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Old 10-14-2016, 12:54 PM   #3
V8COOPMAN
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Join Date: May 2010
Location: East Shore of LAKE HOUSTON
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Default Re: FINALLY…T5 WITH Torque Tube in a ‘35-’40 Ford...The WHOLE STORY!

3 Heart of the Matter



I’ve always liked the V8 Chevy T5 that came in Camaros from about ‘83-’87. It is known as a NWC T5, or NON WORLD CLASS. It’s easily distinguishable by the Chevy bolt pattern on the front of the case, and by the 26-spline input shaft. The wimpy T5s have a 14-spline input shaft. T5s were available in two very basic design varieties………the earlier ones were NWC, whereas the second generation were known as WC, or WORLD CLASS. These two different generations were different mostly in the design of, and materials used in their synchronizers, and in the design of some of the roller bearings used. The main theme to keep in mind is that you just don’t mix ‘n match WC parts with NWC parts. Other than that one rule, mixin’ ‘n matchin’ parts to create different configurations WITHIN the type is almost wide-open, using
B-W factory parts created to configure transmissions for MANY different auto manufacturers and models. T5s have been supplied as original equipment in dozens of makes and models worldwide, including foreign and domestic.
The NWC Camaro transmission has a wonderful gearset with ratios that are extremely user-friendly when used with old Ford 3.78 and even 4.11 rear end ratios. The Camaro gearset has a 2.95 first gear ratio. Even the O/D ratio that ENDS-UP (with this particular configuration) being .59, is great on the highway with a 3.78 or 4.11 ring and pinion, which MOST old Fords already have.


We’re using the basic Chevy transmission MAIN CASE. The cases are dimensionally the same as far as being machined to take all NWC hard parts, and the cases are all 9-¼” long, front to rear. We used the complete Camaro gearset and associated parts. The trick with this “shorty” T5 comes by combining parts from an ’82-’86 Jeep CJ 4X4 (4-wheel drive) T5 transmission. Actually, we only used the much-shortened MAINSHAFT out of the Jeep transmission proper, along with the REAR Jeep 4X4 output HOUSING. If I remember correctly, the Jeep shaft is only 16-¾” long. We ascertained that the Camaro gears, etc all mount dimensionally on the front, identically-machined portion of the NWC Jeep shaft INSIDE the Camaro main case. Are ya starting to see what I mean by interchange possibilities? Continuing-on, I should note that the Jeep main shaft (or OUTput shaft) has an oddball 23-splines, whereas the 24”-long Camaro shaft that it replaced had 27-splines. This is important, because it requires that you use the Jeep’s SMALL diameter O/D gear, which slides onto those 23-splines, and is retained by a snap ring just like the Camaro gear was. Fortunately, the correct 25-tooth gear mates perfectly with the larger diameter Camaro O/D gear which mounts outside the rear of the case on the tail of the cluster shaft. The remainder of this “shorty” package consists of the 6”-long (front to rear) Jeep 4X4 OUTPUT shaft housing. It can be easily identified in our pictures as the black-painted, spare “mock-up” housing used to facilitate this project. This housing is essentially empty, except for the shaft running rearward through it, including a shaft seal. This seal will ride on the surface of a SPECIAL 23-spline shaft adapter that we will discuss in the next section. The housing is also the piece that houses and mounts the shifter. The large, round, rear-facing opening originally bolted-up to the 4-wheel drive transfer case in a Jeep. As it is here, it offers a perfect platform to bolt the old Ford torque tube to it via a simple aluminum adapter plate. As you will soon see, stock old Ford torque tube clam shell pieces bolt to the aluminum adapter plate which allows a shortened torque tube to bolt to and function just like Henry meant it to be. We’re even going to use a stock old Ford U-joint on the front of the d-shaft just like in the original Ford application.

















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Last edited by V8COOPMAN; 10-14-2016 at 03:35 PM.
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