Bought A T-45. What Now?

[Ferocious]

So I'm going to be putting a T-45 in my car on the first week of January and I am thinking about upgrading a couple things.

1. What kind of shifter is everyone running?

2. What's a good clutch for a daily driven car? I was looking at the King Cobra one from CJPP. I'm not trying to break the bank.

4. Is a clutch quadrant really necessary?

3. I'm gonna replace the input and output shaft seals. Anything else I should buy while i'm at it?

5. What fluid is best for this tranny?

Thanks.

[iRoush]

So I'm going to be putting a T-45 in my car on the first week of January and I am thinking about upgrading a couple things.

1. What kind of shifter is everyone running?

2. What's a good clutch for a daily driven car? I was looking at the King Cobra one from CJPP. I'm not trying to break the bank.

4. Is a clutch quadrant really necessary?

3. I'm gonna replace the input and output shaft seals. Anything else I should buy while i'm at it?

5. What fluid is best for this tranny?

Thanks.

Alright Imma break it down and tell you what to avoid because I've been down one too many roads of having to pull the transmission back out...

1.) http://www.sn95source.com/showthread.php?11-The-Shifter-Opinion-Thread

2.) Go with an Exedy Clutch. They are quickly becoming the #1 choice for both street driveability as well as performance/grip. Or if you can get your hands on one a valeo 03/04 cobra clutch works very well and will handle just about anything you'll throw at it.

3.) Unless you want your plastic quadrant bending or breaking on you, YES, replace the quadrant and buy a Maximum Motorsports or Fiore Quadrant.

4.) New Throw Out Bearing, new pilot bearing. ONLY BUY FROM FORD. If you do not buy from ford you're going to have to pull the trans again for a blown up throw out bearing...

5.) I use Valvoline Synthetic ATF (Dexron III or Greater) - Been working well and taking the full abuse of autocross and rev matching for years with no grinds.

[Zach]

Mgw shifter ftw

[iRoush]

Mgw shifter ftw

Basically this if you like a smooth shift or if you like a notchy feel, the tri-ax is the way to go. These shifters are the top two listed in the thread I made. Also, if you can find one, the MGW Blue handle is amazing compared to the orange handle...

[Ferocious]

Alright Imma break it down and tell you what to avoid because I've been down one too many roads of having to pull the transmission back out...

1.) http://www.sn95source.com/showthread.php?11-The-Shifter-Opinion-Thread

2.) Go with an Exedy Clutch. They are quickly becoming the #1 choice for both street driveability as well as performance/grip. Or if you can get your hands on one a valeo 03/04 cobra clutch works very well and will handle just about anything you'll throw at it.

3.) Unless you want your plastic quadrant bending or breaking on you, YES, replace the quadrant and buy a Maximum Motorsports or Fiore Quadrant.

4.) New Throw Out Bearing, new pilot bearing. ONLY BUY FROM FORD. If you do not buy from ford you're going to have to pull the trans again for a blown up throw out bearing...

5.) I use Valvoline Synthetic ATF (Dexron III or Greater) - Been working well and taking the full abuse of autocross and rev matching for years with no grinds.

Much appreciated Brett. I was looking at the stage 1 exedy clutch on AM which wasn't too pricey.

Now if I'm sticking to a ford pilot bearing & throw-out, would I be okay with running the one that comes in the valeo clutch kit? Since they make the clutches for frpp..

Basically this if you like a smooth shift or if you like a notchy feel, the tri-ax is the way to go. These shifters are the top two listed in the thread I made. Also, if you can find one, the MGW Blue handle is amazing compared to the orange handle...

These were actually the 2 I was looking at. I've heard many good things about the Tri-ax.

[iRoush]

Much appreciated Brett. I was looking at the stage 1 exedy clutch on AM which wasn't too pricey.

Now if I'm stick to a ford pilot bearing & throw-out, would I be okay with running the one that comes in the valeo clutch kit? Since they make the clutch for frpp..

These were actually the 2 I was looking at. I've heard many good things about the Tri-ax.

unsure what the TOB is that comes with the valeo kit. I would just play it safe as it is only a $20 part through Tousley Ford.

I'm a fan of the tri-ax for racing because I can feel the gears better than I ever could when I had an MGW in my last car. The MGW is nice for street driving.

[revhead347]

I never have problems with the non Ford bearings, you just have to be careful with what you buy. There are so many Chinese bearings out there you have to be careful. As long as you can find an NTN or comparable they work fine.

Kurt

[NVRL8TE]

Iroush has this covered. I like soft clutches though. They keep parts alive.

[Ferocious]

I never have problems with the non Ford bearings, you just have to be careful with what you buy. There are so many Chinese bearings out there you have to be careful. As long as you can find an NTN or comparable they work fine.

Kurt

What clutches have you had luck with? I'm not too worried about using the bearing that comes with a Valeo, Exedy, or Spec clutch as they are all pretty reputable.

I might just get the Ford bearing though.. who knows.

Iroush has this covered. I like soft clutches though. They keep parts alive.

Since this car is my daily I definitely want a softer clutch.

[iRoush]

steer clear of Spec IMO. I've had 2 fail on me...

[Ferocious]

Noted.

Exedy stage 1, King Cobra, and an oem replacment (by valeo) are on my list right now. I'll probably order the clutch late december so I still have some time to research.

[NVRL8TE]

Cheapest RAM they sell. You can buy me a beer later. Never had an issue. Great feel, great fit, great price, great holding power. Never had a complaint in the dozen or so I've installed. Whether it be my car, or someone else's.

[revhead347]

What clutches have you had luck with? I'm not too worried about using the bearing that comes with a Valeo, Exedy, or Spec clutch as they are all pretty reputable.

I might just get the Ford bearing though.. who knows.

Since this car is my daily I definitely want a softer clutch.

The clutch you choose has a lot more to do with what you use the car for. I have been using SPEC clutches for the last decade or so, so I'm not exactly the most current on competing brands. I'm running a really nasty solid hub SPEC right now which is probably not what you are looking for. I have had a King Cobra before, and for a street car that is one of my favorites. It's very smooth, very light pedal effort, and very reliable. It's been around forever, so it's a tried and true design. The worst clutch I had was a Centerforce DF. It didn't last very long at all. I did have a SPEC 3 a long time ago that failed. It was designed with only 3 rivets in the hub, and SPEC admitted that it wasn't strong enough, and has since gone to a 6 rivet hub. I've heard good things about Exedy too. To be honest, I feel very comfortable recommending the King Cobra. I can guarantee you will like that clutch for street driving without any hesitation. It takes less pedal effort than a stock clutch.

As for the other questions. Just use the manufacturer recommended fluid in the transmission. Should be Dexron 3 which has been superseded with 4 or 5 now. Any one of those will work. I recommend going to an aluminum clutch quadrant. Don't get caught up in the brand name, they are all basically the same. Also make sure your clutch cable is working smoothly while you have it apart. If it's got a lot of miles on it, and you have some extra money in your budget, go ahead and change it. The best fitting clutch cable I ever got was the BBK, although admittedly it was the most expensive. I bought a Maximum Motorsports cable one time and had to send it back. I don't know what it was for, but it wasn't for a Mustang. While you are in there, it's not a bad idea to go ahead and change your rear main seal on your engine. It's like $12, and only takes minutes to change. Another way to save some money is to have your factory flywheel resurfaced. It's going to be a better quality and more closely balanced than an autoparts store flywheel. It should be less than $50 to get your flywheel resurfaced, and there is someone who provides that service in virtually every town in America. With a basic soft clutch there really is no need to spend a lot of money on a billet or aluminum flywheel. It's just not money well spent.

Kurt

[Schiffy]

Question!? I'm not a tranny guru, in fact, I know more and have swapped more T5's than T45's at this point, however, I've been reading where a lot of FRPP throw out bearings have been going out prematurely. Like a bad batch or something recently. [MENTION=6]iRoush[/MENTION] obviously this is one of your areas of expertise, but have you heard anything about that?

[Det_Riot]

I don't think its more recently. I think its frpp in general. The OEM Ford TOB and frpp TOB are two different things IIRC.

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[Musturd]

Yea I only use oem frpp is not the same

[iRoush]

I don't think its more recently. I think its frpp in general. The OEM Ford TOB and frpp TOB are two different things IIRC.

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk

correct.

[Det_Riot]

correct.

Phew! Glad I got that right

[scottydsntknow]

For the T-45, make sure you don't have any issues going into or out of reverse first of all.  Second is if you got a 96-98 unit, they do not have the upgraded blocker rings that the 99-01 units got so there is that too.  Also have issues with forks getting bent and issues shifting at higher RPMs.  Mine is getting to the point where I want to light it on fire lol.  Its coming out this spring to get replaced with something else.

 

And for the shifter...  I love my tri-ax, or would if the damn trans shifted right.  I've had them in T-5s and TKOs though and they were good there too.  Except a TKO shifts like a dump truck regardless of shifter.