Buttoned the car back up and it idled without incident for 30 min, last night. Planning to take it out and get winter tires mounted and balanced, today.
Black Jack: Road trip! Home from the eclipse in Ohio. 24mpg!!
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Crank but no-start problem is solved: I've driven the car without further incident for a week.
Snow Tires: The new Michelin X-ice Snow tires are on the car in 215/60/16. They're taller and the crossover point where my speedo matches my actual speed is up from 70mph to 82. They sway quite a bit, too. But whereas I had to put the chains on my RWD F250 to get up my snow-covered driveway, last week, the Mustang drove up it with the snow tires on without issue. So, it looks like they'll be my safest play to get me through the season.
T56 swap parts hunt: I found an RM-8031, which is the QuickTime Bellhousing that connects the SBF to a T56, for ~$650 shipped on the market place, and frankly, that's as good as it's going to get. So, I got it. This is the same one I used in my black car. What I didn't figure out til after I bought it is that the 7 o'clock clutch fork opening will cause interference with my BBK Long tubes. My other black car had no issue because of custom turbo exhaust on it. Part number RM-8030 would have been in the stock 9 o'clock position, but apparently requires a McLeod adapter (midplate PN: 8705-12), which is out-of-stock everywhere and I'm guessing out of production. Others have simply 'massaged' the headers to make the clutch fork work. I'm likely to go in that direction, but would prefer not to have to dent the headers up if it's avoidable. One option would be to convert back to shortie headers, but I'm probably not going to spend the coin.
So, now I've got the following T-56 conversion parts:
- '03-'04 Cobra T56 with custom Corvette style gearing (2.66 1st ... 0.5 6th) & triple cone synchronizers. 26-spline input/27-spline output
- 27-spline yoke
- QuickTime Bellhousing (RM-8031)
- 26-spline 10.5" clutch disk that should work with my King Cobra pressure plate
- SN-95 style clutch fork (needed on 7 o'clock style clutch fork opening)
- Tri-Ax shifter
- Reverse pig-tail
Still needed
- ~42" Drive-shaft. American Muscle's guide says 42.8-43.5" (edit: this was false for me with a Cobra T56, but may have been true for a Magnum) from u-joint center to u-joint center and claims you want 3/4" of yoke visible at the transmission when installed. It also claims that an '03-04 Cobra Driveshaft would work.
- crossmember (I'm told AJE #MU-7061 or Stiffler #TCB-M02 are the way to go)
- Transmission Mount Bushing: Energy Suspension #4.1104G or Prothane #6-1608-BL
- A digital to mechanical speedometer signal converter (Abbot-tach Cable-X http://www.abbott-tach.com/Cable X.html)
Snow Tires: The new Michelin X-ice Snow tires are on the car in 215/60/16. They're taller and the crossover point where my speedo matches my actual speed is up from 70mph to 82. They sway quite a bit, too. But whereas I had to put the chains on my RWD F250 to get up my snow-covered driveway, last week, the Mustang drove up it with the snow tires on without issue. So, it looks like they'll be my safest play to get me through the season.
T56 swap parts hunt: I found an RM-8031, which is the QuickTime Bellhousing that connects the SBF to a T56, for ~$650 shipped on the market place, and frankly, that's as good as it's going to get. So, I got it. This is the same one I used in my black car. What I didn't figure out til after I bought it is that the 7 o'clock clutch fork opening will cause interference with my BBK Long tubes. My other black car had no issue because of custom turbo exhaust on it. Part number RM-8030 would have been in the stock 9 o'clock position, but apparently requires a McLeod adapter (midplate PN: 8705-12), which is out-of-stock everywhere and I'm guessing out of production. Others have simply 'massaged' the headers to make the clutch fork work. I'm likely to go in that direction, but would prefer not to have to dent the headers up if it's avoidable. One option would be to convert back to shortie headers, but I'm probably not going to spend the coin.
So, now I've got the following T-56 conversion parts:
- '03-'04 Cobra T56 with custom Corvette style gearing (2.66 1st ... 0.5 6th) & triple cone synchronizers. 26-spline input/27-spline output
- 27-spline yoke
- QuickTime Bellhousing (RM-8031)
- 26-spline 10.5" clutch disk that should work with my King Cobra pressure plate
- SN-95 style clutch fork (needed on 7 o'clock style clutch fork opening)
- Tri-Ax shifter
- Reverse pig-tail
Still needed
- ~42" Drive-shaft. American Muscle's guide says 42.8-43.5" (edit: this was false for me with a Cobra T56, but may have been true for a Magnum) from u-joint center to u-joint center and claims you want 3/4" of yoke visible at the transmission when installed. It also claims that an '03-04 Cobra Driveshaft would work.
- crossmember (I'm told AJE #MU-7061 or Stiffler #TCB-M02 are the way to go)
- Transmission Mount Bushing: Energy Suspension #4.1104G or Prothane #6-1608-BL
- A digital to mechanical speedometer signal converter (Abbot-tach Cable-X http://www.abbott-tach.com/Cable X.html)
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The $$$ spigot has reopened briefly for Black Jack. Now that I'm driving it every day, it's become something other than a car that has to remain in a place I can get my money back out of it, though I am still budget-minded with the car, daily driveability has increased significantly in priority for me.
Caster Correction/Bumpsteer: With that in mind, I've got MM caster/camber plates on the way with a Steeda Bumpsteer kit. If I turn the wheel a little to the left or right while going down the highway, it stays there. I assume this is a caster issue. It's actually pretty disconcerting while driving, because the car won't correct itself to any degree when getting sideways. It's hard to explain, but typically you can just kinda let off of a steering wheel to bring it back to a central position. Also, usually with caster, a car will automatically counter-steer to some extent. Further, intentional corrections are a little more frequent on the highway.
T56 parts on order: While I haven't ordered the Cable-X, I have been playing phone-tag with abbott-tach. Otherwise, I have everything, except perhaps a driveshaft on the way. I chose to go with the Stiffler's cross-member. Could be wrong, but it looks a little better for adjustability and clearing exhaust than the AJE to me. I ordered the Prothane Bushing. My best friend has mailed a steel driveshaft he used behind a T56 in an '03 Cobra. For some reason, he wouldn't bother to measure the damned thing, but was happy to mail it to me from Washington. que sera... I've read that Cobra driveshafts would work with a T56 in a fox, and recently a guy on FB marketplace advertising an '03 Cobra driveshaft measured his for me and it was 43.5".
Header-to-clutch-fork clearance plan: I've been semi-obsessed with finding what I could about fitting a T56 in with my BBK Long-tubes, and what I keep finding is that either:
1) Folks make it work behind a 351, with probably an extra inch of clearance, by hammering denting on of the primary tubes to achieve proper clutch fork clearance. I don't mind doing this as long as it's a very minor dent that won't affect performance
2) A guy actually cut and redrilled the end of his clutch fork to achieve clearance. I like this idea the most. Another guy on Corral suggested that the cable would have such a bend that it would cause premature wear. This doesn't sound right, to me. If I'm going as far as cutting the clutch fork, I don't see why I wouldn't modify the angle of the cable sheath into the bellhousing's front plate so that the cable can continue straight to the clutch fork. This is the idea I suspect that I'm most likely to try. I'll need to fit everything up first to be sure.
3) One guy actually used a jack to bend the headers out of the way. I really don't like this idea, but would use it if I felt confident I could do it without screwing things up. I don't want to irreparably damage the headers without being certain I would achieve fitment and keep my exhaust alignment to the tail pipes.
Is there a right way to install a T56 without hitting the BBK Long Tubes?
If there's a 'right' way, it would be using a Quick Time RM-8030 bellhousing with a special McLeod adapter plate on the T56 that changes the angle of the clutch fork. On T56s, the pivot ball is on the face of the transmission. The reason I doubt I'm going this direction is that I cannot find any of the expensive McLeod adapters on the market, and I already have the RM-8031. Another easier and cheaper approach than buying the might be to find a set of headers that would clear the clutch fork or have these customized at an exhaust shop.
Caster Correction/Bumpsteer: With that in mind, I've got MM caster/camber plates on the way with a Steeda Bumpsteer kit. If I turn the wheel a little to the left or right while going down the highway, it stays there. I assume this is a caster issue. It's actually pretty disconcerting while driving, because the car won't correct itself to any degree when getting sideways. It's hard to explain, but typically you can just kinda let off of a steering wheel to bring it back to a central position. Also, usually with caster, a car will automatically counter-steer to some extent. Further, intentional corrections are a little more frequent on the highway.
T56 parts on order: While I haven't ordered the Cable-X, I have been playing phone-tag with abbott-tach. Otherwise, I have everything, except perhaps a driveshaft on the way. I chose to go with the Stiffler's cross-member. Could be wrong, but it looks a little better for adjustability and clearing exhaust than the AJE to me. I ordered the Prothane Bushing. My best friend has mailed a steel driveshaft he used behind a T56 in an '03 Cobra. For some reason, he wouldn't bother to measure the damned thing, but was happy to mail it to me from Washington. que sera... I've read that Cobra driveshafts would work with a T56 in a fox, and recently a guy on FB marketplace advertising an '03 Cobra driveshaft measured his for me and it was 43.5".
Header-to-clutch-fork clearance plan: I've been semi-obsessed with finding what I could about fitting a T56 in with my BBK Long-tubes, and what I keep finding is that either:
1) Folks make it work behind a 351, with probably an extra inch of clearance, by hammering denting on of the primary tubes to achieve proper clutch fork clearance. I don't mind doing this as long as it's a very minor dent that won't affect performance
2) A guy actually cut and redrilled the end of his clutch fork to achieve clearance. I like this idea the most. Another guy on Corral suggested that the cable would have such a bend that it would cause premature wear. This doesn't sound right, to me. If I'm going as far as cutting the clutch fork, I don't see why I wouldn't modify the angle of the cable sheath into the bellhousing's front plate so that the cable can continue straight to the clutch fork. This is the idea I suspect that I'm most likely to try. I'll need to fit everything up first to be sure.
3) One guy actually used a jack to bend the headers out of the way. I really don't like this idea, but would use it if I felt confident I could do it without screwing things up. I don't want to irreparably damage the headers without being certain I would achieve fitment and keep my exhaust alignment to the tail pipes.
Is there a right way to install a T56 without hitting the BBK Long Tubes?
If there's a 'right' way, it would be using a Quick Time RM-8030 bellhousing with a special McLeod adapter plate on the T56 that changes the angle of the clutch fork. On T56s, the pivot ball is on the face of the transmission. The reason I doubt I'm going this direction is that I cannot find any of the expensive McLeod adapters on the market, and I already have the RM-8031. Another easier and cheaper approach than buying the might be to find a set of headers that would clear the clutch fork or have these customized at an exhaust shop.
Oh, and by the way... that damned ticking was not the MSD box. It's still there. WTH could be causing it? Yesterday I thought about it a bit and figure that if I can put the car on jack stands and use the e-brake for load (briefly, I hope), then perhaps that would allow me to get in the engine bay with the tick present.
Boring stuff:
Spent some time on the moonroof, today. After messing with it doing the headliner, it started leaking. I mangled the latch up pretty badly, too. Didn't realize there were stop screws into the sides of the vertical screws, and I tore them up trying to get em out. So, I replaced the whole latch and sealed up the front inserts.
I also bypassed the idler pulley that someone before me used to replace the stock air pump. I'll remove it entirely, soon. Used an 84" belt with is on the tight side, but I reckon it'll work.
Spent some time on the moonroof, today. After messing with it doing the headliner, it started leaking. I mangled the latch up pretty badly, too. Didn't realize there were stop screws into the sides of the vertical screws, and I tore them up trying to get em out. So, I replaced the whole latch and sealed up the front inserts.
I also bypassed the idler pulley that someone before me used to replace the stock air pump. I'll remove it entirely, soon. Used an 84" belt with is on the tight side, but I reckon it'll work.
New Shoes:
Nothing outside of the box on this one. They look ever so slightly better than the Ponies ;-). Honestly, I've hated the Winter Tires. I don't know if it's because they're a bit taller than stock or if it's just Michelin's design, but they sway a bit like a bias ply tire. I'm sure they're great in snow and ice, but until I'm dealing with that weather, I'm sticking with the Pilot Sport 4's up front and the old Nitto 555R Drag Radials I already had out back. Back spacing is 5.95" and I'm a bit surprised that when cornering to the right, the driver's tire is grabbing something. I can hear a repetitive thud. So, I guess it's only hitting the tire in one spot. The 245's up front are grabbing the liner at wheel lock to the left. I have a fender roller, but I'll put that on the back burner for now, because...
T56 install time:
I *think* I've got what I need to put the T56 in, now. I mocked up the SN95 clutch fork with the QuickTime Bellhousing, marked the fork and took it to a fabricator who cut and rewelded it for me. It turned out very nice, and I'm hoping that shortening it up between 1-2" will give me the clearance I need for my long-tubes. I also managed to find a 43.5" aluminum driveshaft with a 27-spline output shaft yoke from a seemingly nice fella on FB marketplace for $150. The Cable-X was on back order and I cancelled with the 3rd party company I was ordering it from. If everything works out over the next couple of days and the T56 goes in ok, I'll live without a speedo for a while, which is ok since I have 2 others between my Garmin GPS, and my Escort Radar Detector.
Nothing outside of the box on this one. They look ever so slightly better than the Ponies ;-). Honestly, I've hated the Winter Tires. I don't know if it's because they're a bit taller than stock or if it's just Michelin's design, but they sway a bit like a bias ply tire. I'm sure they're great in snow and ice, but until I'm dealing with that weather, I'm sticking with the Pilot Sport 4's up front and the old Nitto 555R Drag Radials I already had out back. Back spacing is 5.95" and I'm a bit surprised that when cornering to the right, the driver's tire is grabbing something. I can hear a repetitive thud. So, I guess it's only hitting the tire in one spot. The 245's up front are grabbing the liner at wheel lock to the left. I have a fender roller, but I'll put that on the back burner for now, because...
T56 install time:
I *think* I've got what I need to put the T56 in, now. I mocked up the SN95 clutch fork with the QuickTime Bellhousing, marked the fork and took it to a fabricator who cut and rewelded it for me. It turned out very nice, and I'm hoping that shortening it up between 1-2" will give me the clearance I need for my long-tubes. I also managed to find a 43.5" aluminum driveshaft with a 27-spline output shaft yoke from a seemingly nice fella on FB marketplace for $150. The Cable-X was on back order and I cancelled with the 3rd party company I was ordering it from. If everything works out over the next couple of days and the T56 goes in ok, I'll live without a speedo for a while, which is ok since I have 2 others between my Garmin GPS, and my Escort Radar Detector.
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Adding the steering rack limiters is a pretty quick fix, rather than rolling those front fenders.
Wheels look real nice!
Wheels look real nice!
Thanks. I imagined rack limiters being something more than they really are. Looks easy enough. Just ordered a set from LMR.
Nice! I didn’t think I needed them until I went off a driveway at almost full lock and scraped the inside lip of the wheel pretty good. It had been good up until then. Now I just deal with the reduced turning radius.
Nothing a quick blip of the throttle and dump of the clutch can't take care of...
Though, I haven't been in a hurry, I've made a little progress. I got the flywheel & clutch out of the car, and I mocked up the T56 to see whether the shortened SN95 clutch fork would play nicely with the BBK Longtubes. It didn't. So, I broke out the BFH, and we're working through our issues to see if we can find a resolution:
The red x indicates where I'll need to drill so that the clutch cable placement doesn't cause too much of an angle that will prematurely wear it out. With the Longtube back in place in the next pic, I was happy to see that I would not have to cut anything off the bellhousing, but you definitely start to get the sense of why the 7 o'clock fork position is not optimal with BBK longtubes:
I didn't get a great pic of the shortened fork on its own, but I'll take one when I pull everything back out before the final install. But basically, the clutch fork has been shortened 1.5"-ish, no longer has the hole that the cables like the MM and OEM cables need, and only has the outermost hole as close to the bellhousing as it can be. With the Steeda cable, I can just put the adjustment screw through and add the nut on the backside.
This pic, however, shows that shortening the fork still didn't provide the necessary clearance. My hope is that with a little massaging on the pipes and a little more grinding on the end of the clutch fork, I can make it all work together without resorting to some of the more extreme methods I've read that others have used, such as one post where a guy just used a jack to bend the pipes completely out of the way.
I reached my stopping point for the night, and I'm guessing it's not enough to clear the fork yet, but I think it's good start. Maybe it will work depending on how much more I take off of the clutch fork, and I don't mind mocking it up as many times as I need to. I don't want to do any more damage than I need to get the job done, and I'd really prefer not to punch through the header.
Once I get this part to work, I think the only other potential show stopper with the parts I currently have is the driveshaft length.
The red x indicates where I'll need to drill so that the clutch cable placement doesn't cause too much of an angle that will prematurely wear it out. With the Longtube back in place in the next pic, I was happy to see that I would not have to cut anything off the bellhousing, but you definitely start to get the sense of why the 7 o'clock fork position is not optimal with BBK longtubes:
I didn't get a great pic of the shortened fork on its own, but I'll take one when I pull everything back out before the final install. But basically, the clutch fork has been shortened 1.5"-ish, no longer has the hole that the cables like the MM and OEM cables need, and only has the outermost hole as close to the bellhousing as it can be. With the Steeda cable, I can just put the adjustment screw through and add the nut on the backside.
This pic, however, shows that shortening the fork still didn't provide the necessary clearance. My hope is that with a little massaging on the pipes and a little more grinding on the end of the clutch fork, I can make it all work together without resorting to some of the more extreme methods I've read that others have used, such as one post where a guy just used a jack to bend the pipes completely out of the way.
I reached my stopping point for the night, and I'm guessing it's not enough to clear the fork yet, but I think it's good start. Maybe it will work depending on how much more I take off of the clutch fork, and I don't mind mocking it up as many times as I need to. I don't want to do any more damage than I need to get the job done, and I'd really prefer not to punch through the header.
Once I get this part to work, I think the only other potential show stopper with the parts I currently have is the driveshaft length.
I'm moving slower than molasses, but made a little more progress, today. I was able to check the clearance on the pipes, which needed a little more 'love' to get just right. I didn't have dent the tube any deeper, but I did have to account for the sweep of the fork that slants across the tube in its arc:
To anyone considering doing this, you DEFINITELY need to shorten the clutch fork unless you're gonna go with a hydraulic TOB. I'm so glad I had this done prior to starting. If you don't shorten the fork, you'll end up having to dent the pipe too much, or you'll have to bend the pipes away from the fork. I finally got a good shot of the fork after it was shortened. Here's a comparison with an untouched SN95 clutch fork:
So, you can see how the hole designed to let the crimp on the end of a clutch cable is no longer there, which is no problem for a Steeda cable with a threaded end. You can also kinda tell how much closer the outer hole is to the hole that would typically hold the counterweight, or whatever that piece is. I'm not sure you could achieve clearance without completely choking off the #6 primary. I'm not happy about how much I had to dent the primary, but I really don't think this is going to cause a significant hp-robbing restriction.
After drilling out the bell-housing to reposition the cable's slot, the cable aligns nicely with the clutch fork, and allows travel through the fork's full range of motion:
An SN-95 clutch fork cost me $70, and having a guy cut and weld it cost another $40. So, I'm happy to save on the T56 install vs. a hydraulic clutch.
Afterwards, I went ahead and moved on with the clutch install, bellhousing install, and spent some time cleaning the header surface, copper gasket, and heads. Tomorrow, I plan to get the header back in position, and install the transmission.
Worried about Driveshaft length:
I jacked up the rear differential so that the weight of the car was on its suspension in the rear. Then I jacked up the trans to the approximate height I believe it will be when the crossmember is installed. Then I measured from the face of the rear pinion flange to the rearmost portion of the T56 case around the output shaft. It came out to a whopping 48 1/2" - ish. When I laid the new driveshaft on the ground, measured and marked it for that distance, it looks like it's nowhere near the right length, which by all accounts would leave only ~ 3/4" of the yoke exposed. I think it measured such that it would leave somewhere around 1 1/2"... not good. I'll wait to see when the driveshaft's actually installed, though. I'll probably have to go with something one of my longer D/S's. I was surprised, because everything I could find indicated that 43.5" was supposed to be what I needed, now I realize that I was looking at recommended D/S lengths for T56 Magnum transmissions, which are a bit longer than the older T56s. Not to worry, though. I have a couple other longer driveshafts that aren't as nice as the short one, but they should get the car rolling until I'm able to upgrade, if that becomes necessary.
My new hope is to have the car going before next weekend.
To anyone considering doing this, you DEFINITELY need to shorten the clutch fork unless you're gonna go with a hydraulic TOB. I'm so glad I had this done prior to starting. If you don't shorten the fork, you'll end up having to dent the pipe too much, or you'll have to bend the pipes away from the fork. I finally got a good shot of the fork after it was shortened. Here's a comparison with an untouched SN95 clutch fork:
So, you can see how the hole designed to let the crimp on the end of a clutch cable is no longer there, which is no problem for a Steeda cable with a threaded end. You can also kinda tell how much closer the outer hole is to the hole that would typically hold the counterweight, or whatever that piece is. I'm not sure you could achieve clearance without completely choking off the #6 primary. I'm not happy about how much I had to dent the primary, but I really don't think this is going to cause a significant hp-robbing restriction.
After drilling out the bell-housing to reposition the cable's slot, the cable aligns nicely with the clutch fork, and allows travel through the fork's full range of motion:
An SN-95 clutch fork cost me $70, and having a guy cut and weld it cost another $40. So, I'm happy to save on the T56 install vs. a hydraulic clutch.
Afterwards, I went ahead and moved on with the clutch install, bellhousing install, and spent some time cleaning the header surface, copper gasket, and heads. Tomorrow, I plan to get the header back in position, and install the transmission.
Worried about Driveshaft length:
I jacked up the rear differential so that the weight of the car was on its suspension in the rear. Then I jacked up the trans to the approximate height I believe it will be when the crossmember is installed. Then I measured from the face of the rear pinion flange to the rearmost portion of the T56 case around the output shaft. It came out to a whopping 48 1/2" - ish. When I laid the new driveshaft on the ground, measured and marked it for that distance, it looks like it's nowhere near the right length, which by all accounts would leave only ~ 3/4" of the yoke exposed. I think it measured such that it would leave somewhere around 1 1/2"... not good. I'll wait to see when the driveshaft's actually installed, though. I'll probably have to go with something one of my longer D/S's. I was surprised, because everything I could find indicated that 43.5" was supposed to be what I needed, now I realize that I was looking at recommended D/S lengths for T56 Magnum transmissions, which are a bit longer than the older T56s. Not to worry, though. I have a couple other longer driveshafts that aren't as nice as the short one, but they should get the car rolling until I'm able to upgrade, if that becomes necessary.
My new hope is to have the car going before next weekend.
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Potential D/S length Solution:
Alright, so, here's the skinny: I have 3.6" to play with (ct alert here, @Noobz347). That is, from the tip of the yoke, the full length until it begins to widen is ~3.6". If I was effective in approximating having weight on the tires and I got the trans in the right place, then there's about 1.6" of yoke that will be exposed outside of the tailhousing and about ~2" of yoke-to-output shaft spline engagement. The recommendations out there from forums I've googled are that you want a minimum of .75" of yoke exposed beyond the output shaft housing to deal with suspension travel. Many folks on the drag race forums suggest 1". So, that's the tolerance I've decided on.
TMI: The rule-of-thumb for the amount of spline engagement required on very high hp cars is "1.5 times the diameter," but although that exact phrase is mentioned repeatedly, no one seems to finish their sentences. I believe what they mean is 1.5 times the diameter of the splines on the output shaft. If true, I measured the shaft at ~1.2" which would require 1.8" of spline engagement -- no issue. At worst case, though, the barrel diameter of the outer portion of the yoke is 1.5", which would require 2.25" of spline engagement, which I fall short of.
While looking around I found that Steeda produces an 11/16 (0.6875") pinion flange spacer. That should bring the exposed yoke length down to just under 1", and the spline engagement to just over 2.6" which I feel is about perfect.
Alright, so, here's the skinny: I have 3.6" to play with (ct alert here, @Noobz347). That is, from the tip of the yoke, the full length until it begins to widen is ~3.6". If I was effective in approximating having weight on the tires and I got the trans in the right place, then there's about 1.6" of yoke that will be exposed outside of the tailhousing and about ~2" of yoke-to-output shaft spline engagement. The recommendations out there from forums I've googled are that you want a minimum of .75" of yoke exposed beyond the output shaft housing to deal with suspension travel. Many folks on the drag race forums suggest 1". So, that's the tolerance I've decided on.
TMI: The rule-of-thumb for the amount of spline engagement required on very high hp cars is "1.5 times the diameter," but although that exact phrase is mentioned repeatedly, no one seems to finish their sentences. I believe what they mean is 1.5 times the diameter of the splines on the output shaft. If true, I measured the shaft at ~1.2" which would require 1.8" of spline engagement -- no issue. At worst case, though, the barrel diameter of the outer portion of the yoke is 1.5", which would require 2.25" of spline engagement, which I fall short of.
While looking around I found that Steeda produces an 11/16 (0.6875") pinion flange spacer. That should bring the exposed yoke length down to just under 1", and the spline engagement to just over 2.6" which I feel is about perfect.
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Technically, the T56 is in!
I wish I'd had a spare input shaft every other time I've installed a transmission, because this one slid in, including into the alignment dowels, easier than any other transmission install I've ever done. I didn't even have to pull the clutch fork forward to allow the disc to shift.
The Stiffler's crossmember was no fuss, no muss, just a bolt up deal! The mount I ordered must've been the one for a T56 Magnum, because the bracket wasn't anywhere near wide enough. Fortunately, someone had already upgraded the T5 to an energy suspensions poly mount, and it went right on. I put both spacers on so they're there when I set pinion angle again. I'm sure it'll be easier to remove them than to find them, lol.
I was also fortunate that the clutch fork pivot ball was already properly adjusted. I'm sure my buddy's set up was about the same.
Now, I just need to button things up:
OSS vs. VSS & implication for cruise control:
My buddy Michael Bell informed me that the '03 Cobra transmissions had an 'OSS', not a 'VSS'. Apparently the OSS has a square signal instead of a sinusoidal voltage signal. And apparently, the OSS signal will not restore cruise control functionality. He said the solution to the cruise will be the same as what I'm planning for the speedo, the Abbot Cable X box. No big deal, either way. For the time being, I'm just planning on tucking my speedo cable & VSS out of the way. Apparently, without the VSS, the car may stall when pulling it out of gear and coasting down. I'd imagine, I can bump the idle a bit, if it gets annoying to me.
After our discussion, I found this helpful PDF: https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/1975f84f-4935-4131-8404-5a914da1afb7/downloads/1brke6aet_808115.pdf
After reading it, I'm skeptical that that the OSS signal will fail to work with the fox's cruise control. It apparently pulses at 4 times the rate for the same mph, but cruise control probably doesn't care when it's just trying to maintain it's setting. Apparently 94+ cars need a signal converter, because their odometer and speedo are thrown way off by this signal. However, in the Fox, I *think* all that's happening other than the signal to the cruise is that the PCM commands a higher idle speed above ~5mph, so now that will happen at 1mph in my car, I guess. I kinda hope I'm right, because I'd like to have cruise for the next month, but if not, no biggie.
I'll deal with ordering/installing the Abbott Cable-X after I PCS to Fort Bragg, NC, next month, and it'll probably be a while, at that since I'll be starting a new job, unpacking a house, finding my new routine, etc...
After-the-fact-edit: Michael Bell was right. The connector slid right on, and while the signal did not restore cruise control, it did restore a high idle until (12-1300) completely stopped when, for my car, it returns to 8-900.
I wish I'd had a spare input shaft every other time I've installed a transmission, because this one slid in, including into the alignment dowels, easier than any other transmission install I've ever done. I didn't even have to pull the clutch fork forward to allow the disc to shift.
The Stiffler's crossmember was no fuss, no muss, just a bolt up deal! The mount I ordered must've been the one for a T56 Magnum, because the bracket wasn't anywhere near wide enough. Fortunately, someone had already upgraded the T5 to an energy suspensions poly mount, and it went right on. I put both spacers on so they're there when I set pinion angle again. I'm sure it'll be easier to remove them than to find them, lol.
I was also fortunate that the clutch fork pivot ball was already properly adjusted. I'm sure my buddy's set up was about the same.
Now, I just need to button things up:
- Install starter
- reconnect all of the wiring
- connect the line lock to the reverse lockout solenoid
- figure out the VSS signal (if possible... more below)
- O2 sensors
- reverse light
- Install Driveshaft spacer and driveshaft (spacer should show up tomorrow)
- Reset Pinion angle (Think I'm going to go nose down on pinion and engine, this time, if possible)
- Install H-pipe
- Fill trans with fluid & check differential
OSS vs. VSS & implication for cruise control:
My buddy Michael Bell informed me that the '03 Cobra transmissions had an 'OSS', not a 'VSS'. Apparently the OSS has a square signal instead of a sinusoidal voltage signal. And apparently, the OSS signal will not restore cruise control functionality. He said the solution to the cruise will be the same as what I'm planning for the speedo, the Abbot Cable X box. No big deal, either way. For the time being, I'm just planning on tucking my speedo cable & VSS out of the way. Apparently, without the VSS, the car may stall when pulling it out of gear and coasting down. I'd imagine, I can bump the idle a bit, if it gets annoying to me.
After our discussion, I found this helpful PDF: https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/1975f84f-4935-4131-8404-5a914da1afb7/downloads/1brke6aet_808115.pdf
After reading it, I'm skeptical that that the OSS signal will fail to work with the fox's cruise control. It apparently pulses at 4 times the rate for the same mph, but cruise control probably doesn't care when it's just trying to maintain it's setting. Apparently 94+ cars need a signal converter, because their odometer and speedo are thrown way off by this signal. However, in the Fox, I *think* all that's happening other than the signal to the cruise is that the PCM commands a higher idle speed above ~5mph, so now that will happen at 1mph in my car, I guess. I kinda hope I'm right, because I'd like to have cruise for the next month, but if not, no biggie.
I'll deal with ordering/installing the Abbott Cable-X after I PCS to Fort Bragg, NC, next month, and it'll probably be a while, at that since I'll be starting a new job, unpacking a house, finding my new routine, etc...
After-the-fact-edit: Michael Bell was right. The connector slid right on, and while the signal did not restore cruise control, it did restore a high idle until (12-1300) completely stopped when, for my car, it returns to 8-900.
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I have so many watched threads because of seemingly random useful information like this.
I know it's probably too late to mention this, but after looking pretty in-depth into the differences between long tube headers for 1994-1995 and Fox cars, there are only two differences: the EGR provision on the passenger side for 1994-1995 (passenger header is dimensionally the same as the Fox cars) and the 7-o'clock clutch fork position on the 1994-1995. The 1994-1995 headers and mid pipes are routed differently (above the clutch fork rather than below). These are the ONLY differences I could find and confirm. With that in mind, you could probably have solved the clearance issue with a set of 1994-1995 long tubes.Though, I haven't been in a hurry, I've made a little progress. I got the flywheel & clutch out of the car, and I mocked up the T56 to see whether the shortened SN95 clutch fork would play nicely with the BBK Longtubes. It didn't. So, I broke out the BFH, and we're working through our issues to see if we can find a resolution:
The red x indicates where I'll need to drill so that the clutch cable placement doesn't cause too much of an angle that will prematurely wear it out. With the Longtube back in place in the next pic, I was happy to see that I would not have to cut anything off the bellhousing, but you definitely start to get the sense of why the 7 o'clock fork position is not optimal with BBK longtubes:
I didn't get a great pic of the shortened fork on its own, but I'll take one when I pull everything back out before the final install. But basically, the clutch fork has been shortened 1.5"-ish, no longer has the hole that the cables like the MM and OEM cables need, and only has the outermost hole as close to the bellhousing as it can be. With the Steeda cable, I can just put the adjustment screw through and add the nut on the backside.
This pic, however, shows that shortening the fork still didn't provide the necessary clearance. My hope is that with a little massaging on the pipes and a little more grinding on the end of the clutch fork, I can make it all work together without resorting to some of the more extreme methods I've read that others have used, such as one post where a guy just used a jack to bend the pipes completely out of the way.
I reached my stopping point for the night, and I'm guessing it's not enough to clear the fork yet, but I think it's good start. Maybe it will work depending on how much more I take off of the clutch fork, and I don't mind mocking it up as many times as I need to. I don't want to do any more damage than I need to get the job done, and I'd really prefer not to punch through the header.
Once I get this part to work, I think the only other potential show stopper with the parts I currently have is the driveshaft length.
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