Help needed with Automatic to Manual Conversion of 68 mustang

[Dr_Pain]

Never had done one before I would like to ask for some help. My car is a restomod so I am not too concerned about the number matching parts etc....

Since my stang is an auto, it has the brake but not the clutch. In the conversion, do I need to find a clutch and brake assembly of can I retrofit an aftermarket product???
If aftermarket is available, which would you recommend??
Hydraulic or mechanical clutches (550hp engine)

Claude

 

[latamud]

I recommend you find a clutch pedal assembly. It could get frustrating trying to find all the pieces to convert an automatic pedal assembly. You should shop around for clutch kits. There are several types and qualities to choose from. The clutch will be determined by what type of flywheel you go with. The hydraulic vs mechanical question is subjective. There is also cable. I have tried all three and like all three. The cable was cheaper. The hydraulic is nice but not the added cost nice. The car doesn't care if it has a $200 dollar cable kit in it or a $500 hydraulic set-up. It all works. Just depends on how much money you want to spend, and where you want to put it.
More information we need from you:
Engine size and year
transmission toploader/T-5Tremmec.........
bellhousing toploader/T-5/Tremmec......

I think you should research the components and ask us moe specifics. Tell us what parts you have, or want and we'll tell you what will work and what to get.

 

[Dr_Pain]

Thanks for the advice.

Currently I have NOTHING. I was unfortunately awoken to the facts that things don't always appear as they are supposed through a transaction that went belly up. I thought I was going to have a working AOD with the NEW engine I purchase from this guy to find out that it had been abused and 1/2 rebuilt. The $2000 or so investment to get things kosher made me reconsider. As I have mentioned before.... I have no transmission components except the engine which is a 351w based engine displacing 427 cu.in dyno'ed at 550HP/540ft.lbs of torque. I am basically evaluating my options of rebuilding the AOD or going to the fun MANUAL (obviously if it is the same money, I would rather go manual).

 

[MitchGT]

putting in a manual is a pain in the ass, but very worth for driving fun. Of course at those power levels you have, it would probably be a faster and more repeatable car with an automatic, but more fun to drive with the manual. The pedal support needs to be changed, and you need to find a clutch pedal. I think you can just cut down the pad on the brake pedal to make room for the clutch pedal. You end up taking out the steering, so if you were going tho upgrade to a tilt column this would be the time. Also a good time to upgrade the guages as well, as it will never be easier to get in there, and it's easier to replace the pedal support with no guages in the way. I like my hydraulic setup, but the cable would probably work just as well, and you wouldn't have to bleed it (which is a huge pain). Just be sure to get a TKO or a T-56, because a t-5 won't cut it for your amount of power, and overdrive really helps with the fuel bills.

 

[Rusty67]

Thanks for the advice.

Currently I have NOTHING. I was unfortunately awoken to the facts that things don't always appear as they are supposed through a transaction that went belly up. I thought I was going to have a working AOD with the NEW engine I purchase from this guy to find out that it had been abused and 1/2 rebuilt. The $2000 or so investment to get things kosher made me reconsider. As I have mentioned before.... I have no transmission components except the engine which is a 351w based engine displacing 427 cu.in dyno'ed at 550HP/540ft.lbs of torque. I am basically evaluating my options of rebuilding the AOD or going to the fun MANUAL (obviously if it is the same money, I would rather go manual).

You are going to grenade a T5 SO fast if that engine really puts that much HP out. You need an expensive trans to keep up with that kinda juice. If you are puting in a manual (and why not ?) then I'd sugest looking to G-Force for a trans. If you feel like it you could even spring for a 6 speed =)

 

[jerry S]

If you look at Moderndriveline.com, they have a used 3 pedal setup for $190.

http://www.safepay.net/cgi-bin/shop/cart.cgi?db=mddata.txt&category=pedals&merchant=moderndriveline

With the power your engine makes, you might be limited to a TKO 600. The problem with the TKO in a 1968 is that you have to do some cutting to the transmission tunnel to get it to fit. A T5 will fit but there are no stock T5s that can handle your engine. You could rebuild a T5 world class case using G-Force transmissions upgrade kit which consists of a bullet-proof mainshaft and stronger gears. It is rated to 600 hp. The cost of this kit would be about to $1500 and then there is still the cost of getting the case, clutch, rebuilding and installing the tranny, so your $2000 price tag on that tranny does not seem so bad. But for less than that, you can get a new Street Terminator Plus AOD from Lentech that can handle 700 hp for under $2000. That includes lentech's valve body that eliminates the AOD shuffle. Going with the AOD would be at least $1000 or more cheaper than retrofitting a manual.

 

[Silver66FsBk]

Thanks for the advice.

Currently I have NOTHING. I was unfortunately awoken to the facts that things don't always appear as they are supposed through a transaction that went belly up. I thought I was going to have a working AOD with the NEW engine I purchase from this guy to find out that it had been abused and 1/2 rebuilt. The $2000 or so investment to get things kosher made me reconsider. As I have mentioned before.... I have no transmission components except the engine which is a 351w based engine displacing 427 cu.in dyno'ed at 550HP/540ft.lbs of torque. I am basically evaluating my options of rebuilding the AOD or going to the fun MANUAL (obviously if it is the same money, I would rather go manual).

I think in your case you should go for the Auto also,the T-5 wont last verry long.

i did a conversion on my 66 with a t-5.

after doing the conversion and buying the manual pedal assembly with the
pedal suport I realized it isn't so hard to use the auto assembly.

the pedal suport is the same the brake pedal just needs about 1.5-2.0
inches cut on the left side and a manual pedal cost about 120.00

so your looking at about

used T-5 trans 400.00 stock without a rebuild 89-93

bell housing 85.00

clutch fork not sure

trans cross member 150.00

clutch conversion kit about 250.00

pedal asemblie about 150

clutch kit disc 200.00

total cost 1,235.00

and that not including labor if someone does it for you.

 

[Dr_Pain]

Thanks for all the suggestions and for the links. I do have an interesting dilemna and will have to considere and reconsider a lot of different things. Any additional suggestions or recommendations are welcomed so please feel free to post.

 

[Jester67]

When I was looking at this swap I ran the numbers and the AOD was by far the cheaper option. I could get a bullet proof AOD in the car for much less than the parts, no labor, for the manual. But the fact my car is a GTA finally made my mind up for me.

 

[LMan]

I did my auto-to-T5 for about a grand, but that is with a std T-5, not a Tremec or some such.

 

[jerry S]

I think in your case you should go for the Auto also,the T-5 wont last verry long.

i did a conversion on my 66 with a t-5.

after doing the conversion and buying the manual pedal assembly with the
pedal suport I realized it isn't so hard to use the auto assembly.

the pedal suport is the same the brake pedal just needs about 1.5-2.0
inches cut on the left side and a manual pedal cost about 120.00

so your looking at about

used T-5 trans 400.00 stock without a rebuild 89-93

bell housing 85.00

clutch fork not sure

trans cross member 150.00

clutch conversion kit about 250.00

pedal asemblie about 150

clutch kit disc 200.00

total cost 1,235.00

and that not including labor if someone does it for you.

One more thing that he may or may not have to replace is the carb. If he currently has a VS carb and wants the manual tranny, he might also want to switch to a DP to get the most performance benefit out of the new set up and that is one more additional cost.

 

[Rusty67]

/StartRant
Ok, so a man-trans will cost more to put together then an auto. So what ? There is a reason everyone and their brother who drives a Mustang puts a manual in. Mustang and Manual start with the same letter. And there is a reason we call it a Man-Trans =) Who cares if it costs more ? Its just no where near as gratifying driving an auto. Spend the cash and make it everything you wish it was. There is no sense going with the cheaper option and then later wishing you had put a 5 or 6 speed man-trans in there. Then you gota spend all that money again anyways. Where is the point in that ? Then you are wasting all the money on the automatic install and unless you got another car to put it in yer screwed on 50% of what you put in.
/EndRant

And BTW, I don't think anyone has mentioned that you will need a new drive shaft either way you go. That can range between 180-300 depending on who you have make it and what kind of material you have it made out of.

 

[Gud T.B. Blown]

one option i'm not seeing is a plain old topload 4speed. for starters it will definitely handle the torque of you engine and it will bolt right in. i converted my '73 to a 4 speed and i started with an automatic and did it for just over a grand and '71-'73 four speed components are almost impossible to find. doing a conversion for a '68 should be much easier and a little cheaper.

 

[Dr_Pain]

Thanks for all the input...

On the carb, I have a EFI system with 1000cfm plenum throttle and muti-port injection with 35# injectors, so no worries on the responsiveness of the engine.

The AOD rebuilt is not as expensive as the non lock-up convertor ($1000).

The 4 spd vs. 5 spd vs 6 spd..... either that is going to be budget friendly and be fun on the highway.... so probably not the 4 sp!!! and 6 sp may not be worth the extra $700 for a 300 rpm drop on the second OD at highway speed.

As far as the tranny tunnel, I do have one question. I did a MII coil over front end conversion and did the mock up with a AOD (dropped the engine as far as it went, will I still have clearance issue???? and are the clearance issues related to the shifter opening??

I see a bunch of clutch set on ebay and was wondering if it mattered if it was for a power or non-powered car?? Mine is and will be powered

Lastly, anybody with a good set of pedals for me?? Send me an email or reply on the board. I am on the market and would not mind doing business with someone on the board