Spencer Fabrication T5 Trans Swap
 

Spencer just posted this up, looks like an interesting option for all you boosted guys... http://www.spencerfabricationcompany...ion-conversion

I have been talking with Mark about this project since the idea was put on paper, and look forward to it being released... I love how he uses the automatic transmission bell housing. No more ugly cut and hack job bell housings.. Rest assured it will be simple bolt in unit once he gets it all put together.. Thanks Mark for letting this info out, it was killing me not to be able to talk about it!!!! I think I did pretty good keeping a secret for close to a year......

It will all come down to how he prices the kit. A brand new T5 with high torque capacity can be had for well under $2k. I wouldn't presume to price his product for him but if he can keep the whole package price in the sub $3500 range then he should do quite well with these.

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I like the idea "plug-n-play". I would rather pay a little more and do the installation myself than pay someone to do a "hack" job

With the idea trans without any gear work is good for 300ftlbs rated for a 3300lbs car, so 400ftlbs 500hp brz frs thats only 2700lbs should be safe as hell. You guy see 2nd gears top speed?? I think i read 74mph....

if i still had an fa20 in the car and didn't have a trans solution, id buy this no doubt. nice work

Much like other domestic trans swaps this one will have the same issues. Improper gear ratio gaps for a lower torque engine and the inability to shift at higher rpm. I'd sooner get a par gearset than run a t5

What do you mean by inability to shift at higher rpm, if you dont mind explaining it a bit more? Thanks.

Sure. Domestic engines generally don't rev as high as out small 4cyl cars do. Because of that the synchro design in the trans is usually designed to work better at a lower rpm. What most people find is you won't be able to get it into gear because the synchro can't keep up with the rpm and it will eventually wear them out. Not to mention everything inside is heavier so there is more inertia withing the gearset. Faceplating the trans fixes the issue but it's costly and not really street friendly. I know in my buddies Mustang with a t5 if you rev it over 6000rpm you'll never get it into the next gear no matter how hard you yank the shifter lol

Shifting at high rpms is a chore for syncros and most T5's are pretty old tech in this department. The T5Z has carbon syncros.

I'm actually surprised they chose to use a t5. There are much better and more up to date options that aren't much more expensive.

From Facebook, little more explanation.

"All right, we are going to spill the beans. Here is our transmission solution for the BRZ/FRS. What we are developing for the 86 is a different approach to the task of a trans swap. Rather then pick a trans first and figure out how to adapt it, we made the adapter first. What we started with is the OEM bell housing from the automatic transmission. Since its an OEM part that means straight bolt up, no cutting or welding to make the starter work. We engineered a sturdy 6061 Aluminum adapter plate that bolts to the bell housing and allows the installation of the gear box. This may seem like a simple and obvious idea but hey sometimes the best ones are. To meet the needs of our shop car we went with an upgraded Ford T5z transmission. However since we designed our adapter as a blank slate it is wide open to future development with even more transmissions. "

I wouldn't mind a TKO 600 in the future if my PAR set ever gives out.