V6 Conversion Motor

JDSunbeam · Aug 30, 2011

Hello all,

Just beginning my conversion project and have read many articles and threads regarding such. I know I'm in this for a while and have already been in touch with Jose. Question is: Is the V6 2.8 from an '85 Ford Ranger a good donor for the conversion? Does the '85 Ranger have the T5 tranny that seems to be the way to go? Any and all help is appreciated!! Also, Jose noted that a member on here might have a step by step manual for the complete conversion...if you're reading this please chime in or email me, thanks again.

Jerry

Bill Blue · Aug 30, 2011

T5's were never put in Rangers. The 1985 5 speed (TK5) that was in the Ranger is not compatible with Jose's transmission mount and in almost every respect, is not a good transmission. The 5 speed from 88 on (M5R1) is a much better unit, but still is not compatible with the trans mount and places the gear shifter too far forward.

Bill

V6 JOSE · Aug 30, 2011

Hi Jerry,

The Ranger engine is perfect for your conversion, but youÂ´ll need the timing cover, water pump (preferably new), water pump pulleyy and youÂ´ll need to have the Ranger crank pulley cut down to just one groove, or source one from Mustang II.

The T5 you are looking for, comes from a 1996 and later Mustang GT, with the 3.8 V6. The Ranger transmission is not a T5, and you donÂ´t want it for your conversion.

Jim Ellis has a CD that has a lot of info on doing the conversion. I donÂ´t know how to contact him, unless it is through this forum. Try communicating with him to source that CD.

Jose

JDSunbeam · Aug 30, 2011

Thanks Jose and Bill....

Jose, so the timing cover, water pump etc. need to come from the Mustang II (if I can find one)?

Will the tranny from the Mustang bolt right up with the 2.8?

Jerry

socorob · Aug 30, 2011

you need the 4 speed bellhousing from a mustang 2 also. The t5 will bolt to that

V6 JOSE · Aug 30, 2011

Hi Jerry,

The T5 from the 1996 and later Mustang GT, has the same bolt pattern as the Mustang II fourspeed, so it will bolt up, after you have the front collar outside diameter turned down to fit the hole in the Mustang II bellhousing.

You can find the timing cover and other parts on line. There a couple of guys here that can find anything you need, so will help you find them.

Jose

JDSunbeam said:
Thanks Jose and Bill....

Jose, so the timing cover, water pump etc. need to come from the Mustang II (if I can find one)?

Will the tranny from the Mustang bolt right up with the 2.8?

Jerry

MikeH · Aug 30, 2011

Jose,

The Mustang GT only came with the V8. The 94 and up regular (non-GT) Mustang has the 3.8 V6. And according to the chart the 94 and up 3.8 T-5 has the same ratios and input shaft size.

V6 JOSE · Aug 30, 2011

Hi Mike,

The reason I specify the 1996 and later T5, is because it has had an upgrade that made it better. I know that the T5 in different iterations, was used all the way from 1979. The T5 was constantly being upgraded through the years. If I remember right, the World Class was the first upgrade. The 1996 and later T5s again were upgraded, and is why I recommend using it. Any of the T5s will work, but why not use the best transmission, if you can get one?

Jose

MikeH said:
Jose,

The Mustang GT only came with the V8. The 94 and up regular (non-GT) Mustang has the 3.8 V6. And according to the chart the 94 and up 3.8 T-5 has the same ratios and input shaft size.

JDSunbeam · Aug 31, 2011

Alright, thanks for all the input so far.

So, it's a 2.8 V6 from the ranger, the T5 from a Mustang GT 1996 or newer.

Do the timing cover, water pump, water pump pully and crank pulley need to be for the ranger engine or the Mustang II (If I choose not to cut the Ranger one down)?

Jerry

socorob · Aug 31, 2011

and the bellhousing is from a v6 mustang 2, not the v8.

JDSunbeam · Aug 31, 2011

Gotcha socorob, thanks.

MikeH · Aug 31, 2011

JDSunbeam said:
Alright, thanks for all the input so far.

So, it's a 2.8 V6 from the ranger, the T5 from a Mustang GT 1996 or newer.

Do the timing cover, water pump, water pump pully and crank pulley need to be for the ranger engine or the Mustang II (If I choose not to cut the Ranger one down)?

Jerry

You want the T5 from the 3.8 V6 Mustang not the Mustang GT. The GT Mustang T5 has different ratios and would be more expensive than the 3.8 T5

The timing cover, water pump (can be bought new), and pulleys need to come from the Mustang II 2.8.
The reason you need the MII timing cover is because the shorter Mustang II water pump will not work with the Ranger timing cover.

JDSunbeam · Aug 31, 2011

Thanks for the info MikeH.

Since I'm getting a little conflicting info between you and Jose...Jose, do you have anything to say regarding the ratios on the GT?

Jerry

V6 JOSE · Aug 31, 2011

I guess I should just say, that any 1996 and later V8 transmission, isnÂ´t a T5. It wonÂ´t fit the V6, because the bellhousing is part of the transmission and the bellhousing doesnÂ´t fit the V6. The 3.8 V6 has the only transmission that will bolt up to the Mustang II bellhousing. I may have misnamed the V6 Mustang as being a GT, but it is the only T5 that will fit your bellhousing, so which gear ratios the V8 transmission has, is a moot point.

Jose

JDSunbeam said:
Thanks for the info MikeH.

Since I'm getting a little conflicting info between you and Jose...Jose, do you have anything to say regarding the ratios on the GT?

Jerry

Cactusmasher · Sep 1, 2011

V6 Motor etc.

Being a long time Ford guy as well as long time Sunbeamer, I'd like to throw in my two cents. The V8 Mustang T5 transmissions known as World Class, or WC, had stronger gears and better synchronizer rings. They also came with small pads made of carbon fiber on the shifting forks inside the transmission as opposed to whatever the other pads were made of in the lesser transmissions ( the V6 and 4 cylinder ones ). This is why they are the more desirable transmission. The GT Mustangs were all V8 powered and the manual transmissions were all WC during the model years mentioned by Jose. That's why when you are searching for a T5 transmission knowledgeable people will tell you to look for a GT Mustang. I hope this will clear up any confusion you may have.

MikeH · Sep 1, 2011

jim dimond said:
Being a long time Ford guy as well as long time Sunbeamer, I'd like to throw in my two cents. The V8 Mustang T5 transmissions known as World Class, or WC, had stronger gears and better synchronizer rings. They also came with small pads made of carbon fiber on the shifting forks inside the transmission as opposed to whatever the other pads were made of in the lesser transmissions ( the V6 and 4 cylinder ones ). This is why they are the more desirable transmission. The GT Mustangs were all V8 powered and the manual transmissions were all WC during the model years mentioned by Jose. That's why when you are searching for a T5 transmission knowledgeable people will tell you to look for a GT Mustang. I hope this will clear up any confusion you may have.

From what I'm reading, the engine didn't determine WC or Non-WC. Check the charts and you will see that the 3.8 mustang T5s 1352-220, -236, and -238 are all designated world class. My Tremec T5 (TTET-2016) from a 2003 3.8 Mustang is also WC. The main difference between the V8 and V6 T5's is how much torque each can handle.

Cactusmasher · Sep 1, 2011

V6 Motor etc.

I don't know what you are reading to get your information Mike, but nowhere in my post did I state the engine determines whether or not the transmission is a WC T5. ALL 1986 thru 1993 GT Mustangs had V8 engines and ALL of the manual transmission GT cars had World Class T5 transmissions. The key words here are Mustang GT and V8 with manual transmission. Nowhere did I state anything about 3.8 or other sized Ford engines. There were no GT Mustangs made with any other engine except the V8 during those model years. The gist of my post was for the guy to find a GT Mustang in the given model years for a stronger and better transmission to run behind a 2.8 Ford V6. I don't need to check the charts...my information is from real world experience and 50+ years of working on Fords. You must be a Chevy guy.

V6 JOSE · Sep 2, 2011

Hi Mike,

I forgot that it was in the early 2,000s that the V8s used a different transmission, rather than the T5. My best choice for the conversion is a V8 T5, but you would need to use a pretty low set of rear gears. Of course, I am a drag race nut, so that set up would be the best for that kind of use. I recommend the 1996 and later V6 T5 for the use most guys would put it to.

Jose

MikeH said:
From what I'm reading, the engine didn't determine WC or Non-WC. Check the charts and you will see that the 3.8 mustang T5s 1352-220, -236, and -238 are all designated world class. My Tremec T5 (TTET-2016) from a 2003 3.8 Mustang is also WC. The main difference between the V8 and V6 T5's is how much torque each can handle.

MikeH · Sep 2, 2011

Jim,

Sorry, I misinterpretted this part in your post,

" The V8 Mustang T5 transmissions known as World Class, or WC, had stronger gears and better synchronizer rings. They also came with small pads made of carbon fiber on the shifting forks inside the transmission as opposed to whatever the other pads were made of in the lesser transmissions ( the V6 and 4 cylinder ones ). "

to mean that only the V8 Mustangs had WC T5's. My reply was atempting to say the that the V6 Mustangs also had WC T5's. The 5.0 LX Mustang also use the WC T5.

Did not mean to offend.

And in answer to "You must be a Chevy guy."

The only GM product I have is a '57 Olds.

Except for the Alpine and 2 MGB's, the other 8 are Fords

JDSunbeam · Sep 2, 2011

Woah, sorry guys, didn't mean to stir the pot...

Anyways, it seems safe to use the T5 from a '96 V6 Mustang for my use.

It's going to be a great weekend parts collecting.