Putting a Cobra T5 in my 65 'Cuda-got pics

[Max65]

1. Bought a Quicktime bellhousing. It locates the transmission well. Problems: No support for the starter pilot (nose of the Mopar starter). I even called Richard Ehrenberg on this one. He said "I wish more guys would tell 'em it's a problem. Your on yer own."

2. I'm going with the Z-bar, not the hydraulic. They do provide a mount for the engine side Z-bar ball, but it's no where close to where it needs to be. I made my own. Good fab skills may be needed.

3. Early throw out bearing bore won't fit the T5, it's too small. The Ford TOB is thinner and wont fit the fork well. Solution: The TOB from a '98 Dakota 5.2 liter/5 speed works perfectly.

4. The arched crossmember/transmission mount must be cut from the car as it is directly above where the shifter comes through the floor. It must be replaced by something just as strong. Good fab skills needed. I used a piece of 7.5" steel tubing and shaped it from there.

5. The transmission crossmember can be used with some modifying. Haven't got to this yet.

6. pics coming next

 

[Max65]

I'm not great with computers, so the pics don't have captions. If you've tried this or been under your car enough, they should make sense. I'll post more as I get further. I plan to be on the road in the next few weeks.....

 

[retsud_043]

Awesome job you are doing:cheers: I am thinkin' of doing the same for my 1972 Demon project(someday:angry7
Thanks for the info and pic's.

 

[Max65]

Heres more pics of the T5 swap into my '65 Cuda. Car was originally a 4 speed.

1) pics of custom made Z-bar to help header clearance.
2) pics of pilot block made for the Quicktime bell housing. Mopar starters need to have the nose supported by the bell housing to avoid misalignment. Quicktime does not provide one, so I made one.
3) pics of modified transmission crossmember. I used the original crossmember and modified it to fit the Ford T5.

 

[340 Dart]

I'll be damned.

Good job Max. Thanks for all the pics. Are you using a stock speedo?

 

[440SCOUT]

i was just contemplating this swap in my 64 b-cuda..
thanks for the pics and keep thm coming..
also what headers are you using? and did they fit with the stock 4 speed setup?
thanks
doug

 

[Max65]

I'm using Spitfire headers. They are (were) made by Harold Johnson near Fort Smith, Arkansas. They did work with the A833 4 speed. My car has a 3:23 rear end gear, but even with that, the 1:1 fourth gear ratio has the motor screaming at 80mph. Here's some pics of the motor with the Spitfires. I had mine ceramic coated (highly recommended, keeps the heat down).

 

[Max65]

I am using the stock speedometer, so I'll be modifying the Ford speedometer cable. The speedometer hole in the T5 is smaller than the A833, so I'm using the T5 speedometer cable. There's places out there that can modify just about any sort of cable.

 

[Max65]

Here's four pictures of the finished T5 install. All it needs is the speedometer cable and drive shaft.

 

[Max65]

So what to do for a driveshaft? It needs a Ford on the front and Mopar at the rear. My brother has a 1968 Mustang, and on a hunch we tried his driveshaft out in the Barracuda. It fit perfectly! All that is needed is a replacement U-joint for the rear. I'll post which part to use when I find it.

 

[hawaiiandart]

Hey Max
Terrific shots of your swap. Appears to be quite a project with the torsion bar bracing. Are you planning to run an offset shifter that comes out the original shifter hole?

If your brothers willing to give up his driveshaft try checking with NAPA. Since they make the u-joint conversion for large to small you might get lucky with your combo.

Your car appears to be a Commando 273 car. I see that "knotch" for your single exhaust tip out back. Your front driveshaft didn't come with a slip yoke so you may as well have a custom driveshaft made. A driveline place can make one up easily. They have all the different ends. You can use the rearend side from your old driveshaft. Try looking into one out of aluminum.

BTW, did your car originally come with a 7 1/4" or 8 3/4" and what gear ratio?

 

[Max65]

hawaiiandart,

Yea, I had to bend the tubes a bit to gain clearance for the headers. I also made a custom Z-bar for the transmission to help with clearance.

Hurst makes a "Blackjack" shifter for the TKO that allows use of the original shifter hole. I'd love to use it but it wont fit properly on a T5. I had to cut a new hole next to the existing one for my T5 shifter. I hated doing that! I love the original shifter bezel! As a result I may use the original hole as a cup holder or a general space to hold stuff.

My car is an original 273 Commando V8. When I bought it, that motor was already gone. The original owner took it in for service in the mid 70's. The mechanic told him it needed a rebuild. He swapped the motor for a 318 and never told anybody. When I told the seller what I found he said, "I'll be damned, I knew it never ran as good as it did before I took it in!"

I did find an aluminum driveshaft from a Crown Vic police interceptor. I'm having it shortened by 5" and then I'm buying the 1310/7260 U-joint.

My car came with a 7 1/4" rear and a 3:23 ratio. I have a 8 3/4 with a 742 sure grip to put in it. I'm putting a 3:91 ring gear in it as well, but one project at a time. I'll have to shorten the driveshaft a bit more after the 8 3/4 is put in.

 

[hawaiiandart]

Hello Max,

I've owned a few Commando's so was curious what rear end your car came with. They all had 7 1/4" rears but my 67 Barracuda had a 8 3/4". Don't throw your old trans away since it had a 3.09 first gear. You can swap the gears into a later slip yoke trans. Makes a great trans with high rear gear ratios.

Boy, that really sucks about the engine. The 318 must of had something in it since the performance of the old Commando 273 is like day and night.

What company makes the conversion u-joint you mentioned and who sells it? I figured someone out there would make one. Please update us when you do your speedometer hookup. I really give you credit for staying with the clutch bellcrank and not switching to a hydraulic set-up. You have alot of patience.:cheers:

Didn't mention it in my last post but just wanted to commend you on a fantastic job you are doing. Your pictures speak a thousand words. :salut: Keep up the good work! :thumbup:

 

[Max65]

Hawaiiandart,

Thanks for the kind words!

My car came with a 7 1/4 open rear end. You can bet I'll be keeping my old 4 speed. They are such strong transmissions! I'm looking forward to the 2:95 first gear on the T5. The 3:09 on the 4 speed is very short.

I don't have the name of the company that makes the conversion U-joint, but we used one for my son's '69 Mustang when we put a T5 in it. NAPA carries them. All you need is the overall length and cap diameter of both sides of the U-joint. I'll list the part number when I get it. I'm sending the aluminum drive shaft to the shop to be shortened to 50" tomorrow.

I enjoy engineering stuff like this and trying to keep it simple. It's a ***** at times, but well worth it. I'll take more pics this week.