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In advance of my T5 swap and because I am not purchasing the T5 swap kit from Hawks, I've been organically assembling a checklist of items needed to hand a gift-wrapped package of parts to a shop if they're doing a T5 swap for you.
I'm thinking this might be a good sticky thread for others in my situation who "don't know what you don't know" when it comes to having all the parts you need:
you could potentially find yourself in a situation where you think you are all set to tackle the job, only to be stuck waiting for some stupid package of $10 bolts or whatever to arrive and unable to make progress
you could find yourself in a situation where the shop doing your job is forced to hunt down and source parts, charging you at their hourly rate to do so, when it could be avoided
Here's my checklist I've assembled with the aid of the president of Hawks, some guys on this board, and scouring the internet:
Main mechanical and cosmetic parts
T5 transmission
F-body specific bellhousing (so trans is properly rotated toward driver, I think this is for shifting comfort, but don't quote me)
manual starter
factory automatic starter won’t fit with a T5
unsure what mini-starters might work for this swap – anyone got info??
clutch fork
flywheel
clutch kit
clutch disc
pressure plate
release bearing
pilot bearing
alignment tool
clutch master cylinder
clutch master cylinder hydraulic fluid reservoir with hose
if swapping into an unmodified car, no driveshaft swap is needed
confirmed by Hawks
speedometer compatibility with your car may be affected
T5’s salvaged from 90-92 models may require an adaptor to be used with mechanically-driven pre-90 speedometer cables
Can someone provide more insight on this or provide a part number that should be ordered??
rear main seal
If you’re doing a transmission swap, it only makes sense to do this whether it’s needed or as preventative maintenance. For a $25ish part, so much labor is required to change it that it’d be silly not to do
Please chime in with any edits, info that should be added, or things you see as missing, so we can have a list that can be taken as the gospel truth for everyone to share. Once all details are finalized, I'll post a final version so the info is memorialized.
Both of your points are good nuggets of info. If the shop tells me my auto starter fits then I'll send back the manual starter and make note above. Seems to be conflicting info out there...
Trans to BH bolts are yerbasic 10mm std thread (1.5mm? not sure) flange head. About 30mm or so long. You can get em at Autozone and the like, no need for $$$ARP$$$. Factory ones have an Allen or a Torx depending on year butt that's not necessary unless you're in the factory with automatic assembly eqpt, because one of em you can't get a socket on because it's behind some stuff. A wrench works fine butt the factory's takt time for each assy station on these cars was like 31 seconds, so yeah. No time for a wrench. Would have taken like 47 seconds which ... they couldn't slow the line down that much.
In the early years of these cars the factory used 2 starters. No idea why they did something that stuuuuupid, butt hay, It Is What It Is, now, in hindsight. An early manual starter will fit auto trans butt an early auto starter won't fit a T-5. At some point in the production run somebody that actually HAD neurons rubbed 2 of em together and one of them actually fired (!!!!!), and they abolished the stuuuuuupid one. Problem now is, cores that get turned in to be rebuilt, could be either; and there's no good system for identifying the finished starter built with whatever nosepiece. The starter proper is the same; it's basically the same old Delco direct-drive POS that dates back to before World War 2; only the nosepiece is different, and it's only a tiny bit different, wherein the auto one has a kind of a lump or thick place (it can be ground off butt it's a PITA) that won't fit in the T-5 BH; butt it's ALL stuuuuuupid. Stone Age. Neanderthal. I'd avoid it if at all possible. Virtually any later model reduction-gear starter will fit as long as it has the bolt pattern for the 12.8" wheel which nearly all do. Practically any of the aftermarket mini-starters whether built with a Delco GR motor, a Hitachi, or a Nippondenso motor will work; all of the LT1 ones, etc., can be used, whether F-body or Vette. The later LT1 ones (96-up I think; always order a 97 just to be sure, except that the Vette changed to the LS1 in 97, so don't order that, it won't work) are better than the earlier ones. Be aware that starters require starter bolts, which are NOT just regular ordinary bolts; BE SURE to get the right bolts for whatever starter you choose.
Shifter to transmission bolts are 8mm std thread. Length will depend on whatever shifter you use. Stock shifters are made of real thin stamped sheet tinfoil GARBAGE, so about a 15 - 20mm length will do. A better shifter will require longer bolts. I hope you're not planning on actually putting a stock shifter in your car. It feels like there's a bowl of oatmeal somewhere between the **** and the gears. It SUCKS.
For the speedo gear you need yerbasic speedo gear "bullet". Same one fits Turbo 350. Widely available anywhere transmission parts are sold. Don't EVEN hallucinate about getting a used stock one; they're made of cast chinesium, and it's such CRAP that the plastic gear wears them out. Replacement ones are steel. Get one of those instead. Gears are a different matter; obviously you need the right combo for whatever your rear gear is, and depending, that might be tougher than the "bullet".
BH to engine bolts are 3/8"-16 x 1½" or so. Can't imagine any benefit from buying $$$ARP$$$ for that in a street-driven car. Hell I have a truck with a 300ish HP 5.3 and the factory only even put 4 of em in there, and they're just ... yerbasic bolts. (except for the ones that have extra stuff hung off of em, which are studs with a threaded extra part) Once again, parts store stuff is ENTIRELY adequate.
Last edited by sofakingdom; Mar 28, 2025 at 07:10 PM.
Apologies for any errors or typos I made in my initial post. I’ll incorporate comments etc when I’m in front of a desktop computer on Monday. Thank you all for your input in the meantime!! I hope others will find this thread useful down the road
Any V8 82-97 manual F-body starter will work; 93-97 were permanent magnet and are an upgrade. Those were also in 95-96 Caprice etc. There were automatic third gen starters that do not fit.
Any 84-96 350 C4 Vette starter will work; the mini gear reduction was used 88? onward and is an upgrade.
My LT1 T56 bellhousing and third gen 5spd starter worked fine together.
Added note: the mini starters on (most?) C4s without a cone around the pinion gear fit obviously due to bellhousing clearance. So there are aftermarket starters with open-air pinion that could work.
I used to have a picture of the manual and L98 starters w/measuring tape. Maybe I can find it here.
Thanks for this info man. I take your point about the stock shifter feeling like a bucket of *** - down the road I'll upgrade it but for now, stock will have to do until funds make themselves available.
Originally Posted by sofakingdom
Trans to BH bolts are yerbasic 10mm std thread (1.5mm? not sure) flange head. About 30mm or so long. You can get em at Autozone and the like, no need for $$$ARP$$$. Factory ones have an Allen or a Torx depending on year butt that's not necessary unless you're in the factory with automatic assembly eqpt, because one of em you can't get a socket on because it's behind some stuff. A wrench works fine butt the factory's takt time for each assy station on these cars was like 31 seconds, so yeah. No time for a wrench. Would have taken like 47 seconds which ... they couldn't slow the line down that much.
In the early years of these cars the factory used 2 starters. No idea why they did something that stuuuuupid, butt hay, It Is What It Is, now, in hindsight. An early manual starter will fit auto trans butt an early auto starter won't fit a T-5. At some point in the production run somebody that actually HAD neurons rubbed 2 of em together and one of them actually fired (!!!!!), and they abolished the stuuuuuupid one. Problem now is, cores that get turned in to be rebuilt, could be either; and there's no good system for identifying the finished starter built with whatever nosepiece. The starter proper is the same; it's basically the same old Delco direct-drive POS that dates back to before World War 2; only the nosepiece is different, and it's only a tiny bit different, wherein the auto one has a kind of a lump or thick place (it can be ground off butt it's a PITA) that won't fit in the T-5 BH; butt it's ALL stuuuuuupid. Stone Age. Neanderthal. I'd avoid it if at all possible. Virtually any later model reduction-gear starter will fit as long as it has the bolt pattern for the 12.8" wheel which nearly all do. Practically any of the aftermarket mini-starters whether built with a Delco GR motor, a Hitachi, or a Nippondenso motor will work; all of the LT1 ones, etc., can be used, whether F-body or Vette. The later LT1 ones (96-up I think; always order a 97 just to be sure, except that the Vette changed to the LS1 in 97, so don't order that, it won't work) are better than the earlier ones. Be aware that starters require starter bolts, which are NOT just regular ordinary bolts; BE SURE to get the right bolts for whatever starter you choose.
Shifter to transmission bolts are 8mm std thread. Length will depend on whatever shifter you use. Stock shifters are made of real thin stamped sheet tinfoil GARBAGE, so about a 15 - 20mm length will do. A better shifter will require longer bolts. I hope you're not planning on actually putting a stock shifter in your car. It feels like there's a bowl of oatmeal somewhere between the **** and the gears. It SUCKS.
For the speedo gear you need yerbasic speedo gear "bullet". Same one fits Turbo 350. Widely available anywhere transmission parts are sold. Don't EVEN hallucinate about getting a used stock one; they're made of cast chinesium, and it's such CRAP that the plastic gear wears them out. Replacement ones are steel. Get one of those instead. Gears are a different matter; obviously you need the right combo for whatever your rear gear is, and depending, that might be tougher than the "bullet".
BH to engine bolts are 3/8"-16 x 1½" or so. Can't imagine any benefit from buying $$$ARP$$$ for that in a street-driven car. Hell I have a truck with a 300ish HP 5.3 and the factory only even put 4 of em in there, and they're just ... yerbasic bolts. (except for the ones that have extra stuff hung off of em, which are studs with a threaded extra part) Once again, parts store stuff is ENTIRELY adequate.
