New Guy

Howdy guys, my dad passed away back in June and we recently tracked down and repurchased his old CJ5. It was in our family since the early 80s but he had to sell it when he fell on hard times back in 2008. It's a beautiful sight to see it sitting in my garage now waiting to be brought back to life. I'm coming here to get some help and advice on how to get it back on the road. I'm no expert mechanic but I can turn a wrench and I'm not afraid of rust or hard work. It's a 1966 CJ5 with a 225 dauntless V6. Looks like it has the original T86 transmission. Problem is the transmission was in pieces in the back of the Jeep awaiting a rebuild. From all the reading I've done on the t86 I don't think I want to put it back on. I know the T90 and the T86 are very similar and my first question of many for you guys is can I just buy a rebuilt T90 and bolted on? Any helpful advice you can give me is greatly appreciated.

 

welcome to the site..Herm the overdrive guy sells rebuilt t90's may give him a call

 

This is our '66. We have alot of work to do. Getting this transmission figured out is our priority right now. My wife and I were talking about putting new T90 parts inside the t86 housing but we would rather buy a rebuilt T90 and bolted on if possible. Not sure how it would line up with our existing transfer case.

 

The T-90 is not a direct fit per se. There has been a huge amount of discussion on this forum about this. Oh and welcome from Ga. You can put the T-90 guts into the 86 case but you still have to use the "J" input shaft and change the top shift assy. The pilot bushing requires changing. The 90 bolt pattern is not the same as the 86 so you will need the 90 adapter to GM bell. The 86 adapter to bell can be re-drilled to accept the 90 case. Herm may have a T-90 already set up for hooking to a 225.

 

Welcome from Oklahoma! This is his website.

Herm The Overdrive Guy | Shift into High Gear!

 

Welcome from Michigan, the guys on this site are great, you should be able to find answers to any question you have here. Good Luck and welcome aboard.

 

welcome, from Sheboygan WI! this site and the people on it are incredibly knowledgeable, so if you get stuck in any projects, do not be afraid to ask!
several times over the past few years I have gotten frustrated and almost quit but then I came here, and would type in a few questions and usually within 15 minutes or so I have several fresh ideas and suggestions on how to complete my task.

that is a great looking jeep, and I think its a great idea to get the tranny in and wheel it a bit! I dig the rims too!

 

welcome from va . nice you were able to find the jeep for sale years later . another option is find a T 14

 

Thanks for all the comments and well wishes guys. I will have lots of questions for you as I go. Walt, thanks for the advice on the transmission, I will price it all out and get back to you. I an originally from Hahira Ga born and raised so I know Cordele well.

My first question would be in the opinion of the board would I be better off going with a T90 or T14?

 

T-86 with T-90 gears is an easier install. That being said, the T-14 is a better transmission and has a synchronized first gear. In order to install the T-14, you need to adjust the lengths of the drive shafts and linkages, whereas, you wouldn't need to do that for the T-86 (with T-90 gears) installation.

 

I have a '68 and a '69, both with the Buick V6 and T14 combo. Never had any issues with my '68 T14, but I am rebuilding it this weekend (as I am rebuilding the entire jeep). The '69 came with a noisy bearing in the T14...pretty sure it was flat-towed in neutral by a previous owner without disconnecting the drive shaft...that one will be next. Master rebuild kit from Novak Adapters is $155 for the T14.

Novak does list a kit for the T90 ($255) and they do mention the T86, but it says "call us". Likely they will have the right combo of T90 parts for the T86 to work, may just have to talk to them and see. Supposedly, their instructions are good, I will be able to verify after the weekend hopefully.

Brian Hainer (Metalshaper on youtube, link below) has a couple of T90 rebuild videos that are very good. Long story short, you may be able to rebuild what you have there or find a used one and rebuild it for under $300.

metalshaper

 

Welcome from the great northwest! Sorry to hear about your pops. The members here are great and have helped me a great deal.
Isn' t it great to find the family jeep again?

 

Welcome from Va. Good looking Jeep. Great project.