Good suggestion and taken care of! I didn't think the email listed one as RA usually emails me when theyre about to expire. Double checked after your reply and there was one. Added to the post now!
Been quit awhile since I've added any updates to my project. Life got in the way and has slowed any work on it (ok, pretty much stopped anything on it!). Since the car was an AOD I bought it, well, that just wasn't gonna work. I'm not anti-AOD, my 'vert has one and I'm happy with it....in that car, just not THIS one!
Seems everyone selling a T-5 is trying to dump one from a 2.3L, or they believe they own the rarest one in the world and must price accordingly. While not actively looking for a trans, it was on my list and I've just moved along collecting everything for the 5 lug/4 wheel disc brake swap and new diff gears. Other than brake pads, a few nuts/bolts and a clutch kit for the diff (gonna have it out, might as well put in new clutches!), I now have everything necessary for the swap.
Back to the T-5, totally unexpected but my best friend found someone nearby that had not one, but two for sale! The seller claimed both were 5.0 T-5's and his asking price for either was not only reasonable but darn near give away! Upon looking at them one was taken out of his car, an '88 GT and the other he had previously purchased. I checked the tag numbers and casting dates and everything corresponded. Unfortunately the one trans may have came out of his '88 but it was an '86. Not bad but it a few issues and felt "crunchy" when I spun it. The other trans was clean and decoded to a '92 (perfect!, just what I really had hoped to get). Unfortunately it wouldn't spin. It felt like the shift rail was moving but it was locked tight. After a little negotiating we settled on a price ( I've seen people selling bell housings that cost more!), and I took a gamble.
As soon as I got home my buddy and I didn't even take it out of the truck. We just slide it onto the tailgate and began removing the tailshaft housing and top cover. It had obviously be opened before and the shift finger wasn't roll pinned in place. It appeared the forks been out of synch and over shifting, trying to move 1/2 and 3/4 at the same time. Tada...locked trans solved. As soon as the top cover came off it spun smoothly and the gears looked really good. The 1/2 shift fork was worn pretty good, The pads had dropped off and allowed damage to the fork. Other than that my gamble paid off. I've since gotten everything I need to do a rebuild and both new forks. Just in case, I also got the interlock lugs and a cluster gear reinforcement plate. Ahh, more parts I can't mess with yet.
The big reason for the whole delay is work on my garage. I told myself before I started anything with the 2nd Chance Pony I had to get the garage done so I could do everything inside. When I did the 'vert it was all outside becasue I had no room in the garage. I was totally aat the mercy of the weather, which caused numerous and lengthy delays. Not again! I have a storage area that on the backside of my garage that had a dirt floor and open at both ends. I finally got the floor poured in it and have to finish the framing for the end walls. This will allow me to move stuff out of the garage and be able to secure it while freeing up a ton of room! This is where most of my time and money have had to be spent. I'm so itching to start turning wrenches it's hard at times to cave and start on the car. Soon I hope, soon!