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 Post subject: T5 Shifter Clone
PostPosted: January 8, 2018, 2:19 pm 
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I've been thinking about buying a new shifter for my Ford T5 transmission, specifically the B&M Pro Ripper. My only hesitation was the approx. $300.00 USD entry price which, once one converts to Cdn, pays tax, and shipper, was going to put me back about $420.00. A considerable amount for a nicety on a car I haven't yet completed. I was browsing e-bay this morning and see that shifters for the T5 are now being produced in China. They are less than $50.00 and look to be similar. Of the below, one is $300 and the other is $52.00.

Attachment:
Ripper 1.jpg


Attachment:
Ripper 2.jpg


Anyone tried one? I might give it a shot and see what they are like.


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 Post subject: Re: T5 Shifter Clone
PostPosted: January 8, 2018, 3:08 pm 
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Yo, Trochu!
I'm answering an entirely different question than the one you asked... Sort of like talking to a woman... Bear with me.

I got a Steeda shifter from a vendor on E-Bay (name? Who remembers that sh*t?) for considerably less than 300 bucks. (how much less? Who remembers that sh*t, either?) Looks just like the ones pictured. I mounted it backwards with an extension between shifter and lever, but it's still a Steeda shifter...

How much shopping have you done for shifters??? Asking for a friend... :mrgreen:

:cheers:
JDK

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 Post subject: Re: T5 Shifter Clone
PostPosted: January 8, 2018, 3:54 pm 
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I purchased one of the above mentioned $50 shifters to modify to fit on a Camaro T-5 by re drilling the mounting holes, and it was defiantly a get what you pay for. I was not particularly impressed, but at a tenth of the cost it is not bad, and much better that breaking a shift fork. I ended up biting the bullet and buying a Pro 5.0 shifter you may want to take a look at them.


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 Post subject: Re: T5 Shifter Clone
PostPosted: January 8, 2018, 3:55 pm 
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GonzoRacer wrote:
How much shopping have you done for shifters??? Asking for a friend... :mrgreen:

:cheers:
JDK


I haven't done alot. But even the Steeda, at quick glance, seems to be in the $230 to $250 range.

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 Post subject: Re: T5 Shifter Clone
PostPosted: January 8, 2018, 3:57 pm 
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WelderLee wrote:
I was not particularly impressed, but at a tenth of the cost it is not bad, and much better that breaking a shift fork.


What didn't you like, finish, did it not shift well, combination of the two?

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 Post subject: Re: T5 Shifter Clone
PostPosted: January 8, 2018, 4:13 pm 
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At least the example I had it was mostly the fit and and finish. The threads of the stops were sloppy, but my biggest issue was that I needed to replace the aluminum section in the middle with one that was about 1.5" longer to move the knob rearward. I don't think the shiftier could handle the extra leverage so when you moved the knob left and right the center shaft would pivot a few degrees first instead of tipping left and right. That made the shifting vague and it would jam up sometimes. I don't know if there are different companies making the clones, I bought mine probably two years ago, but the one you posted looks better on the outside at least then the one I bought.


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 Post subject: Re: T5 Shifter Clone
PostPosted: January 8, 2018, 5:12 pm 
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Trochu wrote:
I haven't done alot. But even the Steeda, at quick glance, seems to be in the $230 to $250 range.
Oh... Yeah, after the border crossing and currency conversion, guess so. They're more like $170 to $180 here. Bummer...

JDK

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 Post subject: Re: T5 Shifter Clone
PostPosted: January 8, 2018, 5:16 pm 
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Location: BC, Canada. eh?
I got one of the cheap ones, but it looks identical to the expensive one. Fit & finish on mine is outstanding - it's a shame I'll be hiding it under a shift boot. I removed all the stop bolts, as they're not really necessary in a 4-cylinder-to-T5 application. It fits beautifully on my Ford WC (Mustang II sourced) T-5. Even though I've added a 6" shifter extension (to bring the shifter back to where I needed it in the Locost), it still shifts nice & slick.

Here it is, in the car, nekkid, then booted:

Attachment:
shifter bootless.jpg


Attachment:
shifter with boot.jpg


IIRC, I only paid about $50CDN for it, including tax, shipping, exchange, etc.

Would I do it again? Absolutely! As for the shift knob, I wanted a genuine Series 3 style one...so I went to a local pool table supply place, and bought a cue ball. Drilled it, tapped it (M12X1.5, IIRC), and there it is!


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 Post subject: Re: T5 Shifter Clone
PostPosted: January 8, 2018, 5:31 pm 
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zetec7 wrote:
I got one of the cheap ones, but it looks identical to the expensive one. Fit & finish on mine is outstanding - it's a shame I'll be hiding it under a shift boot. I removed all the stop bolts, as they're not really necessary in a 4-cylinder-to-T5 application. It fits beautifully on my Ford WC (Mustang II sourced) T-5. Even though I've added a 6" shifter extension (to bring the shifter back to where I needed it in the Locost), it still shifts nice & slick.


Nice I'm glad there are better ones do you know which one you bought?

I would recommend using the sift stops the T-5 does not have positive stops for the shift forks built into the transmission. When you are shifting fast and doing spirited driving you will eventually break a shift fork. The only thing hat stops the shifter form moving forward is the actual shift fork punishing on the syncro ring. This wears out the face of the sift fork and fatigues the fork until it breaks. This is a common problem in T-5s especially among people who like to drive with there hand on the sifter. This was especially a problem on S-10s because they had a long shifter with alot of leverage. My father who used to work at a GM dealer and did allot of transmission work said that he replaced a lot of shift forks on S-10s in the 1990s . That is why they added the stops to the aftermarket shifters. GM


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 Post subject: Re: T5 Shifter Clone
PostPosted: January 9, 2018, 12:22 am 
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Okay, I didn’t know that! The main reason I removed them is because they fouled on the tunne, intruded into the shift boot, etc. I may be able to modify them so they don’t protrude outside the outer periphery of the aluminum base, and re-install them. I’ll look into that. Thanks!

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 Post subject: Re: T5 Shifter Clone
PostPosted: January 9, 2018, 10:04 am 
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zetec7 wrote:
Okay, I didn’t know that! The main reason I removed them is because they fouled on the tunne, intruded into the shift boot, etc. I may be able to modify them so they don’t protrude outside the outer periphery of the aluminum base, and re-install them. I’ll look into that. Thanks!



No problem. Once they are set you shouldn't need to adjust them so you should be able to set them once, mark the bolts and cut them off so they don't protrude out of the ring. I am having a having a similar issue to you. I modified a rubber shift boot from an old jeep to sit on top and keep dirt out of the mechanism, and clear the bolts. I was then going to put a leather shift boot on between the shifter and the transmission cover, but the rubber boot is too stiff and it pulls the sifter out of gear.


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 Post subject: Re: T5 Shifter Clone
PostPosted: January 10, 2018, 10:21 am 
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zetec7 wrote:
It fits beautifully on my Ford WC (Mustang II sourced) T-5.


The T5 wasn't introduced until after the Mustang II. Fox Body started in '79, T5 started in the Mustang in '83, and the world class came about in '85.

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 Post subject: Re: T5 Shifter Clone
PostPosted: January 10, 2018, 1:08 pm 
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You're right, my mistake (a lot of my parts are Mustang II, but not the trans) - according to the tag, it is, indeed, Mustang-sourced, but it's a WC model from a 1985 Mustang 2.3 L4.

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