[east high]

I'm in the drawn out process of refreshing my '66. Today I pulled the T5 for a handful of reasons. One of the reasons is this tail housing seal needs to be replaced. The thing is there seems to be at least three different flavors - no boot, short boot which comes flush with the output shaft, and the long boot type I have. Aside from the obvious Is there any difference?

The other thing of note is discovering an old school Hurst shifter under all the junk. I have no memory of installing this the first time around but that's not saying much. Is the Hurst until at all desirable anymore? At any rate, I plan to replace it with a second-hand Quik-Stik unit I bought a while ago.

I'm also replacing the trans mount. I think the general consensus is that a stock rubber mount is preferred over the polyurethane, correct?

Thanks-

 

[kb65]

I'm in the drawn out process of refreshing my '66. Today I pulled the T5 for a handful of reasons. One of the reasons is this tail housing seal needs to be replaced. The thing is there seems to be at least three different flavors - no boot, short boot which comes flush with the output shaft, and the long boot type I have. Aside from the obvious Is there any difference?

View attachment 934852

The other thing of note is discovering an old school Hurst shifter under all the junk. I have no memory of installing this the first time around but that's not saying much. Is the Hurst until at all desirable anymore? At any rate, I plan to replace it with a second-hand Quik-Stik unit I bought a while ago.

View attachment 934853

I'm also replacing the trans mount. I think the general consensus is that a stock rubber mount is preferred over the polyurethane, correct?

Thanks-

I used the seal without the boot gave me just enough room i did not have to cut the drive shaft.

 

[sotexyellow]

I've used the no boot and the long boot. Really found no functional difference. Old skool Hurst shifter is a relative term. There are no outer shift rods. Lol. I run one on my T5, no broken 3rd gears in 20 yrs. no matter how hard I bang it thanks to the stops. I run an adapted original 3 spd shifter handle for stealth.

 

[Nailbender]

The best tail housing seal depends on aesthetics, because the actual seal part is in the same place in every variation. I'd visit a fox body forum for the best shifter for a T-5.

 

[MSMach1]

The big seal aft portion is just a dust boot, so fluid retention wise it makes no difference. I had to cut that part off to get my new driveshaft installed.

 

[GeoffTheGiraffe]

The best tail housing seal depends on aesthetics, because the actual seal part is in the same place in every variation. I'd visit a fox body forum for the best shifter for a T-5.

Most Foxbody guys I talk to really like the Steeda Tri ax or the PRO 5.0

I liked the PRO 5.0 in my T5. I really like the PRO 5.0 in my TKO600

 

[east high]

Hey there,
Sounds like you're knee-deep in the refresh process with your '66 – gotta love those classic rides, right?
When it comes to the tail housing seal for your T5, it looks like you've got a few options to choose from – no boot, short boot, and the long boot like you've got. Aside from the obvious physical differences, the main distinction seems to be in the length of the boot.
Now, in terms of performance or function, there might not be a huge difference between them. It really comes down to personal preference and what works best for your setup. As long as you're replacing the seal with the correct one for your transmission, you should be good to go.

I looked up the code on the tag to find the donor car. Punched that into RockAuto and found all the correct parts I need for the trans. I'm replacing the clutch fork pivot ball and throwout bearing while I have it out.

 

[east high]

Got updates and new questions for anyone interested..

R&R'd the tail housing seal. One of these wheel nut sockets makes for a good driver.

Got the crossmember hanging in the professional bake booth:

Finally to my question - I suspect the retainer clip on this clutch fork isn't supposed to be all bent like this. Don't you hate it when you miss something like this until after you put your parts order in?

 

[22GT]

I'm in the drawn out process of refreshing my '66. Today I pulled the T5 for a handful of reasons. One of the reasons is this tail housing seal needs to be replaced. The thing is there seems to be at least three different flavors - no boot, short boot which comes flush with the output shaft, and the long boot type I have. Aside from the obvious Is there any difference?

It is not neccessary, with the right tool, to remove the transmission or tailshaft housing to replace the seal. Remove driveshaft, remove seal, install seal, install driveshaft. Can be done in as little as an hour.

I prefer the type with the dust boot, when possible.

 

[east high]

It is not neccessary, with the right tool, to remove the transmission or tailshaft housing to replace the seal. Remove driveshaft, remove seal, install seal, install driveshaft. Can be done in as little as an hour.

I prefer the type with the dust boot, when possible.

Yep. I didn't pull the trans just to replace the seal. The trans case had a lot of oxidation I needed to clean up, I'm swapping the shifter, replacing the mount, etc. Technically I could have done all these with it in the car, but it's easy to remove and much easier to work on outside the car. Plus doing so revealed damage I wouldn't have noticed had I not removed it. I was able to source a Timken seal with the long dust boot.

 

[22GT]

Yep. I didn't pull the trans just to replace the seal. The trans case had a lot of oxidation I needed to clean up, I'm swapping the shifter, replacing the mount, etc. Technically I could have done all these with it in the car, but it's easy to remove and much easier to work on outside the car. Plus doing so revealed damage I wouldn't have noticed had I not removed it. I was able to source a Timken seal with the long dust boot.

Quite true, just making sure the casual reader knew that. I spoken to folks who had the trans ripped out by mechanics who insisted it was necessary.

 

[tx65coupe]

I like my Steeda Tri Ax but my friend has a Pro 5.0 in his 68 and its nice too. I think the Steeda fits in a 65-66 a bit better.