Installing stickshift in lieu of Fordomatic--1957

[IronHorseDriver]

Hello Early Bird Restorers/Enthusiasts,

I am in the process of restoring my '57. It is currently at my bodyman's house, but once it is done I will begin the long and tedious process of installing everything--engine, tranny, wiring, interior, etc. The 312 engine was rebuilt with Mummert heads and intake, and the Fordomatic trans and torque converter were rebuilt. I am considering the option of installing a overdrive manual trans instead of the automatic, in part because I am a fan of stick shifts (and I won't need to be worried about getting carjacked here LOL).

I'm wondering if anyone on this forum has swapped a manual for the automatic. If so, what is involved with this? I obviously know I will need to purchase the tranny (I heard of one that was for sale for $250 or so), the shifter and linkage, the flywheel, the clutch, clutch linkage, and the clutch pedal. I assume I can keep the brake pedal arm but I realize that I will need to change the footpad. Will there be any more detailed work that will need to be done, such as serious body mods, needing a different driveshaft, or different rear end?

I am not planning on having a car that will be judged in the Concours category as it does not have the original engine (and the engine I have has been modified, not just with aluminum heads but it was bored .060 and a stroker kit was installed), and the interior color is not original. By the time I am done I hope to have a vehicle that could potentially be a daily driver that could potentially last another 62 years (even though I don't plan on lasting that long LOL).

Thanks in advance for your advice.

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[Douglemmo]

I did exactly the swap that you are talking about. Luckily I had a 57 T-bird parts car that was overdrive and I merely switched all of the parts from that into the automatic car that I restored. You do not need to make any body modifications. You will need the overdrive solenoid and the kickdown switch which goes under the gas pedal , the overdrive drive shaft which is a different length than the automatic driveshaft , and the rear end pumpkin which is a very much lower rear end ratio than the automatic . the overdrive rear end is approximately 3.72 to 1. You will need this rear because if you use the automatic rear end the car will not operate well at low speeds. You will also need the cable which is the manual lock out of the overdrive and the floor shifter with the appropriate shift rods. Although I assume you could use an aftermarket shifter but that might require modification to the transmission tunnel. As far as the brake and clutch pedal and the linkages that go with the clutch pedal you might be better off to contact one of the used parts sellers to see if you could get the whole pedal assembly that bolts underneath the dash and replaces the pedal assembly that you currently have. Hope this helps.

 

[fordrodsteven]

Hello Early Bird Restorers/Enthusiasts,

I am in the process of restoring my '57. It is currently at my bodyman's house, but once it is done I will begin the long and tedious process of installing everything--engine, tranny, wiring, interior, etc. The 312 engine was rebuilt with Mummert heads and intake, and the Fordomatic trans and torque converter were rebuilt. I am considering the option of installing a overdrive manual trans instead of the automatic, in part because I am a fan of stick shifts (and I won't need to be worried about getting carjacked here LOL).

I'm wondering if anyone on this forum has swapped a manual for the automatic. If so, what is involved with this? I obviously know I will need to purchase the tranny (I heard of one that was for sale for $250 or so), the shifter and linkage, the flywheel, the clutch, clutch linkage, and the clutch pedal. I assume I can keep the brake pedal arm but I realize that I will need to change the footpad. Will there be any more detailed work that will need to be done, such as serious body mods, needing a different driveshaft, or different rear end?

I am not planning on having a car that will be judged in the Concours category as it does not have the original engine (and the engine I have has been modified, not just with aluminum heads but it was bored .060 and a stroker kit was installed), and the interior color is not original. By the time I am done I hope to have a vehicle that could potentially be a daily driver that could potentially last another 62 years (even though I don't plan on lasting that long LOL).

Thanks in advance for your advice.

I'm not exactly sure but I seem to remember something about the shaft up under the dash (that the pedals hang from) is different on the standard shift cars versus the automatics. I think it was a longer shaft and there were spacers / shims between the pedals on the shaft.

 

[fordrodsteven]

I hope this is helpful;

 

[IronHorseDriver]

I did exactly the swap that you are talking about. Luckily I had a 57 T-bird parts car that was overdrive and I merely switched all of the parts from that into the automatic car that I restored. You do not need to make any body modifications. You will need the overdrive solenoid and the kickdown switch which goes under the gas pedal , the overdrive drive shaft which is a different length than the automatic driveshaft , and the rear end pumpkin which is a very much lower rear end ratio than the automatic . the overdrive rear end is approximately 3.72 to 1. You will need this rear because if you use the automatic rear end the car will not operate well at low speeds. You will also need the cable which is the manual lock out of the overdrive and the floor shifter with the appropriate shift rods. Although I assume you could use an aftermarket shifter but that might require modification to the transmission tunnel. As far as the brake and clutch pedal and the linkages that go with the clutch pedal you might be better off to contact one of the used parts sellers to see if you could get the whole pedal assembly that bolts underneath the dash and replaces the pedal assembly that you currently have. Hope this helps.

Thanks for the info. It sounds like a cool idea but I am a bit concerned about messing with the rear end pumpkin. I will call the tech advisor for CTCC (Classic Thunderbird Club of Chicagoland) to get his input and also some leads on where I can either purchase the manual gearbox/associated parts, or someone I can swap my auto trans and associated parts with.

 

[55birdman]

Hello Early Bird Restorers/Enthusiasts,

I am in the process of restoring my '57. It is currently at my bodyman's house, but once it is done I will begin the long and tedious process of installing everything--engine, tranny, wiring, interior, etc. The 312 engine was rebuilt with Mummert heads and intake, and the Fordomatic trans and torque converter were rebuilt. I am considering the option of installing a overdrive manual trans instead of the automatic, in part because I am a fan of stick shifts (and I won't need to be worried about getting carjacked here LOL).

I'm wondering if anyone on this forum has swapped a manual for the automatic. If so, what is involved with this? I obviously know I will need to purchase the tranny (I heard of one that was for sale for $250 or so), the shifter and linkage, the flywheel, the clutch, clutch linkage, and the clutch pedal. I assume I can keep the brake pedal arm but I realize that I will need to change the footpad. Will there be any more detailed work that will need to be done, such as serious body mods, needing a different driveshaft, or different rear end?

I am not planning on having a car that will be judged in the Concours category as it does not have the original engine (and the engine I have has been modified, not just with aluminum heads but it was bored .060 and a stroker kit was installed), and the interior color is not original. By the time I am done I hope to have a vehicle that could potentially be a daily driver that could potentially last another 62 years (even though I don't plan on lasting that long LOL).

Thanks in advance for your advice.

I have or should say I’m in the process of converting my ‘55 to a Mustang 5 speed. Obviously you’ll need to change bell housing, flywheel and brake/clutch pedal assembly. I ended up using some later model Merc pedal assembly and making modifications to it as I couldn’t locate an original.
The manual trans rear end ratios are”taller” than the automatics but you may find the auto 3:31 more desirable as a cruiser with your stronger motor.
I suspect that if you go with an original T bird transmission that body mods will not be necessary.
Changing to a 5speed opened a can of worms. Your swap should be straight forward.

 

[Telluride T-bird]

Hello Early Bird Restorers/Enthusiasts,

I am in the process of restoring my '57. It is currently at my bodyman's house, but once it is done I will begin the long and tedious process of installing everything--engine, tranny, wiring, interior, etc. The 312 engine was rebuilt with Mummert heads and intake, and the Fordomatic trans and torque converter were rebuilt. I am considering the option of installing a overdrive manual trans instead of the automatic, in part because I am a fan of stick shifts (and I won't need to be worried about getting carjacked here LOL).

I'm wondering if anyone on this forum has swapped a manual for the automatic. If so, what is involved with this? I obviously know I will need to purchase the tranny (I heard of one that was for sale for $250 or so), the shifter and linkage, the flywheel, the clutch, clutch linkage, and the clutch pedal. I assume I can keep the brake pedal arm but I realize that I will need to change the footpad. Will there be any more detailed work that will need to be done, such as serious body mods, needing a different driveshaft, or different rear end?

I am not planning on having a car that will be judged in the Concours category as it does not have the original engine (and the engine I have has been modified, not just with aluminum heads but it was bored .060 and a stroker kit was installed), and the interior color is not original. By the time I am done I hope to have a vehicle that could potentially be a daily driver that could potentially last another 62 years (even though I don't plan on lasting that long LOL).

Thanks in advance for your advice.

Hey, how did your manual transmission swap turn out? I want to put a manual tranny in my '57 and am curious if you did the swap?

 

[55birdman]

Hey, how did your manual transmission swap turn out? I want to put a manual tranny in my '57 and am curious if you did the swap?

I suppose that I was in a similar state of mind as you are now. With a slightly modified engine, exhaust, up graded brakes and suspension, I wanted to turn my 55 'Bird into more of a "sports car". To me that dictated a manual transmission.
I went with a Mustang T5 that has a .68 5th gear OD ratio. It will require an adapter (Mummert? I made mine), possibly changing the input shaft on the transmission as there are long and short - you'll need the short and then grind a bit off that. Obviously flywheel and clutch and clutch pedal and clutch mechanism - i went with a hydraulic set up but if you can find all the original parts that might be easier. You might be considering using an original Tbird 3 speed with OD. I suspect that this would be the easiest installation. But I have no experience with these.
With the T5 the shifter is positioned perfectly fore and aft on the transmission tunnel but you will need to relocate the hole for the shifter towards the top of the tunnel.
Several things will need attention; transmission mount, driveshaft, speedometer gear in the transmission. etc.
I never drove my car before I did the restoration so I cannot compare the before and after. But I can say that now the car cruises at ~2000 rpm at highway speeds.
"Going through the gears" on a manual tansmission is always an enjoyable experience - some will disagree.
You should be able to find fairly complete info on the web for this installation and other members will surely provide valuable input.
I'll answer any questions that I can based on my experience and can provide photos if reqiested.

Good luck!

 

[Telluride T-bird]

I suppose that I was in a similar state of mind as you are now. With a slightly modified engine, exhaust, up graded brakes and suspension, I wanted to turn my 55 'Bird into more of a "sports car". To me that dictated a manual transmission.
I went with a Mustang T5 that has a .68 5th gear OD ratio. It will require an adapter (Mummert? I made mine), possibly changing the input shaft on the transmission as there are long and short - you'll need the short and then grind a bit off that. Obviously flywheel and clutch and clutch pedal and clutch mechanism - i went with a hydraulic set up but if you can find all the original parts that might be easier. You might be considering using an original Tbird 3 speed with OD. I suspect that this would be the easiest installation. But I have no experience with these.
With the T5 the shifter is positioned perfectly fore and aft on the transmission tunnel but you will need to relocate the hole for the shifter towards the top of the tunnel.
Several things will need attention; transmission mount, driveshaft, speedometer gear in the transmission. etc.
I never drove my car before I did the restoration so I cannot compare the before and after. But I can say that now the car cruises at ~2000 rpm at highway speeds.
"Going through the gears" on a manual tansmission is always an enjoyable experience - some will disagree.
You should be able to find fairly complete info on the web for this installation and other members will surely provide valuable input.
I'll answer any questions that I can based on my experience and can provide photos if reqiested.

Good luck!

Wow. Thanks! That was very informative. That's exactly where I am. Slightly modified and I want this to be a daily driver.