C5 to Manual trans

Well my dad said he'd get me a tranny for my B-day! So i need the info what kind of tranny will be easiest to bolt up since i had a c5 what else do i need i have been to the tech library but everything i read was about an a4ld swap whats the best way to go about the driveshaft length? How much will this cost total? what parts do i need to get brand new? i guess the first question is will this even be possible since it was a c5? AND YES I NOTICED THE FIRST SENTENCE AHAHAHAAHAHAHHAHA SO FUNNY!

A fm145, fm146 will bolt right up. You'll need a flywheel, clutch kit that has a new input shaft and then you'll need the petals, mater cylinder, slave cylinder and the hydro line. The clutch petal and break petal will bolt right in place. The master cylinder hole is already there you just need to knock the plate out of the fire wall. Then you need to install a clutch neutral safety switch and splice it into the wiring. There is also the m5od1 that people have used but idk if that'll bolt right up or not.

Oh and a new trans cross member I believe. I'm not sure if you'll have to move the existing one or not but you might be able to use a piece of flat steel as a adapter. Just drill the holes, bolt it to your original crossmember and to the trans mount.

Rowdy Fitzgerald said:

A fm145, fm146 will bolt right up. You'll need a flywheel, clutch kit that has a new input shaft and then you'll need the petals, mater cylinder, slave cylinder and the hydro line. The clutch petal and break petal will bolt right in place. The master cylinder hole is already there you just need to knock the plate out of the fire wall. Then you need to install a clutch neutral safety switch and splice it into the wiring. There is also the m5od1 that people have used but idk if that'll bolt right up or not.

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And driveshafts.

The M5OD is the same length as the A4LD, I wouldn't pick an FM over one. You will need the A4LD/M5OD transfer case shift linkage if you have a mechanical t-case and want to keep it as well.

Rowdy Fitzgerald said:

Oh and a new trans cross member I believe. I'm not sure if you'll have to move the existing one or not but you might be able to use a piece of flat steel as a adapter. Just drill the holes, bolt it to your original crossmember and to the trans mount.

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It will need a different trans crossmember too. I had to cut down my A4LD crossmember when I put a C5 in mine because it was too wide (and notch the holes to center the transmission)

I would definitely go with the M5OD over the FMs.

Brownie Mobile said:

Well my dad said he'd get me a tranny for my B-day! So i need the info what kind of tranny will be easiest to bolt up since i had a c5 what else do i need i have been to the tech library but everything i read was about an a4ld swap whats the best way to go about the driveshaft length?

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pretty much your whole post dude lol it's a transmission not a tranny !!

So it sounds like i can do this without any welding and thats what i was afraid of! Ok so far heres the info ive gathered; M50D, M50D transfer case linkage and new trans cross member what about the drive shafts? So basically if i find the right donor vehichle i can get everything i need minus the driveshafts and cross member? What kind of mileage can one expect out of a M50D(so i no whether or not ill need to rebuild) or what mileage range i should look for i think theres probaly a few in the j yard nearby that ill go look at once ive gathered more info.

Brownie Mobile said:

So it sounds like i can do this without any welding and thats what i was afraid of! Ok so far heres the info ive gathered; M50D, M50D transfer case linkage and new trans cross member what about the drive shafts? So basically if i find the right donor vehichle i can get everything i need minus the driveshafts and cross member? What kind of mileage can one expect out of a M50D(so i no whether or not ill need to rebuild) or what mileage range i should look for i think theres probaly a few in the j yard nearby that ill go look at once ive gathered more info.

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If you have to move the transmission cross member you'll have to drill out or grind off some rivets then relocate it where it needs to be and drill new holes to bolt it up.

Brownie Mobile said:

So it sounds like i can do this without any welding and thats what i was afraid of! Ok so far heres the info ive gathered; M50D, M50D transfer case linkage and new trans cross member what about the drive shafts? So basically if i find the right donor vehichle i can get everything i need minus the driveshafts and cross member? What kind of mileage can one expect out of a M50D(so i no whether or not ill need to rebuild) or what mileage range i should look for i think theres probaly a few in the j yard nearby that ill go look at once ive gathered more info.

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You can get the crossmember from the donor vehicle. If you have to move the transmission cross member you'll have to drill out or grind off some rivets then relocate it where it needs to be and drill new holes to bolt it up. I'm not sure about the drive shafts. Look it up by searching through the forums.

You will get 18 ish mpg's depending on your driving habits like the fm transmissions the m50d is just stronger and more reliable.

On the M50D I am not so sure it is the mileage as the question to if it was ever run dry. There are three rubber plugs on the shifter plate and if they dry rot and crack it is easy for the trans to lose it's fluid. By the way the M50D uses Mercon ATF and not SAE 90 weight. If you find one check the fluid level and make sure it is ATF. If you are concerned about a trans you can't test run remember you can eBay a bearing and synchro kit for about $200 you just need to know the number of splines on the 5th and reverse idler shaft. You will also need to buy the 2 shaft nuts as the originals are no longer useable once you remove them. Doing your own rebuild... well that depends on your ability.

Rowdy Fitzgerald said:

If you have to move the transmission cross member you'll have to drill out or grind off some rivets then relocate it where it needs to be and drill new holes to bolt it up.

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I just unbolted my crossmember, shortened it (the frame was narrower there) and slid it ahead, I think the older trucks were similar. Mine went to the forward set of holes which I assume are holdovers from the C5 days. I don't know if the older trucks would have the back holes or if you would have to add them. The newer trucks have the "dogbone" type crossmember with two rubber bushings, my '86 parts truck did. Mine had one side wrap up the frame rail and the other set on the lower web of the other frame rail.

You can see where the bolts were and where they ended up.



In my truck, the rear driveshaft grew 4" and the front shrunk 4". That is with a V8 so mounting may vary but you will need driveshaft work.

85- Are some stock trans cross member brackets bolted to the frame? The 2 that I moved (one on a bronco ll and one on a ranger) had 2 rivets and a bolt. I assumed they were all like that. I wasn't sure if he would have to have the drive shafts lengthened or shortened with the m5od1. I used a fm cuz I didn't know about the m5od1 at the time.

Rowdy Fitzgerald said:

85- Are some stock trans cross member brackets bolted to the frame? The 2 that I moved (one on a bronco ll and one on a ranger) had 2 rivets and a bolt. I assumed they were all like that. I wasn't sure if he would have to have the drive shafts lengthened or shortened with the m5od1. I used a fm cuz I didn't know about the m5od1 at the time.

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As far as I can tell mine was originally. It may be only certain transmissions got the bolt in crossmember but I thought it was odd the factory holes lined up with the C5 and 302 plus there was another set in the middle.

The C5 is pretty compact, kinda freaky how much smaller and easier to carry my V8 transmission was than my V6 transmission.

I've never seen a C5. I'm a manual trans guy. I had to drill new holes for 4 of the 6 holes both times I moved the cross members. The first time I swapped in a FM145 on a B ll with a auto trans and the second time I swapped a FM 146 in place of that FM145 on my SAS'd Ranger. It was a 2wd when I started so maybe that was why. I had to swap out the drive shafts on the B ll and I had to have the rear drive shaft shortened for the Ranger. Maybe I've just got bad luck lol.

85_Ranger4x4 said:

As far as I can tell mine was originally. It may be only certain transmissions got the bolt in crossmember but I thought it was odd the factory holes lined up with the C5 and 302 plus there was another set in the middle.

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I had to move my cross member forward to the next set of holes also once the engine was in, but everything did bolt right up - that was probably one of the easiest parts except for getting the rivets out.

85_Ranger4x4 said:

The C5 is pretty compact, kinda freaky how much smaller and easier to carry my V8 transmission was than my V6 transmission.

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Pretty sure the ATX from my Tempo weighs more than an AOD. The TK-5 from my 2.0L truck surprised me for how light it was. I also think the SOHC I4 blocks are heavier than the V6s with no cam. Maybe it was just the day I was working on things...