That S10 4 speed tranny just might be a T5.

[Lugnutz65]

This is just a heads up alert for you folks out there searching salvage yards for an S10 T5 with a cable speedo connection.

S10 trucks sometimes had 4 speed transmissions. Some were Borg Warner T4s. It's rather interesting, but apparently Borg Warner but T4 guts inside of T5 cases, at least some of the time. In July I bought a T4 (Tag 1351-120) because as I inspected it, I noticed the outside looked EXACTLY like a T5. It had the bulge on the tail stock for a 5th gear and a cable speedo connection. See photos.

The guts aren't worth anything to me but the tail stock and case lid are worth 3X what I paid. The 4 speed shifter guide plate can be tapped out and a 5 speed guide plate put in its place.

So next time you walk past a 1988 or earlier S10/S15/Sonoma truck with a 4 speed MT, take a second look. You just might find something valuable.

Link to pics on my BLOG - See 11/7/15 post.

[88Ironduke]

Very cool. I will be watching craigslist a little more closely. Great info. Thanks for supporting the forum with information like this!

Paul

[Oscar73]

Quick question...you say tailstock. ??? Tailshaft, maybe and tailshaft housing? Because don't you need the mechanical speedo *tailshaft* to have a mounting spot for the drive gear? And the tailshaft housing for the speedo slug with driven gear?

Just trying to clarify terms... and parts. Thanks!

[Lugnutz65]

Originally Posted by Oscar73

Quick question...you say tailstock. ??? Tailshaft, maybe and tailshaft housing? Because don't you need the mechanical speedo *tailshaft* to have a mounting spot for the drive gear? And the tailshaft housing for the speedo slug with driven gear?

Just trying to clarify terms... and parts. Thanks!

Sorry for any confusion. Yes, the tail shaft housing is probably the best term. The plastic drive gear has a special mounting spot on the tail shaft and is held in place by a clip (as you are aware). It is common that people will find a nice T5 (like a Camaro T5 or a world class T5 with nice gearing but maybe it has a VSS sending unit. So they just open it up and remove the reluctor wheel. They then will make a metal shim and place the plastic drive gear at the proper location on the tail shaft. Then use the mechanical style tail shaft housing to complete the conversion. This is also common when people find a nice Camaro T5 and want to move the shifter location to the S10 position. Even if the Camaro T5 has a cable speedo and drive gear, it will be in the wrong location for the S10 tail shaft housing and thus the tail shaft will need a shim and the drive gear relocated to the proper location. There is an article about this on the Inliners.org web site HERE (Click Tech Tips - then T5 Tranny Page and then the Camaro T5 Hybrid Link at the bottom of the page).