1976 Cortina - from 4 speed borg warner to T5?

[wolverinedo]

Hello! Another new member here looking for the answers to the many problems I've created for myself! ie Why didn't I just buy a new car?!?

So I'm wondering who out there has done this before or just knows how it can be done:

I have a 76 TD cortina, came out of the factory with the 250 six (not crossflow) and the 3 speed auto.
It now has a steel headed 250 crossflow out of an XD (i think) which is nice and warm and putting out around a lazy 120kw @ the rear wheels, and we've also swapped the auto for the 4 speed borg warner manual box.
Basically the borgy sucks and its time to throw it out for new and improved! Obviously the T5 (out of the XF and later falcons) 5 speed would be super sweet, but what we don't know is how much needs to be changed/modified to get it in. I have had an opinion that it will slot straight in to my current setup with only the gearbox mount needing to have an extension welded on. Sounds WAAY too easy!
My other option would be to get a 4 speed toploader which came from the factory in some TDs and while not giving me that glorious 5th gear at least they are a nice strong box that can handle some abuse.

Any opinions or knowledge from you guys would help here - even suggestions as to who/where I might get some help from. Im in Adelaide.

Secondly but as importantly (since I've left it so long its now summer and she's hating the heat!) cooling the ol girl. It originally had the engine fan plus stock radiator (2 row I think, about 7 years old and half blocked!), but last year I had the engine fan tossed to make room for a 12inch Davies Craig fan (mounted inside, sucking air through) mounted on the stock radiator. Its fine in every scenario except sitting in traffic when the temperature is over 30 degrees.
So unfortunately there is no more room inside to put a bigger diameter fan to suck through, there is just enough room to install a 10 inch fan on the outside to push air through the rad, and of course the radiator itself is old and shitty.
Suggestions? Obviously replace the rad is first priority but do I go for a recon-factory rad or a thicker 3 core? If I do get a thicker rad I won't have room for a fan on the inside at all (so little room between the end of the engine and radiator)... So ideas please!

Thanks for your time gents, I do look forward to reading what you have to say.

Best regards

[75Cortina]

Hey,

I have had my cortina converted from a three speed auto to a Supra 5 speed; the conversion was pretty straight forward. obviously a new bell housing, tail shaft and gearbox x member moded with a extension plate (no cutting required so its still strong), and with the supra box there is no need to mod the tunnel as the box fits in quite nice, with a T5 the mod’s should be very similar you shouldn’t' need to mod the tunnel as the box isn't that bulky, the only mod will need to be to the gearbox x member all you need is a extending plate that bolts on to the standard x member and extends out the bolt pattern and then you can use a normal falcon gearbox mount for that, also the tail shaft would need to be shortened a bit because of the extra length in a T5 compared to the borgy you have. You’ll also have to use the bell housing from the T5 and a new clutch would go a long way. If you haven’t already got the T5 get a supra box, there lighter and stronger then the T5 and have a better shift action that would be my recommendation. If you would like a picture of this x member just let me know and I’ll post it up.

As to who you would get some help from I have no idea what’s around in Adelaide. Sorry but you can order parts from shops in NSW or other states like castle main rod shop and yeah, if you want a guy that knows all this stuff about the gearbox swap and just about every other thing on cortina’s talk to Mark at M.D conversion in NSW, he will ship stuff out if you want it as well. His number is (02) 9671 7508, that’s where I got my car converted and he guided me through the whole process and yeah.

As for the cooling we that’s up to you, you can get a normal cortina radiator and mod it so that it’s a 3 core, which seems to keep the V8 cortin’s running pretty good, or you can go for a aussie desert cooler with twin thermos (there made to fit so you shouldn’t have any problem with clearance). There a bit expensive but they fit and they work a treat. (It keeps my hotted up 6 cool even on 40* days).

Hope this helps
Cheers
:eclipsee_

[Jim5_0]

I converted my Dads XF from a 3 speed auto to a T5 from a late XF (early XF's were not available with the T5). You will need the T5 and bell housing from an XF as the EA bell housing won't fit the 4.1.

The XF tailshaft fitted OK so your Cortina one will.

Going by what I learned you are going to run into the following issues: 1/. clutch cable the late XF clutch fork is on the passenger side so you won't be able to use the Cortina cable. hopefully the XF/EA type cable will be compatible with the Cortina clutch pedal.

2/. The XF 5 speed has a unique gearbox cross member because the T5 mount is further back and lower than anything else. you will have to fabricate one for the Cortina.

3/. The late XF has metric flywheel bolts your 4.1 will have imperial bolts which are shorter for the auto. You will have to source manual flywheel bolts off any earlier 3.3/4.1-200/250. You would not want to come across this difference after ripping threads out of your crank.

Don't forget to buy a new spigot bearing for the back of the crank as auto's don't have them.

[Jim5_0]

More issues you may face are:

The XF T5 shifter comes through the same hole in the floor as the T bar and four speed single rail Xf's use. Cortina single rails have the shifter mounted further forward on the box than Falcon single rails.

Presuming that the hole in the floor is virtually the same on all 6 cylinder Cortina's then your T5 shifter is going to be further back than the hole in your floor.

This second one may not cause you an issue but you would not want to find out when it's all in: The auto Cortina's speedo cable will go straight into the hole in the T5 that the electronic speedo sender came out of however you would be wise to check the the Cortina speedo cable is actually long enough to reach the hole in the T5.


Armed with all that information you should be able to fit the T5 without running into any nasty surprises.

[PhantomXR8]

I have a T5 behind a ED Falcon engine in my TE. I redrilled the X member and cut the floor to about half way through the floor reinforcement. The Cortina tailshaft from the Borg Warner single rail was a perfect fit. I'm using my car for racing so it doesn't bother me that the floor had to be cut. Also, the handbrake will be too close, need to trim it back or install some other shorter one.

[braddyxe51]

With the t5 will have to cut hole further back and mod handbrake a bit but not sure what to do with handbrake. I have a early model 5 speed from xe falcon in my corty. Had to move hole back for shifter but no handbrake mods. Uses the same clutch, cross member and I think tail shaft as the 4 speed. Speedo cable fits too. Needed to change tailshaft yoke as its diff number of splines. The xe gearbox clutch is on driver side but the xf model was on passanger side. The downside with the early boxes is that they are not very strong. Get a diff from a 4 banger corty they are 3.5 ratio where as the 6s had 2.77 and 2.92. One last thing early boxes and bellhousing are a 1 part.

[P100 Ute]

This is when i put a T5 in my TE




idea on how much further it sits back on original shifter position.and with handbrake just pull it towards the drivers seat about 20mm and it wont have any trouble with hitting the shifter... without pulling it over.. it just touches in reverse slightly.

and heres when i put one in a blokes TD.

[galaxy xr8]

With the cooling issue, I would get your radiator cleaned and flushed 1st, it is probably half blocked and causing all your drama's, fit a 180c thermo and buy a bigger 6 blade plastic fan if you have the original one still on, and most off all, get a shroud, you will be amazed on how much the shroud affect's the cooling, I was, I have just done all off this to my 221, and it never goes over half now even sitting in traffic on hot days.

[llllmikellll]

G'day.

Im after a BW35 auto transmission. If thats what came out of the Cortina and your in Melb, I may be interested if you dont want it.

Cheers,
Mike