barefootcyborg5000 said:
Here we are again. An hour from home, title in hand, putting in $15 to get home. Not a big project, just doing truck stuff with some handling bolt-ons.
I don't think this spare is even worth having.
My 1930's reared grandfather would have mounted that up and called it a win.
He's the reason that when I had a flat my senior year of college, the man who changed it out looked at me funny and said "..I've seen people run nails through them, bolts, screws, rocks, and sticks. But you're the first one I've ever seen that actually wore one flat. It's not punctured anywhere. Just worn right down through the cords!.."
There's a fine line between frugality and being a loathsome danger to yourself and everyone around you.
In reply to A 401 CJ :
The tires on the ground aren't much better. The spare hanger has been violently removed as well. I'm putting off tires until I can fix the alignment, which I'm putting off until I can rebuild the suspension, which I'm putting off until I can reasonably afford to lower it properly... which I'm not really in a rush. I haven't even registered the thing properly. Slow truck is slow.
Achievement unlocked: road legality
Houston....uhhhh...we've got plates, over.
which is a good thing, since the Mazda is still temporarily parked due to brakes, and she's been using the biscuit as a family wagon.
Mrs. BFC5000 went out to the DMV today. She is better than me, and didn't lie to the state about how much we paid for the truck. Which doubled the price of reg, but we'll survive. Initially she told me she was going to order plates that said "GRAVY" to match the biscuit motif, but decided against. Would have been good though because much like actual gravy, everything is better with a mini truck.
I also think the fuel tank is smaller than my 4.3 truck. $15 got me half a tank... Speaking of gas, I do need to figure out the evap leak and get a catalyst.
Local yard quoted $350 for a used trans. This one is pretty bad. Zero synchronization in 1,2,4 makes it an exercise in concentration to do town/parking lot driving. I'm an attentive driver, but this is excessive. Other things I'm noticing are the brakes. There's very little modulation. I need to get the truck off the ground and see if I can spot a problem. I still need to change all the fluids, but winter has set in here and the hours I'm not working are below freezing. Combine the cold with holidays and family obligations and I generally work pretty slow.
Made the old truck earn its keep. One load to the landfill and one to goodwill. Little trucks are excellent for domestic truck things.
short bed takes a king mattress no problem.
Decisions and priorities. The trans is actually terrible. I put it in 5 yesterday, and there was a pronounced noise/vibration combo, double clutch and rev match back to 4 and all was well again. Trans is on the way, but the absolute scoundrel at the yard crushed the rest of that 2.8 truck and screwed me out of a good bench, horn button, door handle, and way nicer bumpers. RA has a clutch and flywheel for $120, and I'll toss in a rear seal and ujoints and do the thing properly.
Other than that, nothing to report. Little trucks are so good.
*edit for pic:
decided to park with the other trucks. One of these things is not like the others
Nothing new to report, but the truck is prime seating for tonight's firework display.
November 5-July 28. 265 days and I'm finally doing the first oil change. To be fair, the fluids were all really fresh, but that's still bad form.
Actually pulling some measurements while it's in the air to see if this T5 I found is going to be close enough to work. It's from a 1986 2.8 Camaro, and I know the tail shaft is different, but I have the slip yoke and I'm sure there's a ujoint answer to be had. But I'm trying to make sure it's at least close.
Also going to take a quick look at the steering/suspension to see if it's worth trying to align or if I just wait until I can lower the pig properly. Pictures in a bit.
No dice on the T5. It's from a Camaro, and the issue is the shifter location is unusable with a bench seat. Damn. The hunt continues.
In reply to barefootcyborg5000 :
The T5 from the Camaro still has a removable bell housing, yes? Can that still mount to a Ford T5? Swap a few parts and have a Ford Body on some GM parts and put the shifter wherever you want? I have a 2007 Mustang T5 and its shifter location looks pretty easy to modify.
So, if i remember correctly, the tailshaft housings can be swapped between the camaro and s10 to make it work. Theres a whole thread over on the hamb about that, or at least there used to be.
Edit for linkage
Awesomeness
barefootcyborg5000 said:
No dice on the T5. It's from a Camaro, and the issue is the shifter location is unusable with a bench seat. Damn. The hunt continues.
Pretty sure you can just swap those parts between the 2.
To clarify, the situation is a bit touchy. The guy with the trans was hoping to use it for his project truck, but it is far from a bolt in affair, and he tenuously offered me the trans if it would work easier for my truck. We took a good look today and his version is going to be more direct than mine.
The S10 has a MW1 trans. I don't know a lot about it, but it is very similar to a T5 at first glance and by outer dimensions. The mounts are different (easy fix) and the tail shafts are different (easy driveline mod via ujoint stuff) and the bellhousings are swappable.
It could work. That said, the last time I took apart a t5, it didn't go well and I still have a sour taste from it. The shifter is the biggest issue. The Camaro T5 has the shift housing all the way at the back right above the output. Nearly 9" farther back than the MW1. Maybe the rear housings (5th gear?) are interchangeable, but my trans has issues with 5th anyway and I don't know where the cause is. Without changing the shifter location, I'd have to cut a sizable hole in the truck floor, and make fairly serious modifications to the bench seat, as the lower portion of the seat frame would be 2" directly above the business. I'm not at all confident in my ability to modify the shifter in a way as to keep it functional without cutting the seat frame. I'm not doing that.
So, unfortunately this unit is better used in my guys truck and I'll just keep looking for a direct replacement. I did get the oil changed, so at least that is something. Also verified the washer pump works, but the resevoir refuses to hold fluid. The wheels are actual 2-piece Centerlines, 15x7 so that's cool, but the lug holes are slotted for dual pattern 5x4.5 and 4.75. I'm not fond of the setup, but it seems to work fine using mag style nuts like a Toyota. And lastly, the generous coating of oil from the plethora of engine leaks has kept the underside of the truck remarkably rust free.
In reply to Dusterbd13-michael :
That is interesting, but at least for now it is way more effort than this issue is worth. I'll pay for a used unit to be shipped before I try to cobble together parts from my (likely) damaged trans. It has more issues than just worn synchros, there's a bad bearing(s) somewhere and play/slop in the main shafts. Plus, it can be driven now, and if I pull it apart and can't get it back together I'm in an even worse pickle.
Wtf is a mw1? IIRC, 2.5's got the t5 and later 2.2's had a nv1500.
In reply to Ranger50 :
Some flavor of Borg Warner. For all I know, it is just a T5 with a different shifter location. But I don't know. I'm not good at transmissions, and I'm worried I could take what is still a usable unit, and render it unusable by trying to fix it.
What I have:
what most T5s look like:
It's still a wc T5, just GM's version.
Swapping is easy. Drive out the shifter block roll pin the shifter ball goes into. Watch as the spring flys somewhere else as you slide the block off. Unbolt the extension housing and remove. Next, remove the shifter fork plate off the top of the transmission. Do the same to the other trans. Remove all the silicone. Replace the silicone with a THIN layer. Reassembly is the reverse of removal.
That may make things easier. If any WC T5 can be made to work, I should be able to find a donor easier and cheaper. I'm not big on the idea of opening anything other than the drain/fill plugs, but I may not get a choice. In swapping the rear housing, do I retain the s10 output?
I don't want to have to build a driveshaft if I can avoid it, and I refuse to cut holes or ditch the bench seat. I'll see what's out there.
My guy wants a bit more than I'd like to spend, and I think he wants to keep the trans in the first place, but he was willing to part with it on the condition it was more of a bolt in affair.
S10 has a specific input shaft. Then you have to make sure you have the proper speedo, mechanical or electric.
In reply to Ranger50 :
One of the benefits of this T5 is the donor Camaro and my truck both call for the same clutch disc, TO bearing, and pilot, and I assume the different pressure plate is just the difference between the 4 vs 6 flywheel.
I texted the guy, but we'll see.
I still haven't solved my transmission dilemma. It still drives and does truck stuff. I worry it'll let go like the old focus and the trans will lock up in the highway, but that's likely never going to happen. I should stop worrying.
I can ship in a trans for $5-700, add a clutch and fluid and seals, and be on my way. Patience may yield a better deal.
Or.
I could sacrifice overdrive to the gods, and in return triple my horsepower.
Languishing behind my folks house is the Funderbird. It contains a known running 400sbc and a Saginaw 4 speed. It works. It's there. It's free-ish.
I'd need a return style fuel regulator, an exhaust system, probably a new driveline, possibly a bigger radiator, mounts, and a few weekends. I think it could be done for the same or less money than just a replacement trans. I doubt I'd hurt my fuel economy much. I'd retain all my gauges except the speedo, but a tach or cheap gps job would suffice.
I have a slight moral objection to v8 s10s. I'm too much of a hipster if I'm honest. But there are few better options for speed on a budget, and I'd still have a handy little truck. The only downsides are ego-bruising.
"New" T5 is more money, less time, and the truck you want (sounds like). Engine swap is less money unless a project somehow turns out to be more money than expected, takes more time, has more places that it can stall out waiting for making a bracket/mount, and is not the truck you want.
Local yard has one 91 and two 92s. Want me to drop in and see what is in them? The other local yard has a 94.
In reply to matthewmcl :
I don't want you to go out of your way or make an extra trip, but if you happen to go down there I may be interested.
I fully expect you're correct on the time/money/difficulty wormhole I'm staring into. I've been down that road.
As for the truck I want, I suspect if I had a V8 s10 at my disposal it would quickly become "I didn't know how much I wanted this"
Honestly, if I leave the 400 alone, I need one ignition wire and a fuel regulator to make it run. Minimal wiring gets me all my gauges, and aside from the initial giggle period I doubt my economy would suffer significantly. 100lbs in the nose may make handling funnier, but my old 4.3 truck was no ballerina either.
Man, it's easy to justify.
Just to clarify, how long ago did you last fire up the 400?
Just to lay it all out, what do you need for engine and transmission mounts for the swap? Driveshaft? Radiator?
Lay it all out, if it still looks like it is worth a shot, try it. Worst case is you spend a little money and time and then put the 2.8 back in.
In reply to matthewmcl :
*2.5* the iron Duke is fine and it runs well. Power is fine, mileage is surprisingly not great at 16.
I need to pull some measurements. I think the shifter is in the right spot, and I may get lucky with the driveline being the right length. The engine was last run on September of 2020, and would require a decent once-over. At that time it had new plugs/wires, new water pump and thermostat, and fresh fluids. And I rebuilt the q-jet. It was as fresh as I could make it. Still, three years dormant.
mount kit is easy. $100-130. Regulator is easy $70 for a good Holley unit. Block huggers are already attached, and I'd just use a takeoff 2-1 muffler from one of these Toyotas. I may have already stashed one. HEI ignition is easy. Cooling is a concern, but radiators are easy and cheap. I have a wilwood clutch master/slave setup that came with the trans. Truck is manual steering and no AC. It couldn't be simpler, as far as swaps go.
I recognize the irony in that last sentence.
Slight issue. Also kind of back to where we started. Shifter location. What the truck currently has:
vs the Saginaw attached to the 400:
so I'd need a remote shifter setup like Nocones has going on in the MG:
Which isn't necessarily a huge problem, but a consideration. It adds cost, but could be built before tearing the truck apart. Could have it ready to go.
The Saginaw has its shifter mounted much lower than a T5, theoretically giving me more room to work without having to cut anything. But that shifter is also spring loaded so maybe those extra stresses make the remote thing more difficult. Idk. I think I'm going to have to tear the engine from the thunderbird before getting too much farther on this line of thinking.
