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Transmission Swap Article Page

I'm gonna write up an article about the T5 swap since I'm there anyway, for the 84-89 Mark VIIs. The main thing I noticed is that there needs to be more pics and pics of parts that actually matter. So that's what I'm putting up.

Here's a rudimentary list of parts you'll need for the swap:
T5 from a 1983-93 Mustang World Class preferred.
Bellhousing from a 1983-93 T5 5.0 Mustang
Block plate from a 5.0 T5 Mustang
clutch fork
clutch, pressure plate, and throwout bearing
pilot bearing
clutch alignment tool
shorter bellhousing bolts for the top two holes
8mm bolts for the pressure plate
pedals from a T5 5.0 Mustang or Capri, 1983-84 Mustang 2.3 Turbo GT and Capri RS 2.3 Turbo, 83-86 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe, and Cougar XR7 Turbo T5s. 87-88 Turbo Coupes use a hydraulic clutch so the pedals may or may not be different. Mustang SVO pedals should work as well, and have a brake pedal that makes heel/toe downshifting easier. 1983-93 4 cylinder Mustang/Capri pedals will work, but are not recommended. They will cause you to have a really low clutch pedal that doesn't disengage until it hits the floor.
clutch cable
50 oz imbalance 157 tooth flywheel for 5.0 Mustang
3 quarts of fluid. ATF if world class. 70 weight gear oil if non world class
T5 driveshaft yoke
Mark VII driveshaft lengthened 1.25"
correct speedo gear for your rear axle ratio
shifter and upper and lower boots

aluminum clutch quadrant (optional but recommended)
clutch cable adjuster at the bellhousing (optional but recommended)
rear main seal (if you need one put it in cause you'll be right there)
rear tail shaft seal for the T5 (recommended if yours is worn)
short throw shifter (optional but recommended)
aluminum driveshaft (optional but recommended)

First of all, the driver's seat must come out for room, and the steering column must come out. On 84-89s the steering column mounts to the steering shaft in the engine bay.

Don't reconnect the cable from the shifter to the ignition lock. It won't be used with the 5 speed.

Here's the view from underneath with the bolts that hold the steering column in visible, as well as the stiffening bracket.

Here's some pics of the bolts that hold the pedals to the firewall.
Driver's side of the pedals

passenger side of the pedals

Here's a straight view of the pedal mount

This is the PITA part. The stiffening bracket is bolted to the door frame and is difficult to get to. I had to take out the headlight and auto dimmer switches to get to the bolt. Then I had to unbolt the dash at the bottom and pull it away 2-3". I then had access to the bolt and took it out using a 10mm socket and extensions.

This is the stiffening bracket removed.

In total there are 11 bolts that hold the pedals in. 4 on the firewall, 4 where the steering column mounts, 2 at the top where the dash meets it, and 1 at the driver's side door frame behind the dash for the steering column stiffening bracket.

Here's the mounting point on the firewall where the pedals mount after removal.

Here's the pedals side by side. The 84-89 Mark VIIs require no cutting, and the 84-89 pedals also have no spacer.

Here's the hard foam piece that makes the dead pedal. So far I have only removed it. I haven't beaten down the floorpan yet. I don't think it'll be necessary, but I won't know for sure until I drive it.

The next step is to install the clutch cable. This is almost the same as converting an auto mustang.
After removing the bracket that holds the MAP sensor and a couple of relays, the hole dimple is clearly visible. It is the perfect template. The clutch cable hole is cut with a 1 3/8" hole saw. The screw hole is 1/8"
Here's the location of the dimples

Here's the hole after cutting and the screw hole after drilling:

Use drill extensions to get a straight shot at the holes.

The clutch cable mounts to the firewall on the engine bay side. Feed the clutch cable inside and connect it to the clutch quadrant.

The cable also mounts to the frame rail. The holes are already there, but they're covered with a huge wiring harness. The harness is held to the frame rail at that location using a bolt on clamp. Remove the clamp and the harness can be moved enough to mount the clutch cable.

Here's the end of the cable awaiting a transmission.

One thing that also has to be done is cutting the pedal cover that goes on the bottom of the dash. The pedal slot needs to be cut wider for the clutch pedal.

Reassemble everything in the interior.
Here's the finished product, now all that's left is the transmission. 
 
Now, on to the actual transmission swap:
The first thing to go is the exhaust and the driveshaft

After draining the trans, unbolting the torque converter nuts, bellhousings bolts, and trans cooler lines drop the DOA. Using a transmission jack makes this a lot easier.

Unbolt the flexplate and bend, cut and drag out the trans cooler lines. Save your flexplate bolts for the flywheel if they're undamaged.

Now, go up top and start disassembling the shifter

Remove the console, 4 screws hold the console to the floor and dash. Two of the screws hold the console to the dash. These screws are hidden under glued down carpet, which I think is pretty stupid since you have to glue it back together when done.

After the console is gone you can see where the rear air ducts connect to the dash. Something has to be put in to plug this hole. The rear air ducts get in the way of the shifter so they have to go.

The carpet had to be cut in preparation for making the shifter hole

To get an idea of where the shifter hole would go, we measured the length of the transmission to the shifter. Those measurements were transferred to the trans tunnel. I think we measured around 29". It was a pretty good ballpark figure.

Those measurements put the front of the shifter base right under this bracket that the dash bolts to, so it had to go.

Here's the starter hole and a pic showing the distance just as an idea.

Now it's time to start putting the clutch in

Block plate goes first

Flywheel, reuse your flex plate bolts, stick some blue threadlocker on, and then torque to 90 ft/lbs

Pilot bearing, I cleaned the spot in the crank where the bearing goes with some sandpaper to get the rust off. I gently tapped the bearing in with a slightly smaller socket.

You'll need bolts and lockwashers to hold the pressure plate. The stock pressure plate takes 8mm bolts. Intall the clutch plate, and then the clutch alignment tool. Bolt on the pressure plate torquing to 12-24 ft/lbs

The two top bolts on the bellhousing are shorter than the others. I believe they were 7/16" coarse, so go pick those up.
Now install the clutch fork, making sure to grease the pivot. slide in the throwout bearing, and bolt up the bellhousing.

Now It's time for the T5 to go in :)
There are two switches on the trans. The one on the side is the backup light switch. The one on top is the neutral safety switch. If your trans came with this, but it's missing then you are in trouble. This switch is obsolete and not available anywhere new. Don't ask how I know why. :) I found mine on a trans out of a 4 banger mustang at the junk yard.

Bolt in the trans, you will have to fanagle it and trim on your shifter hole to get it in. The Mark VII crossmember is reused. You don't have to have a mustang trans mount. Just mount it directly to the crossmember. You will have to adjust the crossmember, but that's no big deal.

Once the trans is in put in your driveshaft. I used a yoke from a 94 3.8 T5 Mustang on the Mark VII driveshaft. The driveshaft was lengthened 1.25" and balanced.

The yoke has some fitment issues with the trans tunnel and required some persuasion to fit.

Now, it's time to wire up the trans. Black with pink tracer and Purple with orange tracer went to the back up lights. White with pink tracer and Red with blue tracer went to the neutral safety switch. Make sure to get the correct speedo gear! I have 3.27:1 gears so I used a pink 19 tooth gear for a T5.

Reinstall the exhaust.

Go up top again and bolt the shifter on. I used a lower boot from a 93 mustang, and an upper boot from a 1986 Mustang without a console.

Before you reinstall the console, the automatic parking brake release hose needs to be plugged. I just used a couple of screws.

Reinstall the console

It's time for trimming up the shifter plate. A shifter plate from a 5 speed 93 Mustang was used as a template. A really steady hand and a good jigsaw make this happen.

Here's the result. The hole is actually too big because the shifter is further forward. A different boot should take care of that.

Finally took care of the shifter. I cut and ground a sheet of plexiglass and attached the boot to that.

And after the hard work is done you have a really fun to drive and unique car that's a great conversation piece. Usually you pick up 1/2 a second in the quarter with this mod.

Page 1 Main
Page 2 News
Page 3 Restoration Page
Page 4 Mods
Page 5 Planned Mods
Page 6 Past Cars Owned
Page 7 Model Information
Page 8 Photos from Various Car shows
Page 9 Before Photos

Page 10 Transmission Swap Article

Page 11 Motorcycles