MG Sports Cars

My 302 is finally bolted in place, at least for now, and time to tackle the driveshaft. A desk person at a local transmission and gear supplier told me that all Ford T-5’s use the same size slip yoke; that apparently isn’t so. My drive shaft shop guy gave me a yoke to use to measure for driveshaft length and the yoke he gave me was too small. OK, I admit I’m a Chevy guy and don’t know beans about Fords, but I’m thinking my 1989 Mustang 5.0 1352-200 SVO Aftermarket W/C T-5 has a little different output shaft. I do plan to measure and count teeth Monday morning, but can someone enlighten me as to the possibilities? “P”

I am currently using the aftermarket Ford T5 with the same yoke that I was using with a 4 cylinder version of the world class Ford T5. The aftermarket T5 does use the same yoke as the 5.0 T5. I think your driveshaft guy gave you the wrong yoke. All Ford T5s after about 1987 were world class. I think the pre world class Ford T5 still used the same yoke as world class. By the way, glad to see a Chevy guy coming around.

Thanks Dale, I was thinking he might have given me the wrong yoke too, but thought I'd ask the real experts here. I have a Chevy motor in my T-Bucket but there is a lot about the 5.0 motor I like and in my humble opinion think its a little bit better engineered; at least it doesn't have sheet metal on the front of it to cover the timing chain. Still, the Chevy small block is less expensive to build; for the most part bits and pieces are interchangeable, and haven’t changed all that much since 1955. I've learned you have to be a little more careful when selecting parts for different year Ford 302's.

"P"

Paul, I am just a Ford guy from way back so i like to poke a little fun. Chevy engines certainly have a lot of things going for them such as cost like you said. Good luck with the project. I dreamed of a T Bucket back in high school but never built one.

Thanks Dale, the project is coming along pretty well. As I’m retired I have most everyday to devote to it so often it moves a little faster than my budget. When I was a kid there was a TV show called “77 Sunset Strip” which had a roadster (not a T) and I wanted one ever since. My late wife put her foot down and said "any Hot Rod had to have room for the kids" so over the years I had a string of sedans’. After retiring I need a project, nobody to tell me no, fell in with a group of Harley riders who also loved Buckets, and the rest is history. As a group, we had a set of molds made and built 22 of them, mostly for resale but we all kept one. Picture below is mine, NO KIT, all scratch built by me, including the body. A few years ago I got to meet Norm Grabowski who built the roadster for the TV show; very much a character!

77 Sunset Strip was my insperation as well. Yours is a very nice example of what i like in a T bucket. Many are way to over the top with to much of everything. I also did the sedan street rod thing for the wife and kids. Their interest only lasted a few years. I wanted something with a lot of performance so I sold it to finance my TR6. The best move I ever made relative to my car hobby interests. It has been on the road bout 15 years and still gets as much attention as the first day I drove it and I keep finding new ways to enjoy it. Just to round out my whole story of car related interest I raced go karts for 8 years before the street rod thing.

Paul,

You'll need a 28 spline yoke for the T5. It's the same as the C4 & AOD also.

Cheers

Pete

Thanks Pete, that’s what I was thinking. I put a caliper on the diameter and counted the splines and they came out right but the yoke still wouldn’t go on so I took it back to the driveshaft shop we always use and told my friend there it wouldn’t fit and he said it has to, it’s the same on Jeeps, Firebirds, and Camaro’s. So I told him “I said it was for a Ford” and he said “I thought you were Chevy fans! Long story short, he’s getting me a FORD Slip Yoke to make my measurements. Remember I said we were primarily a Chevy Shop; guess it came back to haunt me.

Thanks Dale, sometimes I just go out to the garage, turn on the radio, the one on the shelf, not the car, and set and stare at it. They’re never finished and I have a long list of upgrades I want to do but they’ll have to wait until winter; it’s cruising time here in Texas. Appearance and stance is everything and we go to great lengths to make that right. The bottom of the car is as clean and shiny as the top; someday I’ll have to take pictures.

“P”

Thanks again Pete, putting one on order at Jeg's in the morning, "P"

Forgot to mention I went back to the driveshaft shop to get another yoke and he handed me one for a C-6. I told him even though the spline would work the wall thickness was too much and it wouldn't fit. I said I was going to order one from Jeg's but I ordered it from Summit instead. OH yes, I'll be changing driveshaft shops as well.

UPDATE, a new, Ford Racing slip yoke is in hand, at a different shop though, and will be ready in a couple of days; $49.95 plus shiping from Summit if anyone needs one.