The Mustang Forum for Track & Racing Enthusiasts

Taking your Mustang to an open track/HPDE event for the first time? Do you race competitively? This forum is for you! Log in to remove most ads.

  • Welcome to the Ford Mustang forum built for owners of the Mustang GT350, BOSS 302, GT500, and all other S550, S197, SN95, Fox Body and older Mustangs set up for open track days, road racing, and/or autocross. Join our forum, interact with others, share your build, and help us strengthen this community!

Well just in case...

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

531
364
sfo
Well Flyhalf and I are the only ones beating the beejeezus out of the A10. It is a great box when it works. Flyhalf is on box 3. I'm hoping I don't need box 2. But I am getting some intermittent quirks.

So...what does it take to convert the A10 to the chinese manual box?

Back of motor is the same?
Chinese box?
Clutch Pedal set?
Clutch Master cylinder?
Drive shaft?
Same diff different gear ratio?

Shifter fit in same hole or tunnel different?

Is the chinese box holding up to roadcourse work? Anyone making improved/rebuilt chinese box with say american parts inside for longevity?

Anyone or know anyone who has done the conversion?

I wonder if cheaper to get all parts needed from a salvage car with front damage?
 

JDee

Ancient Racer
1,797
2,001
Exp. Type
W2W Racing
Exp. Level
20+ Years
5 miles from Mosport
Not sure about the auto/manual swap kit, but allow me to suggest that If you're going to go that route I would not use the MT82, I would get a Tremec conversion from some outfit like Modern Driveline. They will put together a complete package with everything you need to do the swap and given where you live it'd be pretty simple, logistics wise. While you'll still need to rebuild your gearbox now and then even with a Tremec, it'll be half as often as it would be if you use the MT82.

MT82 as delivered might last you half a season of real racing I would guess. I got 2 1/2 years out of mine doing (hard) track days and it's in the middle of a total rebuild/upgrade right now. You could get a Calimer Stage 2 or 3 MT82, that's probably going to be the toughest MT82 you'll find. Our Chilean friend @Mad Hatter has experience with MT82 in race cars, I believe he has devoured several, perhaps he will weigh in. Naturally, you'll want a good racing clutch, Exedy HyperSingle is a starting point but you might need more than that.
 
Last edited:
1,161
2,116
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
5-10 Years
SoCal
+1 on the Tremec. If I had it to do again, I would have ordered a new, upgraded Magnum XL from Liberty Gears (link below) to start with. For the price, you get a brand new box with carbon synchros (a must for the high-rev coyotes), bronze shift pads and a few other tweaks for lower operating temps. I bought a stock Tremec box, and after 2000 miles pulled it apart to basically upgrade to the Liberty Gears spec (long story, don’t use Royal Purple synchromax in the Magnum XL). As @JDee mentions, the Tremec will need to be serviced down the road too, but they are much more serviceable than the MT82 - I upgraded mine in the garage with no drama.

https://libertysgears.com/our-products/tremec/
 
1,161
2,116
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
5-10 Years
SoCal
Naturally, you'll want a good racing clutch, Exedy HyperSingle is a starting point but you might need more than that.

For a stock manual car, the 2018+ are a bit trickier and much more limited on clutch options with OE the dual mass setup and the MT82-D4 bell housing. What I’m not sure is if they can be retrofitted with the same flywheel/clutch/bell housing setup as the 2017 and older coyotes - my guess is it shouldn’t matter for @bob because he’s starting fresh coming from the A10.
 
531
364
sfo
Mt82 is oem stock

Is tremec same thing like aftermarket?

I have class rules that require stock gearbox but if tremec is like stock copy like ford vs. Xyz front brake rotors then tremec would be legal
 

JDee

Ancient Racer
1,797
2,001
Exp. Type
W2W Racing
Exp. Level
20+ Years
5 miles from Mosport
They were stock in GT500s so...

In the GT350s too. In the GT? Not so much.

Kind of a dumb rule that you can't upgrade to a more reliable gearbox, not going to make the car any faster. Too bad. The MT82 is going to be less trouble than the A10 I think, mine actually did work well, it just wore out quicker than I expected. Though if you have to use the D4 MT82 the ratios are kind of funky, I think both 5th and 6th are overdrives? But it's that way on some of the Tremecs as well.
 
Last edited:

PaddyPrix

If breakin' parts is cool, consider me Miles Davis
725
1,081
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
San Diego
Bob, what year are you? If you're 2018+, the MT82-D4, seems to be holding up* to the 4-6 trackdays/month I've put it through for the past 6 or so months now. There isn't much selection about it though, or your choices are effectively made, as the bellhousing is integrated into the transmission, no choice there, and last I checked, there were only two options for aftermarket clutch/flywheels, and I didn't get a good feeling with any of them, especially considering their price points -- more like rehashed 15-17 MT82's with the previous slave cylinder and whatnot.

Though if you have to use the D4 MT82 the ratios are kind of funky, I think both 5th and 6th are overdrives? But it's that way on some of the Tremecs as well.
Yeah, double overdrive, and just about identical to the Tremec T-56 XL, something like 0.82 and 0.63. Most tracks are reduced to just 3rd and 4th shifting, if you have 3.55's, with 3rd going to 115-120, and 4th going to 160.

I will say that if mine blows, I'll probably look at putting in a TR-3160, because there are so many times I feel like I'm in-between gears. Done some of the math and 4.10s would probably do the job just the same, reserving 5th for the longer straights which in SoCal, after Auto Club is dismantled, would probably only get seen at Willow Springs.


* well, other than that freak accident I had with the flywheel coming off
 
531
364
sfo
Geeze...conversion is expensive even with cheap gearbox. I need a striper and that might still be pricey.
 

JDee

Ancient Racer
1,797
2,001
Exp. Type
W2W Racing
Exp. Level
20+ Years
5 miles from Mosport
Bob, what year are you? If you're 2018+, the MT82-D4, seems to be holding up* to the 4-6 trackdays/month I've put it through for the past 6 or so months now.

You prolly just jinxed yourself with that. I said the same thing to a buddy last year and within a couple more months the thing was going all to ratshit.
 

PaddyPrix

If breakin' parts is cool, consider me Miles Davis
725
1,081
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
San Diego
You prolly just jinxed yourself with that. I said the same thing to a buddy last year and within a couple more months the thing was going all to ratshit.
Welp... wonder if I can put that 3160 on layaway.
 
531
364
sfo
You prolly just jinxed yourself with that. I said the same thing to a buddy last year and within a couple more months the thing was going all to ratshit.

Sorry to the truely devoted but these aren't great cars. I hope Flyhalf is worng on my gearbox new quirkiness, but he is on #3 and the most knowledgeable one here on the A10. I'm trying to squeeze more speed out of my car now. It is on the left resetting corner weight and alignment. I usually leave a cushion so I don't get DQ'ed for class rules but this car is just a slow big girl in this configuration so I'm going right down to the limits and hope I don't miss minimum weight, ride height, and suspension settings etc. I'll do all this work and see if Murphy's law rears its ugly head.
 

JDee

Ancient Racer
1,797
2,001
Exp. Type
W2W Racing
Exp. Level
20+ Years
5 miles from Mosport
I dunno, I think they're pretty good cars until we start using them for things they really weren't meant to do, like running 30-45 minutes flat out on road courses. Page 12 on the owners manual kind of sums it up, they pretty much warn you about the consequences of doing what we do.

I raced showroom stock back in the late 80s early 90s so I've been down this road before, I'm not real surprised. Nice thing is now I can really fix the problems as there are a pile of aftermarket parts available, back then I couldn't since, ah, showroom stock. They had rules and dumb stuff like that which I can safely ignore now... ;)
 

PaddyPrix

If breakin' parts is cool, consider me Miles Davis
725
1,081
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
San Diego
You prolly just jinxed yourself with that. I said the same thing to a buddy last year and within a couple more months the thing was going all to ratshit.
This did not age well. At all.
 

TMO Supporting Vendors

Top