We have completed our steering box install and five-speed transmission install on our ’30 Tudor. WOW! WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!
The steering is now stable and smooth, and effort is pretty low even though we have 6.50-16 tires mounted on the car. The difference is amazing! We did the box rebuild while the transmission was out of the car, so in-and-out was a breeze.
The T5 Five Speed is also a great success. The car shifts effortlessly, full synchros make up and down shifting quite easy, and having a gear between the old second and third adds to the versatility of the car in traffic. In fifth gear, the 28% overdrive keeps RPMs around 1700 at 50 mph. This one change will do more than anything else we could do to save our original engine from damage and wear due to over-revving or sustained high RPM driving.
We have put about a hundred and fifty miles on this new steering and transmission combination with absolutely no issues.
Our Tudor now has a new attitude – it is more like a modern car and less like an “antique.” At the same time, we insulated the inside of the firewall with a plastic/jute item from Snyders and also put Amazon-sourced self-stick sound and heat insulation on both the top and bottom of the wooden floors. Even in our 90+ temps here in central Florida, there is a notable difference in interior temperatures. The sound level is also way down due to the insulation AND the lower RPMs. Normal conversation at 50 mph is great!
Changing the transmission was a job and a half – I won’t sugar-coat it. But the kit that I got from Dennis Patrick at Model A 5 Conversion is both complete and well-engineered. I have done a lot of “kit” stuff with complete cars as well as fiberglass body parts, engine conversions, etc. and face it – stuff never really fits well. With Dennis’ kit, it all fits like it is supposed to. Great job, highly recommend.
Let me know if you have questions!
Kevin