- Joined
- Nov 12, 2002
T5 Swap:
One of the biggest complaints about tuning the RWD bricks here in the states is the lack of strong transmissions. The M46 has a limited strength (while I?ve seen some see constant abuse behind 220whp cars, some have died numerous times in 160whp cars), they are heavy, shift poorly (in my view) and have external overdrives. If third gear doesn?t let loose, it seems that the overdrives will instead around similar power levels. The M47 is an even as far as power handling goes (though it does have an internal 5th gear).
Enter, the Ford T5 transmission. The T5 was almost perfectly suited for transplant in to 240?s as the shifter position was dead on, the input shaft is long enough to be ?compensated? for with the adapter plate, they came in Ford 5.0 mustangs so they are fairly common. The other nice part of the swap is the T5 has TONS of aftermarket, including short shifters, upgraded synchros ect. I?ve equipped mine with a ?Pro 5.0? shift kit, that turns the T5 into one of the finest shifting manuals I have driven.
Down to the nitty gritty.
First your going to need to find a T5 from a 5.0L mustang. Its important that its from a V8 car as they are stronger, and have different gearing. While the turbocoupe ford T5?s work, they are reportedly not as strong. The v8 T5s (aka as a World Class) will handle around 300 ft/lbs of torque, plenty for most applications.
The next portion of the swap I procured from John Parker at www.v-performance.com . John offers modified bell housings, the adapter plate and clutches, flywheels and other performance options. This really makes the swap easy, everything I received fit perfectly the first time. John can work out a clutch that will meet what ever horsepower goals you may have in mind.
Another, though untested way to go is a 4 cylinder mustang clutch disc. They are the same size, though I do not know if the spline count is the same size as the V8 T5. John could just as easily get you a disc only as well.
The pilot bearing is a Ford 5.0 mustang pilot bearing, it?s a direct replacement for the Volvo one (fits perfectly in the end of the crank). Shifter position for the 240 is perfect, how ever the 740?s pose a problem. The 740 shifter is further back than a 240. Some of the v8 conversion 740 owners who use T5?s reported that they simply used a spacer block to move the shift handle further back. Another option is using the harder to find GM (typically camaro/firebird) T5. It not only has the correct position for a 740, but the input shaft?s pilot tip is the same as the OEM Volvo m46/47 one. This means you could use the stock OEM pilot bearing. This could kill two birds with one stone, though I haven?t ventured down this road yet.
This is a picture of a modified 740 shifter:
(thanks to Volvord)
As far as the install, its as straight forward as removing the old transmission and installing the T5. Actually, as far as getting it lifted in there, I believe it was easier for some reason! (Probably because its lighter and a bit smaller dimensionally).
There is two spots where you will have to fabricate something. The transmission mount requires a bit of creativity. There is diagrams online for how the V8 guys (once again) have made their mounts, I would follow those. I however because of limited time ended up welding a plate right to the top of my cross member and bolting my T5 right to it (as in solid mount). It works, its not pretty.
This is the diagram for the ?correct? way to do it:
(thanks to Volvord)
The driveshaft is the other end. Here is another spot that has a few options. On mine I elected to just have a custom single driveshaft made up, from scratch. I have yet to experience any problems with it, and it is quite sizeable (will have to go measure it this weekend). Along similar lines, most people use mustang driveshafts and have them modified to fit. Apparently, the turbocoupes use an almost (if not) identical mount to the Volvo driveshaft, this would just require shorting of the front shaft. All of these can be handled by any professional driveline shop (my from scratch 1piece only cost around 120 dollars if I recall correctly). No matter what you do, this swap will require some driveshaft modification. Pricing will obviously vary from place to place.
There is a couple other odds and ends to track down. One is the speedometer. If your using a 240 with a mechanical speedometer then you?ll have to get Napa speedo cable (though the part number escapes me), but it will mate up. Anything that has an electronic speedo need not apply.
There is one last issue, the Achilles heel of this swap so far, the throw out bearing. This is where I ran into the most trouble. The ford 5.0 throw out bearing will fit the fork with some modification, however I found out it isn?t tall enough to work with the OEM pressure plate set up. Then I tried a taller one, however it would bottom out on the fork and wouldn?t spin. Here is my solution.
First, its Chicago Rawhide parts number 6030. It has a big rectangle flange on the middle of it. I basically rounded this flange, and then made a piece of steel to go on the bottom. This allowed the original flange to sit on top of the fork (there fore letting the bearing surface keep from bottoming out) and the flange on the bottom keeps the throw out bearing from flopping around.
Here is a (crude) picture of what I?ve done:
When I had last talked to John Parker, he was trying to include this modified throw out bearing with the kit.
My current set up is a cable actuated clutch, via the stock cable and fork. One untested option is using a hydralic setup from the later Tremec boxes. If this will retrofit to a T5, let alone a Volvo bellhousing, this would null out the issues with the throwout bearing.
So with some very mild fab?ing you?ll be able to swap out the junk ?tractor? transmission that came stock in your Volvo, and swap in a nice, strong quick shifting transmission and enjoy bumping the boost with out living your life in fear!
Here is a couple pictures of mine:
Heres some useful Ford T5 links:
http://www.fordmuscle.com/archives/2000/09/t5swap/index2.shtml
http://www.fordmuscle.com/archives/transmission.shtml
Doug Kauer 9-30-03
(PS, Dana, if you want this as an article, wouldn't bother me in the least. Any suggestions, further questions or improvements lets make them in this thread before it goes to "print").
One of the biggest complaints about tuning the RWD bricks here in the states is the lack of strong transmissions. The M46 has a limited strength (while I?ve seen some see constant abuse behind 220whp cars, some have died numerous times in 160whp cars), they are heavy, shift poorly (in my view) and have external overdrives. If third gear doesn?t let loose, it seems that the overdrives will instead around similar power levels. The M47 is an even as far as power handling goes (though it does have an internal 5th gear).
Enter, the Ford T5 transmission. The T5 was almost perfectly suited for transplant in to 240?s as the shifter position was dead on, the input shaft is long enough to be ?compensated? for with the adapter plate, they came in Ford 5.0 mustangs so they are fairly common. The other nice part of the swap is the T5 has TONS of aftermarket, including short shifters, upgraded synchros ect. I?ve equipped mine with a ?Pro 5.0? shift kit, that turns the T5 into one of the finest shifting manuals I have driven.
Down to the nitty gritty.
First your going to need to find a T5 from a 5.0L mustang. Its important that its from a V8 car as they are stronger, and have different gearing. While the turbocoupe ford T5?s work, they are reportedly not as strong. The v8 T5s (aka as a World Class) will handle around 300 ft/lbs of torque, plenty for most applications.
The next portion of the swap I procured from John Parker at www.v-performance.com . John offers modified bell housings, the adapter plate and clutches, flywheels and other performance options. This really makes the swap easy, everything I received fit perfectly the first time. John can work out a clutch that will meet what ever horsepower goals you may have in mind.
Another, though untested way to go is a 4 cylinder mustang clutch disc. They are the same size, though I do not know if the spline count is the same size as the V8 T5. John could just as easily get you a disc only as well.
The pilot bearing is a Ford 5.0 mustang pilot bearing, it?s a direct replacement for the Volvo one (fits perfectly in the end of the crank). Shifter position for the 240 is perfect, how ever the 740?s pose a problem. The 740 shifter is further back than a 240. Some of the v8 conversion 740 owners who use T5?s reported that they simply used a spacer block to move the shift handle further back. Another option is using the harder to find GM (typically camaro/firebird) T5. It not only has the correct position for a 740, but the input shaft?s pilot tip is the same as the OEM Volvo m46/47 one. This means you could use the stock OEM pilot bearing. This could kill two birds with one stone, though I haven?t ventured down this road yet.
This is a picture of a modified 740 shifter:
(thanks to Volvord)
As far as the install, its as straight forward as removing the old transmission and installing the T5. Actually, as far as getting it lifted in there, I believe it was easier for some reason! (Probably because its lighter and a bit smaller dimensionally).
There is two spots where you will have to fabricate something. The transmission mount requires a bit of creativity. There is diagrams online for how the V8 guys (once again) have made their mounts, I would follow those. I however because of limited time ended up welding a plate right to the top of my cross member and bolting my T5 right to it (as in solid mount). It works, its not pretty.
This is the diagram for the ?correct? way to do it:
(thanks to Volvord)
The driveshaft is the other end. Here is another spot that has a few options. On mine I elected to just have a custom single driveshaft made up, from scratch. I have yet to experience any problems with it, and it is quite sizeable (will have to go measure it this weekend). Along similar lines, most people use mustang driveshafts and have them modified to fit. Apparently, the turbocoupes use an almost (if not) identical mount to the Volvo driveshaft, this would just require shorting of the front shaft. All of these can be handled by any professional driveline shop (my from scratch 1piece only cost around 120 dollars if I recall correctly). No matter what you do, this swap will require some driveshaft modification. Pricing will obviously vary from place to place.
There is a couple other odds and ends to track down. One is the speedometer. If your using a 240 with a mechanical speedometer then you?ll have to get Napa speedo cable (though the part number escapes me), but it will mate up. Anything that has an electronic speedo need not apply.
There is one last issue, the Achilles heel of this swap so far, the throw out bearing. This is where I ran into the most trouble. The ford 5.0 throw out bearing will fit the fork with some modification, however I found out it isn?t tall enough to work with the OEM pressure plate set up. Then I tried a taller one, however it would bottom out on the fork and wouldn?t spin. Here is my solution.
First, its Chicago Rawhide parts number 6030. It has a big rectangle flange on the middle of it. I basically rounded this flange, and then made a piece of steel to go on the bottom. This allowed the original flange to sit on top of the fork (there fore letting the bearing surface keep from bottoming out) and the flange on the bottom keeps the throw out bearing from flopping around.
Here is a (crude) picture of what I?ve done:
When I had last talked to John Parker, he was trying to include this modified throw out bearing with the kit.
My current set up is a cable actuated clutch, via the stock cable and fork. One untested option is using a hydralic setup from the later Tremec boxes. If this will retrofit to a T5, let alone a Volvo bellhousing, this would null out the issues with the throwout bearing.
So with some very mild fab?ing you?ll be able to swap out the junk ?tractor? transmission that came stock in your Volvo, and swap in a nice, strong quick shifting transmission and enjoy bumping the boost with out living your life in fear!
Here is a couple pictures of mine:
Heres some useful Ford T5 links:
http://www.fordmuscle.com/archives/2000/09/t5swap/index2.shtml
http://www.fordmuscle.com/archives/transmission.shtml
Doug Kauer 9-30-03
(PS, Dana, if you want this as an article, wouldn't bother me in the least. Any suggestions, further questions or improvements lets make them in this thread before it goes to "print").