TimC wrote:

There are a couple of ways to perform a T5 swap.

1) you can use your 66 bell housing and use the adapter plate.  This way , the plate solves 2 problems.  It accommodates for the difference in the bolt patterns from the 4 speed and the T5.  The adapter also spaces the T5 back from the bell, to make up the difference between the length of the input shaft on the 4 speed and T5 trans.  The input shaft on the T5 is longer, by the thickness of the T5 adapter plate.  The T5 input shaft is too long for the 66 bell, without the adapter plate.

2) you can use a 1980's Mustang bell housing, which is deeper, and fits the longer T5 input shaft without a spacer/adapter.

If you use the early bell housing and clutch fork, you can keep your stock clutch pedal linkage, with a minor modification to the bell housing to attach the adapter plate.

If you use the 1980's mustang bell housing, and clutch fork, it is well suited to using a cable clutch, and eliminates the stock Z-bar clutch pedal linkage.  MustangSteve sells a well engineered cable clutch conversion kit.  There is also a clutch fork fulcrum adapter kit available from other vendors, which allows you to use your 66 clutch fork on the 1980's Mustang bell, and use the original clutch pedal linkage

Both the 6 bolt  early bell and the 1980's fox bell will bolt up to the 289 & 302/5.0 blocks

I have MS's power brake & cable clutch setup in our 66, and I am doing the early bell/adapter plate T5 swap in my 65.
Then, there's also the hydraulic clutch activation method.... Lots of options....

Thank you ! 
the easy way will work !  
 You know ...  i have a budget ...  unfortunately i cant add more and more also if i would .
As always be so far is not the best for junkiard find , and shipping cost . So i must be focused on " major" issue .
In future i will add but for now ac kit , t5 swap , new diff, new suspension, new upholstery and ground painted take the whole budget ( more or less )

just for laugh  talking with my American friend Lucy :   hey lucy with my restoration i am keeping greater America !
tons of spare parts are flying to italy ! 

I did the t5 swap a few years back to my 66. I used information from this site and also Modern Driveline. I would suggest checking out Modern Driveline's web site. They have a wealth of information on the different options available as well as a complete catalog of parts. That way you can get an idea of the cost of each option. When I did mine I used a stock 66 flywheel and clutch set, a 92 T5 transmission and a 92 bell housing. I had my driveshaft shortened at a local shop. You want to make sure you use the correct starter for the 157 tooth flywheel. I also recommend the Mustang Steve cable clutch kit.

Mach1_Ron wrote:

TimC wrote:

There are a couple of ways to perform a T5 swap.

If you use the early bell housing and clutch fork, you can keep your stock clutch pedal linkage, with a minor modification to the bell housing to attach the adapter plate.
There is also a clutch fork fulcrum adapter kit available from other vendors, which allows you to use your 66 clutch fork on the 1980's Mustang bell, and use the original clutch pedal linkage

Both the 6 bolt  early bell and the 1980's fox bell will bolt up to the 289 & 302/5.0 blocks

I have a Late Model Bell housing with this Adapter to keep your Z-Bar. Let me know if you are interested, we can work something out.
 

 
Thanks ,

In mine last post i sayd that i need to respect some budget ......but this before pull out the engine and have a clear view How work z bar .  is really old and need improvement .
I  choose to go hydraulic thinking also at future headers .
I think i can DIY with some master and slave cyl.
Thanks !

lowercasesteve wrote:

One thing about using an adaptor plate with an early bell housing.  Make sure you have the adaptor plate properly aligned with the clutch plate.  Otherwise you will get a vibration when driving.  I had that problem with my T5 conversion.  It did not hurt anything, but after re-alignment the vibration went away.  I am a much happier camper now.

Can you elaborate on what you mean when you say "Make sure you have the adaptor plate properly aligned with the clutch plate"?  I am using an adapter plate and I have a vibration I haven't been able to find.
 

TKOPerformance wrote:

I'm just spitballing here, but I would presume the adapter plate could potential shift the trans to where the input shaft centerline and the pilot bearing bore are not aligned properly.  The input shaft in a trans always has some play, so you can get it to bolt up without difficulty, but you end up with a vibration and possibly the inability to shift into 4th gear at high RPM if the input shaft centerline and the pilot bearing bores are not concentric within a pretty narrow margin of 0.005".  Usually this is only a consideration when using an aftermarket bellhousing because in my experience stock parts typically work just fine without issue, but the adapter plate adds another level of tolerance that could cause an issue.  Here's a link to an article on how to check the runnout. 

TKO; you got it.  There can be a little bit of slop in the adaptor plate causing the trans input shaft to be a little out of alignment with the crank centerline.  It does not take much to cause a vibration. Mine was very minor and caused no problems driving or shifting.

http://www.hotrod.com/articles/ctrp-0404-bellhousing-alignment/

Go here to see the hydraulic clutch kits they handle and for tech info:

rosehillperformanceparts.com and/or dazecars.com

Both are members of this forum and can help.....