I just realized that my manual trans bell housing is cut at the bottom like where the dust cover goes on a automatic trans! why is that? shouldnt that expose my clutch? u can see my trans in the pictures on my reverse hood thread here https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/body...ml#post4675110

someone felt the need for an inspection window.

Or they didn't know to use the 153 tooth flywheel intead of the 168.

What difference does that make and do I need a new bellhousing?

The T5 needs the smaller flywheel to fit inside the bellhousing.

If it hasn't broken, I wouldn't worry about it for now.

unless a rock gets tossed in there. Can cause some serious damage.

its a 700r trans with a shift kit. i was thinking if something got in there it would be a big problem

That's not a 700...

i guess the problem is solved

im not seeing any cuts in the bellhousing ???

the whole bottom half of the trans is cut off, looks like it was done with a jig saw cuz its not straight

Here are more pics, and the car didnt have a shift boot so i was wondering if the shifter is suppose to look like this too?

That looks kind of long as far as shifter handles go, but is fine.

It's aftermarket so what it's "supposed to look like" is subjective.

Damn I didn't notice the bellhousing lol that's crazy and if you had a center console in you wouldn't see that, the lower boot is to seal the opening from the trans that's all

i have removed/swapped a few T-5 transmissions . your bellhousing has been cut up . why , i have no idea ? would i get another bellhousing , yes . also get the front cover plate . i am very puzzled why someone would cut it up like that . good luck with your project .

the shifter was long long even with the center consol in, i was wondering if my transmission has been modified since the shifter doesnt appear stock?

Could be a cheap ebay shifter or one out another car, who knows I doubt anything is modified in it, unless its got stronger internals but idk

doesn't feel cheap at all, very solid. anyway i could tell if it has been upgraded?

wow that much missing from the bellhousing has to weaken it surely, hmmmmm ...

hmm wow....


the f body T 5 housings are clocked 17 degrees...
most other models(if any others at all) are not clocked and instead are level across...

some trannys have the mount clocked this 17 degrees to, to be used with clocked housing..

so watch out when shopping for another one...

i have a v-8 third gen f body one sitting here, for sale or for trade, from a 92 v-8 t-5 f body.. and it is clocked,,

have fun!

Welll if someone hacked the bellhousing I doubt it, only way to tell would be to open the case up, it doesn't look like its been cracked open

As lon g as you get a v8 bellhousing from a camaro or firebird you'll be fine

Was that car swapped from auto to manual?

no its an original 1990 iroc z with a manual transmission. i kno it came with a 305 but the previous owner had a high powered engine in it, he didnt go into detail on the size but it was nice, he kept it and gave me the rest of the car for $300. should i get a new bell housing or can i just make a fiberglass cover to cover the bottom up?

Id suggest a new bellhousing

I'd definitely recommend a new bellhousing.

Would it serve any purpose to get a new one though? Because I kno automatic trans are shaped like this and they have a shield to cover the torque converter and all the bolt holes are there so it should still be strong? What would the advantages of a new bellhousing be and what would be a disadvantage of just making a cover?

another thing. i hear a t5 cant handle the torque of a 350, is that true?

Alright for one do you really think it serves a purpose? And two you need a new one because the t5 has a hard enough time holding up to torque, and now there's 1/4 of the structure missing. You need a new bellhousing. A boo boo sticker isn't gonna cut it here, yes autos were made like that but you don't have one, AND autos have a braced setup, there is a complete fram all the way around the taper of the cutout, yours just has a chunk missing out of it, you need a complete bellhousing or that thing is gonna come back to bite you, its 4 bolts and 15 mins of your time to fix. You can pick them up from the scrap yard really cheap

Thanks that makes sence now. Maybe I need a whole new trans because I'm goin with a 350 and I was told they only put 305's on these cuz the 350 has too much torque. Would a 6 speed from a 4th gen be a good idea and what other transmissions would u suggest?

If you want the trans. to last behind the 350, you need to drive so it lasts.

If you want to beat on the car, yes a T56 is a better trans. than a T5 by far.

I like the Richmond 6 speed I've driven.

Driving the T5 until it breaks wouldn't be a bad option.

Yea I don't plan to be easy on my trans lol. But what car could I get a better trans from?

LMAO! that's a T-5!

...

yea we kno its a t5

Wow... anyway the 6 speed is an easy alternative since you're already running a t5, you've got your choice between ls and lt each has pros and cons, a search should give you a better idea or you can go aftermarket like richmond etc

what would be the easiest choice, what manual trans can i put in that can handle decent power that would just bolt right in or would it be cheaper to convert to auto?

well i removed the t5 today, took about 30 minutes, luckily it wasnt heavy and i just muscled it out. bout to try and sell it, goin get at t56

was transmission fluid suppose to pour out the back when i removed it?

Yes, that'll happen unless you plug the hole by putting the driveshaft yoke back in.

oh ok, thanks, looked like somebody died under there lol.

Yes it is normal for the fluid to come out of the tail shaft when the drive shaft is removed. Next time you have to pull a trans you won't have such a mess to clean up.

i just sprayed it off into the grass, no biggie lol. how much should i try to sell this for? i can get a t56 for $118 with warranty from my local auto yard.

If you can get a working t56 for 118 its either the steal of the century or there's some miscommunication in there.

my auto yard doesnt sell by what kind of trans it is or what it came out of. they have a standard $88 fee for manual transmissions and $30 for a 30 day warranty if it dont work. you have to go in an get it out yourself.

Well I went got the t56 yesterday. Found out I was wrong. It was $88 for the trans with only 30 days to return it, or $118 for 90 days to return it. I took 30 lol. After tax it was $97.76 for the trans. Car I pulled it from had 89,000 miles. You guys would love this place. All v8 motors are $218 complete with a $30 core charge. No matter what kind. 305, 350, 454, lsx, lt1, anything.