I am swaping a T-5 tranny from my 90rs into my 85 z28 and am still trying to decide whether or not to use the hydraulics from the 90 or go with a manual clutch cable, i have all the parts for the hydraulics, but thought the manual cable might be easier. IF i decide to go with a Manual will i have to get a different case for my t-5 since it is set up for hydraulic? Also for those who have done this swap (the 85 had the 700r4 in it obviously) was the hydraulic change hard?
any info on this swap would be appreciated, i have alloted almost 2 weeks for me to get this done but that is the max i can spare. thanks for you help
john

 

I'm using a T-5 in my 91 RS with a 350 V-8 in front of it... and I've shredded 3rd gear twice now. Not worth the hastle... just get a T-56. Just my 2 cents worth...

 

Chevy only used a non-hyraulic clutch linkage in '82-'83 cars. It isn't cable operated though. It's a mechanical linkage. It also wasn't offered on the T5 to the best of my knowledge, only on the 4-speed Saginaws. Mustangs used a cable with the T5. I'd just use the hydraulic linkage, because it's a lot simpler than any mechanical linkage.

Stop powershifting and 3rd gear will hold up a lot better. 'Course what fun is that?

I also recommend the T56, it's what I did, but it is about 3 times as expensive as the T5 swap. If you plan to drive it hard the T56 is the way to go though.

 

Okay, I'm inclined to ask, since I see the term all the time, but what exactly do you define as "powershifting"? Are you talking about shifting under hard acceleration? Or shifting without using the clutch?

I just want to be clear once and for all so I don't sound like a dork if I use it in a sentence.

 

You do not have to change the trans case according to what type of clutch release system you use. They're all the same.

The 83 T-5 used a hydraulic linkage. Look at my userID and see if you can guess how I know that for certain.

I ditched the mech linkage as soon as I could, and put hydraulics in the car. It is so much better, even though I didn't change the clutch at the time, it was a total upgrade and improvement in every way. It uses less pedal effort (no friction in the linkage), smoother with less sticky spots, no adjustment required, and I believe it may even weigh less.

You do need the correct bell housing for whichever system you decide to use. The linkage will not bolt to a hydraulic BH, or vice-versa. They are quite different. The pedal assembly is also different.

Best thing to do is find a donor car, and get all the parts out of it; pedal assy, hydraulics, & BH (including the fork). The trans itself, flywheel, and clutch are the same whether mech or hyd. However there are year model issues with the flywheel. You need the right flywheel for your 85 crank, which is the 83-85 version; the 90 one will not bolt to the 85 motor.

 

Incidentally, "power shifting" or "speed shifting" is what all of us 4-speed people from days gone by are accustomed to do, where you don't take your right foot off of the floor when you press the clutch. That lets the engine rev up in between gears and gives an extra "launch" each time you let the clutch back out. The T-5 absolutely will not survive if you do that very often.

 

Hmmm... I've never done that with my T-5 and I still blew up 3rd gear. In fact, the first time it blew I wasn't even being hard on it. I just shifted from 2nd and heard a sound not distinctly different from tossing a broad sword into a jet engine.

The reason I asked is because after the tranny shop repaired it, and then had to fix it again a month later under warranty after I sheared the teeth off 3rd again, they accused me of powershifting it. I denied it of course, but never knew what they meant for sure. Thanks for the info...

 

T5s are notorious for blowing the 3rd speed gear. That's why they make the "double moly" gears for them, like the ones used in the Z-spec box offered by Ford.

Typically they only blow when powershifting a car running sticky tires. I used to powershift into 2nd and 3rd while drag racing my old 5.0, and never had any problems with gear breakage, even running 13.70s. I did run street tires though, and I fully rebuilt the trans and used the better gearset.

Powershifting is when you don't take your right foot off the floor, which is why some people call if "flat shifting" too. Basically you just pop the clutch in for the bare minimum amount of time needed to physically make the shift, and then sidestep it as it returns. Typically it will shave a tenth per shift off 1/4 mile ET. It allows the clutch to slip just enough to allow the trans to get into the next gear, but since the throttle is wide open the whole time the RPM never drops off as it would if you lifted your foot off the gas. It's really fun too, but have a good aftermarket shifter, because you tend to miss the shift a lot with the "twig in a bowl of noodels" feel you get from a stock shifter.