Topic: T5 with electric speedo in a cable speedo car.

[biggrgivens]

How do I get my cable driven speedo to work with a trans that came with a electric speedo gear?

[74 PintoWagon]

I believe you have to change the housing and driven gear to mechanical, or you can use this..

http://www.abbott-tach.com/cablex.htm

[Wittsend]

As best I recall I just put the Pinto speedometer cable end into the T-5.

 But, warning, Warning, WARNING Will Robinson! I found that the tip of the Pinto C-4 gear would press on the back side of the T-5 housing. This would cause it to bind and this would cause the mainshaft gear to slide backwards*. So, I had to grind off the tip of the Pinto cable gear. As best I can tell in the Pinto the gear had a support in the end, but in the T-5 it does not.  I have driven mine a few thousand miles without issue - yet.

* When my main shaft gear slid backwards it was nearly impossible to get it to slide forward again. I tried many different ways and it did not go.   When I thought I'd have to pull the tail housing I found that the center post (tubing) of those halogen torch lights just slide over the main shaft and was small enough to pass through the bearing.  A few good taps and the gear snapped back into place.  Removing four driveshaft nuts sure beats that - and the tailhousing removal.

[65ShelbyClone]

How do I get my cable driven speedo to work with a trans that came with a electric speedo gear?

If you're using a T5 and the Pinto originally had a 4-speed, then you don't have to do anything. Use the Pinto's cable retainer fork with the Pinto cable; the later one won't fit right.

Older automatics like the C4 have a speedo gear with a much longer nose and I think that's why Wittsend had the problem. Mine was a 4-speed and the speedo gear looked exactly like the one that came out of the '86 T5 that took its place. I set the speedo sensor aside for later use with an electronic speedometer.