hhahaahyea

i just got a 1966 mustang coupe to work on to learn about cars, have something to do this summer and have an awesome car in the end. i knew almost nothing about cars before i got the the mustang (i could change my oil, that's about it). it came with a C4 auto and a 289 and i want to convert it to a stickshift.

after doing some reading i learned that i can take a ~80 (forget the exact year range) mustang's T5 transmission and swap it with my C4 without a horrible amount of conversion issues. i have been unable to find a complete guide as to how to do this and all of the parts required. it seems like every article i read leaves a few things out or doesn't say all of the parts needed for the whole job.

hopefully someone on here can point me in the right direction.

thanks in advance!

Gun Jam

How much shaft HP/tq is your engine producing?

A 90 to 93 WC T5 would be desirable and a 90 to 93 cobra spec or a Z spec are most desirable.

Then you'll need a crossmember for the trans I got mine from modern driveline.

A clutch and flywheel I got on ebay an 11.5" king Cobra with proper flywheel (28oz imbalance factor for the 289 / 302 Old SkL style)

and maybe a new Drive Shaft from dennys drive shafts.

I got the clutch pedal from mustang steve.

And I use a hydraulic system I got form DAZE here on the form who is MIA now...JamesW also from the form has a write up about it.

-Gun

hhahaahyea

the 289 is all stock with a 2 barrel but it's not even in the car yet, i just figure it'd be a lot easier to do sooner rather than once the car is all ready to go. i might not have a choice depending on how my money goes.

how much did all of that set you back? i'm a 20 year old college kid who should stick to driving his honda, but i decided to be irresponsible and throw a bunch of money into a mustang. i just can't be to irresponsible..at least not all at once :P

Gun Jam

Well good for you.

The big issue is t5 new or look for a used one. With that engine you dont need anything really fancy t5 wise. a good WC (world class) 90-93 t5 would be plenty and then allow room for tq increases down the road.

If you get a used one it will probaby cost you about 300 and may or may not require a rebuild (another 250 or so if you do the work.) A new t5 is about 1200.

X member about 100
pedal with bearing support ...less than 100
clutch and flywheel 220 ish

A new drive shaft is 300. And here is the deal. Your old DS may fit just fine and you slide it in and go about your business GREAT!!. OR it maybe too long...now this gives you the option to pay someone like 130 bucks to shorten it to the right length. But now you just spent half of what a new 3" aluminum custom fit high speed balanced, modern u joint utilizing, smooth running bad *** would have cost you. My suggestion is to get the new Al 3" DS rather than mess about with the old crap if it dont fit straight away.

-Gun

hhahaahyea

yeah i saw some craigslist postings for used T5s and some included the crossmember and some other stuff for under $500 dollars. probably i will have to wait on it but can keep my eye out in the meantime.

what i really need now is a step by step sort of thing that explains how to do it and how much work it is. essentially though it has to happen eventually, i can't stand automatics and a stick would be a ton of fun in an old mustang. so i just need to see what's involved and then do it when money allows.

stephen.osborne1

Several of the bigger parts suppliers like Mustangsplus and CJponyparts offer entire conversion kits. If you are fairly mechanically inclined, the install is pretty self explanatory but if you get lost, the suppliers normally have a tech line to guide you through. The T-5 conversion is well worth the time and money. Good luck.

2+2GT

You can do this conversion in a long weekend. Use either the 66 157T bell or the T5 bell. You need just a few commonly available adapters, an 86-93 V8 T5, the stock flywheel, clutch, and clutch linkage for 66 (all available new), a "66" style shift lever and ****, and you'll be cruising in a car that looks stock, but runs the performance and efficiency of the 5-speed.

hhahaahyea

i haven't gotten headers for my 289 yet, is there anything i should consider header-wise since i plan to convert the car to a stickshift at some point?

and this some point is almost certainly going to be after several months now...my two "reliable" hondas both broke down within 24 hours a couple days ago and the problems aren't worth fixing. i had to buy a 4th car to get to work until the mustang is ready...so there goes that money. hopefully i can get a bit unloading the hondas on some mechanic though, we'll see.

hhahaahyea

and my uncle and grandpa are mechanically inclined enough to do the conversion. it would be awesome to have the efficiency and performance, as you said, of a newer transmission with one of these old 289s. i just need to make sure i have all of the parts i need (and i know what those are now) and then figure out how exactly to do it and maybe talk to someone who has before i dive into it with them.

2+2GT

Well, I got tired of the heat and noise of headers, and went back to the 289HP manifolds. They say you lose a little power at high rpm with them, but not so noticeable in street driving.

Either way, most headers are compatible with the stock clutch linkage.