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Old 03-03-2013, 04:02 PM   #143
jocko
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Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Godley, TX
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Re: Complete T5 swap thread - one way to skin the cat

My trans is an original 93 S10 WC, and it does not have the ford bell pattern.

Bottom line is the buyer needs to educate themselves sufficiently before they buy to know what it is they are looking at and looking for - and not just rely on numbers. Numbers can mislead and resources are obviously not always correct.

To reiterate what's in the beginning of the thread, if T5 shopping, it's a good idea to understand the following concepts:

- WC vs non-WC and how to identify the difference visually (and whether or not that's even important to you - to me, it was not, but I got lucky).
- S10 vs F-body tailshaft housing and how it affects shifter location
- S10 vs F-body input shaft length (S10 T5 presents a problem, but it's easily solved with a spacer)
- Speedo: mech or electronic - I tried to make sure the trans I bought had a mech speedo connection. The alternative can be resolved, but it takes a little work, that's all.
- available 1st gear and o/d ratios and what they are worth to you (.72 vs .86, etc).

Those are the basics of T5 shopping, any can be made to work, but some present more problems than others. Not all 93 WC S10 trannys had the Ford bell pattern yet - so, did the factory cut over mid-year? Or some other weirdness? Who knows, but the bottom line is to know what you need by gathering as much info as you can (without believing it blindly) so you can shop informed - and avoid surprises later when you're assembling the combo.

Last edited by jocko; 03-03-2013 at 06:44 PM.
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