Hey guys, I'm almost finished with my auto to t5 swap, but I just can't get the trans in. I think I need either a second set of hands, or a trans jack (both of which I don't have). The car is in Marlboro, NJ. I'll pay somebody if they want to come help me finish this job. Free beer and pizza too. Or I'll buy you some sort of part for your car, whatever. I just want to get this car back on the road. I can get the trans in to about 1/2" away from the bellhousing, then it gets stuck. I'm sure its an alignment issue, since I used the crappy plastic alignment tool that came with the clutch kit. Also, the clutch hydraulics probably need to be properly bled- the slave doesn't seem to move as much as it should. Anyway, once this trans is in and the driveshaft is hooked up, I'm finished. Finally (2+ months already). I don't care if you are doing this purely for profit and not out of the goodness of your heart- I'll pay. It'll be much cheaper than towing it to a shop to get ripped off on $100 per hour labor. But like I said, I'm willing to pay in parts as well. I have a couple guys that owe me a favor in terms of parts.

Well, in my haste, I bought a tranny jack. I'll give it a go in a couple of days when it comes in from Harbor Freight. The offer still stands, especially if I can't get it in with the help of this new jack.

for my T5 installs I made some guide pins at the machine shop I worked at, but the same thing can be done with a simple bolt and cutting off the head. Just get it a few inches long.. then thread into the bell housing. 2 is all you need. Then just put the transmission on the long bolts and it lines things up nicely and helps support the tranny and prevent it hanging on the input shaft.

Also don't forget that you need to have it in gear and sping the output shaft slowly to align the splines so it will slide in.

Did basically the same thign with my T56 install except I also built a "cradle" for the transmission. I looked into the transmission jack option, but they seem to be more for an automatic, since they have the flat bottom. What I made supports the sides and keeps it from rocking side to side. I just used my regular floor jack under that. Worked out nicely.

For the hydraulics, the slave doesn't really need to move that much, I forget the specs... I think it's around 1.5 inches or something like that, but I could be wrong.

I would help you but I have no clue where marlboro nj is and I am unemployed so even getting there would be a problem. Maybe I am wrong on this one also but unless your tranny is already in I wouldn't be working the clutch.

Is this the car you had posted in the classifieds ? I noticed you have a 350 in that car ? If so I don't think that T5 will hold up that long especially if you beat on it a little. Hopefully you aren't using a dual friction clutch, when I had my 89 iroc I put a df clutch in that and snapped the input shaft and wiped out the third gear cluster.

Thanks for the tips! I absolutely forgot about the bolts-as-dowels trick! I will definitely try this when I get down there again. It looks like I will have to wait a while for the tranny jack, but I'll try it again without the jack.

I have a feeling that it is getting hung up on the pilot bushing, probably because the clutch disc is out of alignment by the tiniest amount.

As far as using a T5 behind the 350, it is a world class T5 with zero miles on a fresh rebuild. I sure hope it holds because it is so far over budget, I almost could have just bought a T56. I bought it with the promise that it was a complete swap, but I've spent over $200 on clutch hydraulics and a flywheel already. Ouch. I did go cheap on the clutch, so if anything goes, it'll be the clutch (which I'm ok with- much cheaper than a tranny)

Off to the hardware store for some long bolts (or would threaded rod be better?)

Best of luck!

Thanks for the good luck wishes. I'll need it.

Update: Last night, I had another stab at it. I only had 2 hours to work, so I knew I wouldnt get it finished. The clutch hydraulics work fine, I measured the travel of the slave and it looks to be within the specs.

The trans, however, is so difficult! I think the hardest part is getting it aligned, because you can get disoriented pretty easily, since the car is at an angle (due to the jack ramps) and the engine is hanging at a different angle as well.

The other day, I was able to get the trans close enough to thread the bolts in by hand, but yesterday, I couldn't even get that far. I'll try again tonight- I've got 4 hours tonight to work with. This is so frustrating!

hey im in central jersey, not totally sure where your are, but if all else fails i may be able to give you and extra set of hands this weekend? im in the middle of a 5 speed swap myself, not quite as far as you beings i don't have an engine , but it would be a good experience for me too. let me know
Phil

It worked! I finally got it installed! The most important tip that I found useful was to jack the engine up so that it is sitting level. I only have one jack, so I jacked the engine up then put a wood block underneath the oil pan to act as a stand. The second most important tip was to have somebody press the clutch pedal in when you get the trans almost in- this allows you to get it in the pilot bushing even if your alignment is a tiny bit off.

Also, i used a ratchet strap over the t-top to winch the rear of the tranny up.

//<86TA>\\- looks like I won't need your help, but let me know when you want to install your tranny, I can help you out. I can give you my phone number or something, or even come over there when you have your engine ready to go in. Although, you can probably just bolt the trans to the engine before installing it, so it won't matter too much.

ALSO!!! IMPORTANT!!! Don't be an idiot like me- if your clutch hydraulic hose touches the header when the car isn't on, it will melt when the car is on (duh!). So I can't drive my car yet because I burned right through the hose, but its ok, its easy to change that part once you find one.

well, its great to hear that things worked out for you, and yes, i will be bolting the engine/trans together are a unit before installing. thanks for the heads up on the hose, i have a stainless hose, so burning in not an issue, but this is something i would probably overlook in the glory of the moment of finally starting the engine up, and im sure boiling the fluid in not good either.