Mechanical or Hydraulic? (vote)

Mechanical clutch or Hydraulic clutch?


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pontiac guy

G-Body Guru
Oct 28, 2016
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Royse City, TX
I'm not familiar with the Corvette bellhousing but I can't imagine it is a BOP bolt pattern. The OP has a V8 Buick
 

pontiac guy

G-Body Guru
Oct 28, 2016
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843
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Royse City, TX
Oh and since I'm being a butt-in-ski I recommend Core shifters. My Core in the GP makes a monkey out of the Hurst on the T56 in my 02 Firehawk. Plus you can use the period correct shifter on it so your car looks right
 
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gnvair

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Sep 1, 2018
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I'm not familiar with the Corvette bellhousing but I can't imagine it is a BOP bolt pattern. The OP has a V8 Buick
I forgot we were dealing with a BOP and not a Chevrolet. So yes, he would have to find a 78-81 A body BOP bell housing to run a mechanical linkage OR do some modifying to lower the pivot ball on a regular BOP bell housing and use the 78-81 A body specific fork. What I mean by modifying is machining an aluminum plug to fill the pivot stud hole. Weld it on both sides. Then redrill the hole in the lower position and drill and tap.
 
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307 Regal

Royal Smart Person
Oct 21, 2009
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Yes, the T5 is from a 4th gen F-Body. A ‘94 Camaro. I have an adapter plate from HotTodWorks mating the Ford pattern to the Muncie pattern bell. I was told this bell was from a late 2nd gen Firebird. This bell is dual pattern, but the second pattern did not match the “Ford” T5 pattern. The previously mentioned adapter plate was designed for “late GM T5s” and the length of my input shaft and front bearing retainer are the requested dimensions in the instructions. Lastly, in another thread, I had read that another long-time member had been able to use factory linkages with (supposedly) an F-body bell and fork behind a Pontiac 301. If mine didn’t clear I was hoping to just hammer out some room.

Right now I only have 40 invested in the bell and fork, 100 in the trans, a couple hundred in the plate I think, and 20 in junkyard T5 shifters. I can make some changes but the G-body bell and fork will be hard to find, and if I’m going to have to buy retail (as in new parts, if possible) I might wanna just spend it on hydraulics and a scattershield instead.
 

marcar1993

G-Body Guru
Aug 31, 2007
702
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New Jersey
I have had good luck. I was cheap and didn't want to pay the LS tax for a t56 so I got a $500 LT1 t56 and adapted it to the LS. I turned a small bushing to adapt the Howe T5 TOB conversion bearing onto the pull style clutch external slave LT1 style trans since the OD of the t5 input shaft sleeve was larger than the t5.

Since you have a t5 I assume that howe bearing just slips right in.


Curious if you have pics of this and a better explaination?
I have an lt1 t56 behind an olds with a wier conversion bell and been through a few junk mcleod slip on bearings, now I have a Tilton from modern drive line, and so far so good.
I converted to a push style clutch in the tight lt1 length bell.
 
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pontiac guy

G-Body Guru
Oct 28, 2016
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Royse City, TX
If you need parts, talk to Russ Young at 4 spd conversions in OH. He may have another G body bell but he definitely has all the linkage, pedals, fork etc. The 82-84 third gen F-cars had both BOP and Chevy bell housing patterns and we're mechanical linkage. They look like they can work with the right fork, but I have never done it. I think you use the A body fork. I put the T5 in my GP with a BOP G-Body bell.

Modern driveline sells adapter plates for lots of applications so I'm sure you will be fine with one as well.
 
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81cutlass

Comic Book Super Hero
Feb 16, 2009
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Western MN
Curious if you have pics of this and a better explaination?
I have an lt1 t56 behind an olds with a wier conversion bell and been through a few junk mcleod slip on bearings, now I have a Tilton from modern drive line, and so far so good.
I converted to a push style clutch in the tight lt1 length bell.

You can KINDA see the part I made. Basically the ID of the howe TOB T5 is like 0.100" roughly larger than the OD of the snout/sleeve on the t56. I made a bushing that is a snug fit on the ID of the howe TOB and a slip fit over the T56 snout. The TOB is rotation-stopped with a 8mm bolt that I cut the head off and it rides on the crimp of the -4 clutch pressure line from the master cyl.

The belhousing is the 153 tooth LT1 part that I jigsawed the bottom 1/3 out to clear the 168 tooth LS/BBC style flywheel. I did it as a joke/hackjob to get the trans in but I've put well over 12k miles on it at this time and no cracks!

 
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pontiacgp

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Mar 31, 2006
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Kitchener, Ontario
Yes, the T5 is from a 4th gen F-Body. A ‘94 Camaro. I have an adapter plate from HotTodWorks mating the Ford pattern to the Muncie pattern bell. I was told this bell was from a late 2nd gen Firebird. This bell is dual pattern, but the second pattern did not match the “Ford” T5 pattern. The previously mentioned adapter plate was designed for “late GM T5s” and the length of my input shaft and front bearing retainer are the requested dimensions in the instructions. Lastly, in another thread, I had read that another long-time member had been able to use factory linkages with (supposedly) an F-body bell and fork behind a Pontiac 301. If mine didn’t clear I was hoping to just hammer out some room.

Right now I only have 40 invested in the bell and fork, 100 in the trans, a couple hundred in the plate I think, and 20 in junkyard T5 shifters. I can make some changes but the G-body bell and fork will be hard to find, and if I’m going to have to buy retail (as in new parts, if possible) I might wanna just spend it on hydraulics and a scattershield instead.

I just looked at pictures of a T5 that was in a 94 Camaro v6 and is a WC, after 92 I think all T5's were WC and they have different gears and better than all the previous WC T5's. Throw away the stock shifter, they are sloppy and you can easily over shift. Spend some money on a good aftermarket shifter. I have a Hurst on mine
 
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gnvair

Royal Smart Person
Sep 1, 2018
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Southern New Jersey near Philly
If you need parts, talk to Russ Young at 4 spd conversions in OH. He may have another G body bell but he definitely has all the linkage, pedals, fork etc. The 82-84 third gen F-cars had both BOP and Chevy bell housing patterns and we're mechanical linkage. They look like they can work with the right fork, but I have never done it. I think you use the A body fork. I put the T5 in my GP with a BOP G-Body bell.

Modern driveline sells adapter plates for lots of applications so I'm sure you will be fine with one as well.
The bell housing changed each year from 82-84 in the F bodies.
82 still has the standard 4 speed pattern and mechanical linkage.
83 used a T5 with a tilt to the left on the mounting of the gear box; also still mechanical linkage.
84 used a T5 with a tilt to the left on the mounting of the gear box but now with a flange to mount a slave cylinder as 84-up were hydraulic.
 
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pontiacgp

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Mar 31, 2006
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Kitchener, Ontario
I have an older bellhousing so my T5 sits straight. I removed the fulcrum from the hurst shifter, heated it up and removed the 17° angle. I like the McLeod TOB better then the Howe cause the Howe has a limit of maximum 3/4" pedal travel with a 3/4" master. more that the limit over extends the piston on the Howe and the piston can pop out. The McLeod on the other hand has a minimum limit of 1" pedal travel and mentions no maximum travel so it is easier to set the stop for the clutch pedal.
 
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