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Newby T5 swap questions

89_740Turbo

New member
Joined
Apr 10, 2018
Location
Central New Jersey
I am starting to gather together the things needed for a T5 swap but wanted to come here to make sure I have everything on this list I will need. I've never done this kind of swap before, so this is my first time. I read up on as much as I could about from the resources available, especially from here so I think I am ready to do it when the time comes.

Starting off, my car is a 1989 740 Turbo, hydraulic clutch M46 transmission. The list of what (I believe) I need is as follows:

- 1989 Worldclass T5 transmission
- Adapter plate from Kaplhenke racing https://www.bneshop.com/collections/700-900-volvo-parts/products/240-dual-pattern-ford-t5-tko-adapter-plate
- Modified Bell Housing from Kaplhenke
- Clutch kit from Yoshifab https://yoshifab.com/store/volvo-red-block-stage-3-clutch.html
- T5 Slider Yoke (from v-performance)
- Pilot bearings for use with the T5 (from v-performance)
- Ford release bearings (from v-performance)
- Modifications to hydraulic type clutch forks for use with Ford release bearings (from v-performance)

... and also, what driveshaft is recommended to use for this application? I've read some use the Mustang driveshaft while others use the Camaro.

Is there anything I am missing or don't need from this list?
 
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Have you already got those parts from V-Performance?

If so, congrats! If you haven't ordered yet, google around to see other's experiences with John Parker.
 
Have you already got those parts from V-Performance?

If so, congrats! If you haven't ordered yet, google around to see other's experiences with John Parker.

No I haven't but now im beginning to think im lucky that I haven't lol

edit: I see now that I shouldnt go with them. Horrible customer service and just a bad company it seems like fro what I read online
 
Last edited:
Shifter:
In a 740, you also need to relocate the shifter position back a few inches....right?

Driveshaft:
I had the original M47 driveshaft modified for my T5 swap in my 240. This retains the 2pc driveshaft, which I believe is what most people do in the 7/9 series because of how the driveshaft fits on the car. I'm not familiar with the chassis, but isn't there some sort of integrated structure / support the driveshaft threads through, making a 1pc difficult, if not impossible to use?

I installed the trans and then measured from the tailshaft seal on the trans to the face of the flange on the differential at ride height. I provided the total length and the M47 driveshaft. I asked the shop to provide the weld flange that goes on the driveshaft, a 1310 u-joint, and a T5 slip yoke. I also provided a new center support bearing that they pressed on for me. Total was about $260 to modify the driveshaft, balance it, plus the cost of parts (flange, u-joint, and slip yoke which you could buy for less than what a shop likely would charge for the parts).

I would suggest talking to the driveshaft shop first before you bring in your parts. They told me they preferred the measurement from the center support to the trans, but I couldn't provide that since I only measured the total length. I had measured one other 240 and was within 1/4" so I knew my total length was good, and they were able to hit the mark just fine. You don't want the driveshaft being too long because it will bottom out in the trans so make sure you check it at ride height.

Trans mount:
In my 240 I used a 164 motor mount and just had to drill some holes and fab a mounting bracket from some angle iron. I'm not sure how the 740 cross member looks, so I can't advise on mounting. Some people prefer two mounts, or the stock T5 style mount that's wider and (I believe) has two attachment points. I've seen some modified cross members with a piece of plate welded to the bottom of the stock cross member and the stock T5 mount bolts to the plate. It seems not all tailshaft housings are the same, so mock up with the trans you intend to use. I recall having issues swapping a V8 T5 for a V6 T5 in our 24hr lemons car because the mount didn't line up.

http://www.pbase.com/towerymt/image/128569276.jpg (note the small plate bolted over the speedo cable hole...you can get a plug for this hole, but the flat plate with RTV seems to work fine too.)
http://www.pbase.com/towerymt/image/128569280.jpg

Clutch fork:
Pictures of the 240 M46 cable clutch fork. It has round pins that need to be ground down for the larger diameter Ford size bearing (McLeod bearing pictured). The blocks of brass (?) come from kaplhenke, believe he still makes & sells them on the site.

Clutch fork w/Mustang McLeod bearing (full height, both spacers installed in the bearing)
http://www.pbase.com/towerymt/image/128153816.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/towerymt/image/128153818.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/towerymt/image/128153821.jpg



Here's the parts list & prices for the swap I did on my 240 (note, cable clutch):
http://forums.turbobricks.com/showpost.php?p=3365636&postcount=1023
 
I am starting to gather together the things needed for a T5 swap but wanted to come here to make sure I have everything on this list I will need. I've never done this kind of swap before, so this is my first time. I read up on as much as I could about from the resources available, especially from here so I think I am ready to do it when the time comes.

Starting off, my car is a 1989 740 Turbo, hydraulic clutch M46 transmission. The list of what (I believe) I need is as follows:

- 1989 Worldclass T5 transmission
- Adapter plate from Kaplhenke racing https://www.bneshop.com/collections/700-900-volvo-parts/products/240-dual-pattern-ford-t5-tko-adapter-plate
- Modified Bell Housing from Kaplhenke
- Clutch kit from Yoshifab https://yoshifab.com/store/volvo-red-block-stage-3-clutch.html
- T5 Slider Yoke (from v-performance)
- Pilot bearings for use with the T5 (from v-performance)
- Ford release bearings (from v-performance)
- Modifications to hydraulic type clutch forks for use with Ford release bearings (from v-performance)

... and also, what driveshaft is recommended to use for this application? I've read some use the Mustang driveshaft while others use the Camaro.

Is there anything I am missing or don't need from this list?

The hydro stuff I'm not super sure on... but I would encourage you to use hydraulic if you have the option.

For the driveshaft, I'm actually using the adapter from yoshi and the unnecessarily huge ford racing mustang driveshaft (3.5" iirc) this rubbed on 240 and required hammer and grinder. But it's perfectly fine now. I don't know that anyone used Camaro, but if you have a mustang box I think you need mustang DS. The 4wd Aerostar is also an option (aluminum) but they're not as cheap as they used to be.

For whatever clutch/flywheel combo you go with... if I were to do it again, forget the 215mm stuff altogether. At MINIMUM go with 228mm setup. If you're ABLE go to the 240mm setup (but I recall that this got more complicated)

I'd like to suggest the deeworks adapter if it's out there... not that Kaphlenke's stuff is bad, it isn't... but I think the deeworks adapter made a few mods so it's more direct bolt on.

ALL OF THAT SAID... I'm not sure what your plans are but you should STRONGLY consider the Nissan CDXXX transmissions at this stage if you're able. It's a more robust gearbox by a wide margin it would seem and it's adaptable to a good number of other motors as well.
 
The hydro stuff I'm not super sure on... but I would encourage you to use hydraulic if you have the option.

For the driveshaft, I'm actually using the adapter from yoshi and the unnecessarily huge ford racing mustang driveshaft (3.5" iirc) this rubbed on 240 and required hammer and grinder. But it's perfectly fine now. I don't know that anyone used Camaro, but if you have a mustang box I think you need mustang DS. The 4wd Aerostar is also an option (aluminum) but they're not as cheap as they used to be.

For whatever clutch/flywheel combo you go with... if I were to do it again, forget the 215mm stuff altogether. At MINIMUM go with 228mm setup. If you're ABLE go to the 240mm setup (but I recall that this got more complicated)

I'd like to suggest the deeworks adapter if it's out there... not that Kaphlenke's stuff is bad, it isn't... but I think the deeworks adapter made a few mods so it's more direct bolt on.

ALL OF THAT SAID... I'm not sure what your plans are but you should STRONGLY consider the Nissan CDXXX transmissions at this stage if you're able. It's a more robust gearbox by a wide margin it would seem and it's adaptable to a good number of other motors as well.

By "hydro" I mean hydraulic clutch. Sorry. I have a hydraulic clutch.

In regards to the 228mm clutch/flywheel setup, that's about $1,000 for just that. If I were to get that, idk how long it would take to save up for that again. Probably a long time. Yoshi's stage 3 is perfect for my needs if not, more than enough.

The reason i'm going t5 ia because I got a deal on it way too good to pass up. Already comes with a short throw shifter.

As for the drive shaft, I figured I'd need the mustang DS but wanted to see what others have done
 
Shifter:
In a 740, you also need to relocate the shifter position back a few inches....right?

Driveshaft:
I had the original M47 driveshaft modified for my T5 swap in my 240. This retains the 2pc driveshaft, which I believe is what most people do in the 7/9 series because of how the driveshaft fits on the car. I'm not familiar with the chassis, but isn't there some sort of integrated structure / support the driveshaft threads through, making a 1pc difficult, if not impossible to use?

I installed the trans and then measured from the tailshaft seal on the trans to the face of the flange on the differential at ride height. I provided the total length and the M47 driveshaft. I asked the shop to provide the weld flange that goes on the driveshaft, a 1310 u-joint, and a T5 slip yoke. I also provided a new center support bearing that they pressed on for me. Total was about $260 to modify the driveshaft, balance it, plus the cost of parts (flange, u-joint, and slip yoke which you could buy for less than what a shop likely would charge for the parts).

I would suggest talking to the driveshaft shop first before you bring in your parts. They told me they preferred the measurement from the center support to the trans, but I couldn't provide that since I only measured the total length. I had measured one other 240 and was within 1/4" so I knew my total length was good, and they were able to hit the mark just fine. You don't want the driveshaft being too long because it will bottom out in the trans so make sure you check it at ride height.

Trans mount:
In my 240 I used a 164 motor mount and just had to drill some holes and fab a mounting bracket from some angle iron. I'm not sure how the 740 cross member looks, so I can't advise on mounting. Some people prefer two mounts, or the stock T5 style mount that's wider and (I believe) has two attachment points. I've seen some modified cross members with a piece of plate welded to the bottom of the stock cross member and the stock T5 mount bolts to the plate. It seems not all tailshaft housings are the same, so mock up with the trans you intend to use. I recall having issues swapping a V8 T5 for a V6 T5 in our 24hr lemons car because the mount didn't line up.

http://www.pbase.com/towerymt/image/128569276.jpg (note the small plate bolted over the speedo cable hole...you can get a plug for this hole, but the flat plate with RTV seems to work fine too.)
http://www.pbase.com/towerymt/image/128569280.jpg

Clutch fork:
Pictures of the 240 M46 cable clutch fork. It has round pins that need to be ground down for the larger diameter Ford size bearing (McLeod bearing pictured). The blocks of brass (?) come from kaplhenke, believe he still makes & sells them on the site.

Clutch fork w/Mustang McLeod bearing (full height, both spacers installed in the bearing)
http://www.pbase.com/towerymt/image/128153816.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/towerymt/image/128153818.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/towerymt/image/128153821.jpg



Here's the parts list & prices for the swap I did on my 240 (note, cable clutch):
http://forums.turbobricks.com/showpost.php?p=3365636&postcount=1023

Yes I do believe there is a DS adapter for the stock volvo DS. I believe either yoshifab or deesworks sells it.
Also, thanks for all the other info.

I am going to take it that as far as my list goes, I have just about everything I will need on it
 
ALL OF THAT SAID... I'm not sure what your plans are but you should STRONGLY consider the Nissan CDXXX transmissions at this stage if you're able. It's a more robust gearbox by a wide margin it would seem and it's adaptable to a good number of other motors as well.
That swap is a LOT more expensive. I believe it's best suited to a tall rear end ratio as well.

Although the T5 swap can be expensive, the option exists to do it super cheap. I scrounged up some parts for cheap/free and did the whole swap for about $500 once. T5 has been done a lot, so there shouldn't be any big surprises, either.

http://forums.turbobricks.com/showpost.php?p=5837213&postcount=8
 
That swap is a LOT more expensive. I believe it's best suited to a tall rear end ratio as well.

Although the T5 swap can be expensive, the option exists to do it super cheap. I scrounged up some parts for cheap/free and did the whole swap for about $500 once. T5 has been done a lot, so there shouldn't be any big surprises, either.

http://forums.turbobricks.com/showpost.php?p=5837213&postcount=8

I don't disagree with this or what the OP followed me up with. All fair points. Just worth considering what the future plans are... lots of people still aren't even aware the CDXXX transmissions are a thing yet...
 
That swap is a LOT more expensive. I believe it's best suited to a tall rear end ratio as well.

Although the T5 swap can be expensive, the option exists to do it super cheap. I scrounged up some parts for cheap/free and did the whole swap for about $500 once. T5 has been done a lot, so there shouldn't be any big surprises, either.

http://forums.turbobricks.com/showpost.php?p=5837213&postcount=8

If Yoshifab can get his shifter adapter ready soon and at a reasonable price I'm not sure that a CDxxx swap would be that much expensive than a T5. And your power goals should be taken into account also when choosing a transmission swap. Fitting a CDxxx in a 240 requires a little more massaging of the trans tunnel though.
 
Several years back I bought & sold a custom NJ built 2 pc. driveshaft for the T5 swap into a 7/9 chassis.

After buying the M90 kit, I sold the custom (balanced) driveshaft to ?940Psycho..... forget his entire TB handle. He was in Raleigh NC and then moved to Texas. If you search the FS threads I believe you will find him. Last I heard, it never sold and he took it with him. Worth a shot.... bring it home to NJ.
 
Several years back I bought & sold a custom NJ built 2 pc. driveshaft for the T5 swap into a 7/9 chassis.

After buying the M90 kit, I sold the custom (balanced) driveshaft to ?940Psycho..... forget his entire TB handle. He was in Raleigh NC and then moved to Texas. If you search the FS threads I believe you will find him. Last I heard, it never sold and he took it with him. Worth a shot.... bring it home to NJ.

What am I searching for in the F/S threads. His username or something else
 
FS threads.... I believe he went by 940Psycho or similar. Search for T5 driveshaft or 7/9 driveshaft.
 
Also consider the driveshaft yoke that Gary Sellstrom used. I think it is the one from an Aerostar. It has a dampening ring and smooths out the driveline vibrations. As I understand it you can use the camaro shifter section and move the shifter further back with the 7/9 series swaps.
 
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