I guess I'll talk some about the technical aspects of the install.
John Mummerts modifications to the truck bell housing worked flawlessly. I actually had more trouble getting the bell housing onto the engine than getting the transmission onto the bell housing.
I measured the length of the 3spd input shaft and found that the T5 needed to be shortened by about 3/32". I taped up the spline to prevent the grit from getting in there and cut the shaft a dremel. If you have a compressor and a real die grinder, even better.
I also ordered one of his throwout bearing reducer sleeves and an 11" clutch disc. The sleeve is just slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the bearing through most of its length. It steps about 1/4" larger at one end. The sleeve slides into the bearing from the front (engine side) and gets tack welded on the back side. The tacks need to be ground smooth so that the bearing can sit flush against the transmission. Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures or measurements of this.
I marked the hole for the shifter while dry fitting the transmission. To do this I used a scribe and held it at one end so that it behaves like a plum-bob. When it was just touching the corner of the shifter mounting pad I made a mark on the floor pan. If you use this method you will probably have to find an additional way to mark the point; it's such an awkward position that it is difficult to make a mark that is easy to see. I also scribed a circle around the point so that I would not loose it once the transmission was back down. Once the transmission was back down I center punched the 4 marks and drilled a small hole. I think 9/64 is the smalles bit I had that my drill would hold. These holes can now be used as reference points from the top of the floor pan.
I then made a template of the shifter base with some poster board - for light duty work, poster board is excellent template material - and centered the template in the 4 holes, making sure to take note of the top and front of the template, then scribed the line and cut it out. Templates can be time consuming but I've learned that they are often less time consuming than the trial and error approach. So make templates whenever you can.
On a truck, a transmission cross member probably is not required. The transmission felt lighter than the 3 speed. But I am putting one on. Maybe it will add more stability. Maybe it will do nothing. But it will be there. I'm using 1 x 2 tubing with a .065 wall for the cross member and 12 gauge steel for the frame mounting brackets. I will add a little more about this when it is done.
So far it's been a very easy install. The transmission comes with a back up light switch and a neutral safety switch. I'll put both to use eventually.
One important thing to remember: The clutch fork goes in first! There does not seem to be enough room to get it in there once the clutch has been installed. That goes for the 3spd and T5. I've made that mistake twice now. Maybe I'll remember next time. It does not have to be on the pivot ball but it does need to be through the hole in the side of the bell housing before installing the clutch.
Lawrenceville, GA