Jim Shepard

I can’t tell from your photos... are you putting in a cross member for the T5?

I have a question regarding the carburetor linkage swivel piece that’s bolted to head: does the bolt go into a blind hole?

Took the truck out today for about a 50 mile drive. Everything worked great. I see where the gear set is a little low. By the time I get into third gear I’m still only doing about 35 mph. Fourth is 1:1 so it’s the same as it was before - top speed of about 50. In OD I’m cruising at 55 and only 1600 rpm’s. Comfortable rpm is about 2000 so I still had a ways to go. The problem is that at above 55 it starts to shimmy. Who knew - I’ve never gone that fast before. Looks like I need a trip to the alignment shop...

Three-on-the-tree with fluid drive...

This is the “collar” he machines. It allows the T5 to seat correctly in the bore hole of the bell housing so the mounting holes can be drilled.

This Dave’s pilot bushing:

T5 is in and I’ve got about three weeks to discover and deal with any issues that come up. Can’t wait for the BBQ!

Ok, got it all done today. Yesterday was ‘D’ day but I couldn’t get it to go into gear while running and on the ground. It did fine while still up on jack stands. Today I hit it again and, with some advise from John T and Charlie C, I got it going. OMG - what fun. I should have done this 20 years ago, or at least 10. 1st is a little low and it doesn’t stay around long (10-12 mph), but after that its a blast. As today as the maiden voyage I didn’t want to wind it too much. A comfortable shift point is about 2,000 rpm and that’s 45 mph in 4th gear. I only did 1500 rpm’s in OD because of road conditions (mostly speed limit) and that got me 50 mph. I’ve still got the stock 4.10:1 rearend and 29” tires. With a red line of 3200 rpm (according to the factory manual) I should be able to do 60-65 and stay out of everyone’s way. Now on the Tim’s!

I had my drive shaft modified. I figured for $171.00 I couldn’t go wrong.

Unfortunately, I did not take any photos of the finished work. The four new holes were drilled out in the four "winged" areas. A Ford T5 would have a bolt pattern much closer to the MOPAR. Here's photo of the T5 sitting on the bell housing after the machining.

Here’s the second photo.

Ok, I’m almost there. Got the tranny and bell housing back from the machine shop (Hansen’s in Sacramento). They did a great job. Got it all hooked up last Friday and today I started it and ran through the gears. No grinding, do I guess that’s a plus. The drive shaft is at the shop and I’ll get it back by the end of the week. Need to bleed the brakes and it’ll be ready for a test drive. I installed a electric fuel pump with a canister filter and pressure regulator. So far no leaks. Here’s a couple of photos. I don’t like the S10 shift stick but it’ll do for now. It looks a little too European for my taste. I’ll fab something a little more truck-like later.

Don’t forget to look at the crank pilot hole. FD doesn’t have a pilot bushing so you’ll have to install one.

One other thing if you haven’t discovered it-to remove the FD transmission you’ll need to first remove the cross member and fuel tank.

I’m in the process of installing an S10 T5 in my FD B2B. There is nothing wrong with my FD, I just wanted the overdrive gear. There is virtually nothing from the FD that can be used for such a change. You’ll need a standard bell housing (3 or 4 speed), flywheel, clutch disc, pressure plate, pedal assembly, including spring bracket. If your FD was a floor shift and you’re going with a column shift, you’ll need all the column shift linkage, including the steering column. Drive shaft will need to be lengthened. Best to find a truck that has everything you need. Another option is what I’m doing-go with a T5.

I’ve also thought the Solex single throat carbs that came on VW Bugs might be a good option. I drove a lot of VW’s back in the day and these carbs were, as I recall, reliable and easy to maintain.

I would think any matching set of B&B Carter’s would work fine.

Looks like you’re going to be ready for the BBQ...

Mocked up the T5 and the bell housing I got from Tim. Fits perfectly. The adapter kit (pilot bushing, input shaft retainer sleeve and collar) is from Vintage Metal out of Atwater, Ohio. A guy named Dave Farwell. Very helpful and knowledgeable. Does good work, too. Anyway, it won’t be long. Should have it ready for the BBQ. Thanks Tim.

See you on the 31st...

That’s what I thought, Merle. Also, Roberts lists a different throw-out bearing for the FD, so I’ll look for the standard version.

I’m in the process of converting my B2B three speed fluid drive truck to a 5 speed via the S10 T5. I know I can’t use the FD bell housing, clutch disc and (I think) pressure plate. Does anyone know if I can use the FD pedals and throw-out bearing?

I've been communicating with Paul about his conversion to disc brakes using the Rusty Hope kit. I'd like to open up the discussion to others who have gone this route. I'd like to get some feedback as to how easy this conversion is and what problems might be encountered. Am I correct that you need to send him your spindles? His web-site says the calipers are GM and, according to his photos, these don't come with the kit. What specific GM car(s) supply the calipers? He says the rotors are MOPAR (also not supplied). Which MOPAR cars provide these? His website also states that he recommends using the master cylinder that goes with the calipers being used. That seems to be a major undertaking, as opposed to just bolting on a modified spindle and new rotors and calipers. Where is the new master cylinder mounted? I hope this isn't too much overload, but I want to get as much of this out of the way before I make the jump... Thanks for any responses.

Has anyone here ever replaced the rear seal on one of these flatties without removing the motor? I watch a guy on YouTube do it on a Mustang and it was pretty easy. Mine’s leaking like a sieve...

When I was restoring my truck I saw the photos in Bunn’s book. As I remember, one of the photos looked like a “factory” or sales photo. It had a spoke at 9:00. I think most, if not all, three-spoke wheels are oriented at 10:00, 2:00 and 6:00. I thought if an official Chrysler Corporation photo showed 9:00, 1:00 and 4:00 (roughly) there must be a reason. I decided it was to give the best view of the gauges. Like Merle, I like to drive with left arm hanging out the window and this allows me to hold the suicide knob.