products/s10-t-5-swap-adapter
I always fill from the shifter housing inside the car....easier normally. Drain completely, add fluid as specified. Simple.
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