mate i had my fairmont converted to manual and it transformed the car, and also literally gained power at the back wheels. The only issue was starting with a cheap generic clutch which i then went valeo HD which wasnt much better lol. I gave the car a hiding once in awhile but didnt drive it like a race car, because these cars were never made for that.

Treat the T5 nicely and it will be fine, get it rebuilt first for peace of mind.......... id have more faith in giving a T5 a bit of stick than trying to make a BTR slush box do things it doesnt want

also, you think diff gears are fun behind an auto, try 3.7/3.9's behind a T5 lol........ the gearing felt like my custom Evo on gran turismo PS2

I here ya there mate, manual in peak hour traffic would be a b**ch!

The cam is going perfectly, loving it so far and seems to be making good power. Pulls hard through the mid range and power peaks at 5350rpm, so still has some decent top end pull. Added a bit more timing via the chip and it's pulling a bit better down low from around 2000rpm, used to bog down hard until about 2500rpm then it'll start to wake up slowly lol.

With this cam, the engine love's to rev. Feels a bit doughy below 2500rpm compared to the previous mild Franklin cam, but 3.23:1 diff gears don't help the cause. The tune is still a little off, so with leaner mixtures at WOT, and more timing, it should go better.

I'm planning to at least get the Fairmont hi-stalled before the end of year, just to help slip it into the powerband quicker. Just have to pick up a spare converter from Pick a Part and send it off to get modded which will cost around $300-$350. If I can get the stall modified to slip up somewhere around 2800rpm, that would be sweet. 'efxr6wagon' on here sent his off to Dr Trans up here in Auckland and he managed to get 2900rpm out of it, so I'm keen as for that


You're Fairmont went fkn hard with the T5, remember seeing a video of it on youtube somewhere . Still can't believe you let it go, was an awesome EF. Hope the new owner is treating it right!

The BTR's do suck up a bit of power, they are a pretty crap box in stock form, but they do the job - the shiftkit and trans cooler is what has kept mine alive I reckon. I'm surprised mine is still functioning lol, it's been completely thrashed in the time I've owned it and haven't had the trans flushed in about 3 years now . I still reckon I'd break the T5 if I gave it the same treatment my BTR gets lol, I'm a bit of a rough C***

ROFL! That brings back some memories of some of the cars I had on there lol, practically shifting up a gear every second

I'd be mega happy with something like this once the stall and gears are done http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umjpFpUrqpY&feature=plcp

Who says T5's in traffic suck?

I live and work in Sydney, one of the worst cities for traffic.

I really have no issues using a T5 on the daily grind to and from work.

Stop finding excuses and do it. You really won't regret it.

Oh, and if you want a donk upgrade, go with a DOHC. Docile as a kitten, but roars like a tiger all the way to 6300 in stock form.

Cheers
BenJ

Don't you encourage me, BenJ!

In all honesty, I probably would have taken that T5 conversion off my mate if the condition of the box was known to be good. He bought it from someone else, but didn't get a chance to test it as he never got around to putting it into his EB which he sold later on, so that put me off it a fair bit.

I'll probably find some other car to play with before I'd ever convert this to manual in reality. Pretty happy with the auto right now, not as much fun as a manual could be, but it works for me

+1
Id rather buy another car that is already manual, then convert my ghia to a T5.
That next car being a modular boss 5.4L

i'd be happy with that result, goes hard for a n/a auto

T5 for the win, im using a brass button puk clutch with 3.9 gears. It loves it an copes with 195rwkw fine.

T5 conversion is highly recommended man, i done it to my stock fairmont ghia, and the power difference was amazing, if you do it dont waste your time with a standard clutch, i put a standard exedy in mine and it was stuffed in a month, then put a 6puk in and it has not tried slipping since, no good in traffic but really strong clutch. as for strength, the auto i had, done 140k, was a tickford auto (no dipstick) and it got the same treatment the T5 gets, the auto was starting to slip after a few months of MY weekend driving. the T5 has lasted easily 1.5years now and still the same as the day i put it in. the first thing to go will be the diff, cause when i go from 1st to 2nd flat change the whole diff makes a scary loud thumping noise haha. also the T5 when i put it in my car had already done 220k out of a ea.

But seriously, Worth doing... you will not look back.

Thought I was happy with my audio system, till I came across a bit of a bargain. Ended up having to turn down buying a pair of springs for the rear this weekend and instead picked up a DLS SP12 subwoofer





Came with a recone kit and grill which is awesome

Dual 2 ohm, pretty high sensivity (97.3db from memory) so should get pretty loud.

Can't wait to try it out! This thing feels like a little beast, pretty sure it weighs about the same as both of the ID12 sub's put together LOL. Have been reassured that these will take a decent amount of power (DLS only rate it at 500wrms), so will be running 1krms through it for the time being and see it goes.

This means a new box is going to have to be made now, so I'm on the search now for spec's and hopefully see what results others have got with this sub. The box is definitely going to be ported and tuned low (30-32hz), chasing the loud and low thump this time, hopefully while still retaining a bit of SQ'ness. Once that's done, I might put it into a few SPL comp's and see what it's capable of

Nice man!, wanna get one for the rear parcel shelve when I upgrade my audio stuff, dont want it in the boot though since I have the prams and other family stuff in it etc

Decided to take this to the first round of Night Speed Drag Wars this past Friday night. First time down the 1/4 before so wasn't too sure what to expect really.

Took the Fairmont down as is with full weight like it's driven daily to keep things honest. Results weren't great, but not terrible either. No issues on the night and then car made it there and back without a hitch. Only got in 3 runs before I was in need of food and sleep, best of which was a 16.2 @ 91mph = fkn slow, lives up to being a bloody tank alright, ha. My mate took his BA XR6 down after doing exhaust and intake mods, ran a best 15.7 @ 91mph.

I had a few issues with traction off the line, especially the first run where it pretty much spun all of first gear then got grip before clicking 2nd. Funny how the strip is a completely different playing field compared to the street where traction isn't an issue at all in the dry. s**t rear tyres and single spinner diff doesn't help the cause. Came to the conclusion that an LSD is a must at the very least before the Ford Muscle Car Club drag day on Nov 18.

Mate of mine let me know about an EF XR6 at Pick a Part so went to investigate. $52 and a couple of hours of agony working on rocks, broken glass, loose bolts, nuts etc under this XR and I've got myself an LSD, lol. Also picked up some other things that looked pretty new so thought they'd make good spares.



Will be cleaning it up, put some fresh oil in it, then spray it black before it goes in next Saturday. Then I've got some time to test it out before the drag day the following weekend. Will keep the original 3.23:1 single spinner and maybe get a locker for it, chuck the 3.89:1 gears I've got here in and fit that whenever it gets done. For now, the 3.45:1 will have to do.

Not really too concerned with making the car go fast down the 1/4, it's not what I've built it up to do really. But if I can break into the 15's, I'd be pretty happy, and hopefully get that trap speed up a bit. Should be able to get some decent results if I get my s**t together and stop getting drunk-like reaction times

Seems this is the only photo I could find of it at the drags, couldn't find many people with photo's from the night. Too bad it was only waiting in the queue and not even on the fking strip


LSD swap went ahead today. Cleaned it all up, gave a fresh coat of black paint and in she went. Swapped the standard upper trailing arms (and their mounting brackets) out for the matching XR6 arms and brackets as well which I took with me when I got the diff.

EF XR6 upper arm + bracket up top, vs std EF Fairmont upper arm + bracket below



Took it for a drive and it spins 2 which is good, has slightly better acceleration and pick up with the shorter gearing and drives pretty smooth too (funnily enough, seems a lot smoother than before), no clunking etc. Until I came home, went to reverse in the carport and it has a light shuddering whilst turning at very low speeds. Not sure what the go is there, but will continue driving it this week to try test it out a bit more to narrow down exactly when this shuddering occurs. Hopefully will get some time to take the car into the old man's work so I can put it up on the hoist so it's level and put some fresh Castrol LSX90 oil and see if it makes any difference.

Nice update. $52 for an LSD is pretty good. I can just picture you at the payment point. "Just a diff from an old Falcon mate". Nicely done.

I wouldn't worry about the times as long as you enjoy it on the street.

How the hell did you get a diff for $52?!!! Sorry, missed that bit. That is friggen extreme.


EDIT

HOLY CRAP. Is that the basic price for a whole diff assembly at Pick-A-Part now?!
Phuck me. I feel light in the head..... Pick-A-Part is on. Loving it.