85 gt ---> 90 lx
 

Hello everyone,
Still looking for donar car for my aod --> T5 swap. Quick question: I found a car in the paper--- 85gt. Just wondering if the 85 gt would be a suitable parts donor for my 1990 lx 5.0. Will their be any compatibility issues for the 5-speed swap? thank you for your help.

The T-5 in the 85 will do just fine however it isn't as strong as the later models are. I've put mine through all kinds of crap though and it is still holding out.

By the way if that 85 is in any kind of good shape you may want to buy it and hang on to it. Those are getting hard to find.

how is the T-5 weaker? Someone told me that I may need a different pedal assembly. As for the condition, it has front end damage :(

The torque rating for the 85 T-5 is 265 ft lbs
I am pretty sure that it was 1990 that the torque rating went up to 300 ft lbs.
I think it was due to a change in the alloy used for the gearset that changed the torque rating. Syncros might have something to do with it as well but I don't think so.

either way, as long as it is a 5.0 it should be alright.
my tranny is the same as the one in that 85

how much are you getting the entire car for? The T5 heavy duty is $1,100 brand new. When my syncro's went in the original tranny, i just bought a new one. Didnt want some one elses problems, especially on a transmission that might have been abused

the 85 is for sale for $1000 obo. I would buy the T5 new but i need the pedal assembly and everything else for the swap. quick question. i have cruise control on my lx, would switching to t5 affect that?

From what i understand, in '90 the T5OD became a "World Class T-5" that had a torque rating (like you said) of 300 ft/lbs. This came from a stronger trans case, while it had the same 3.35 first gear ratio as the previous years. The '83-'84 transmissions had a 2.95 first gear ratio, but weak case with 265 ft/lb rating, then in '85 they increased the gear ratios (close ratio design) so that 1st was 3.35 and the others were changed a little as well, the torque rating remained the same because the trans provided more gear multiplication (increased the chances of trans failure) but they increased the strength of the housing to compensate.
I believe this information is accurate but i may be wrong.

if you do buy it, it costs about $200 for the upgrade kit to make it a World-Class T-5. If you do the work yourself, that's not bad at all, it costs far more for a T-5 swap just from the junkyard, never mind a new kit! check out www.stangparts.com if you don't buy the '85 and you want a cheap swap kit....as low as $1695

some of what you said is true, some is not
check out http://moderndriveline.tripod.com/mo...line/id14.html

I don't feel like typing out all the information