T-5 tranny question

[larknut]

I am looking to possibly swap in a T-5 trans into my '69 Nova. Reason being that they are cheap and available. I'm am wondering if there is any particular model I should look for from a specific car or year, or if this is even worth doing at all. For example, is the T-5 from an '84 V8 Camaro better or the same as one from a '94 V6, or any other car? This is a budget built car hence the fact that I am not going for the Tremec TKO-600 or similar (I'm saving that for the Skylark) so the T-5 seemed like a natural choice. Any info will be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Alex

[gen3bu]

narrow your search to a v-8 only donor and preferrably one from a 350 car. the best ones have "w.c." cast in the main case. it stands for world class. the v6 t5s are much weaker.

[gen3bu]

i know this is a ford website but still has good info/specs.
http://www.fordmuscle.com/archives/2...uild/index.php

[TPI Monte SS]

Read up on www.5speeds.com - theres' a lot of good tech info there. '84-'87 V8 F-cars had non-WC (World Class) T5s, while '88-'92 V8 F-cars got the World Class version. Ford got the WC earlier, and the input shaft and case is completely different, so a Ferd one won't work unless you buy the $450 adapter bellhousing from Lakewood. Also, no 350-powered F-body came with a T5 (from the factory anyway), so they were only rated to handle ~300 ft/lbs. There are guys running them with built motors; as long as you don't use slicks or powershift it, it should last with a healthy smallblock. I hope it will anyway, since I'm building a ZZ4-cammed 355 to go in my Monte and am keeping the T5.

[gen3bu]

what trans was in a 350 z28/gta then?
just curious i thought they were wct5's.

kevin

[TPI Monte SS]

what trans was in a 350 z28/gta then?
just curious i thought they were wct5's.

kevin

The 350 cars only came with 700-R4s from the factory, no exceptions. 305 TPI and TBI cars could have been optioned with T5s, and yes the '88-'92 cars had WC T5s. Of course now, we're talking about cars that are 15 - 20 years old, so previous owners could have converted auto cars to stick, or 305 cars to 350s.

[gen3bu]

so then, the 1le 5.7 tpi 5 speed car was never built at the factory?

[homerneedspeed]

no, but in 92', you could get a slp firehawk with a 350 tpi and a six speed, there were all of a few dozen built.

[wantahertzdonut]

This is another Ford site, but it's a listing of T5's and part numbers along with gear ratios and torque ratings: http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/T5ID.htm

I believe #249 or #251 are the ones you want, the T5Z rated for 330 ft-lbs.

[Norwoodx55]

The bottom line is that the T5 sucks. If you ever plan on making anything that resembles power, save yourself the trouble and don't use one.

[homerneedspeed]

Unless you have a few laying around, like to swap transmissions or have a fetish for being deserted with a broken transmission, save yourself the trouble and get a TKO 500 so you don't have to worry about it being a weak link.

[larknut]

Unless you have a few laying around, like to swap transmissions or have a fetish for being deserted with a broken transmission, save yourself the trouble and get a TKO 500 so you don't have to worry about it being a weak link.

The problem is, I don't have the 3K-4K to purchase a TKO kit at the moment. Plus this car is a budget built car (still trying to pay off wedding debts). That tranny would cost about what I have into the car right now. I am just looking for an economical way to bang gears in my Nova rather than wait the countless years untill I get my TKO-600 for the Skylark.

Anyone want to donate a TKO or T56?

[larknut]

By the way, what is the main failure with the T-5? I have heard quite a few people say they break alot.

[1970cuda]

drivers that can't drive sticks?

[gen3bu]

there are many in 10 sec mustangs. there are also a lot of upgrades parts available now. i think the highest failing parts is 3rd gear - missed 2-3 shifts.

[homerneedspeed]

the case is weak in general, it is thin and when you put alot of power through them the case speads and the gear mesh becomes wider alot of stress is put on the edges of the gears and they tend to fail. with my transmission the case distorted so much the bearings were loose in the case causing alot of gear wine so i bought a new case for $200 from tremic. if you do get a t-5 you will still be spending alot of money on assoiciated parts like a clutch, starter, hydraulics (or linkages), driveshaft,petals and flywheel, remember you can't use the 305's flywheel it's externally balanced.

[Norwoodx55]

They have specific bellhousings also, I think they are rotated about 15 deg. counterclockwise (at least the Chevy stuff). I think 83 camaros had the only manual linkage housings. After that they were hydraulic T.O. bearings. I'm not so sure that it is just "drivers that can't drive sticks" either. This site is full of enthusiasts, who here doesn't drive their cars hard? If you drive like Martha Stewart or aren't making ANY power, go for it. I would go with a Saginaw 4 speed before ever useing a T5 again. Just my 2 bits.

[Z06killinSBF]

BTW, the "weaker" 4cyl/v6 tranny has WAY better gear ratio than the v8 version. I know alot of Mustang guys will put the 4cyl T5 in a mildly modded 5.0 and it is like putting 4.10's in it but still have the great 5th gear.

Weak points in T5's (Mustang ones atleast) are the gears, syncros, and the casing. All can be upgraded but the casing. A T5 can be built to handle 700+ hp but the case is still weak. Look up http://www.g-forcetransmissions.com/tran_gf5r.asp

[carguy502]

I have this exact setup in my 1969 nova (350 T5) and it is awesome. Go with a pro 5.0 shifter and you can use the 3rd gen camaro bellhousing and hydraulics if you buy the master cylinder bracket from American Touring Specialties in Las Vegas or you can make your own. You will have to slice into a body crossmember 1.5" to fit the camaro shifter mounting position, but the shifter will fall right into your hand. Some trans tunnel persuasion (Big Hammer) is needed if you are going to modify a stock tranny crossmember. Trans pad is same distance as a camaro 700r4 and conversion crossmembers for 1st gen camaros are available from several sources. Find a world class trans and make sure it is fresh. I run high 12s with this tranny and as long as you do not powershift or pull the wheels, the tranny will live as mine has almost 50000 miles on it. Also there are plenty of TKOs or the g-force gears upgrade that will bolt in in the eventuality that you blow the T5.

[kmracer]

BTW, the "weaker" 4cyl/v6 tranny has WAY better gear ratio than the v8 version. I know alot of Mustang guys will put the 4cyl T5 in a mildly modded 5.0 and it is like putting 4.10's in it but still have the great 5th gear.

Weak points in T5's (Mustang ones atleast) are the gears, syncros, and the casing. All can be upgraded but the casing. A T5 can be built to handle 700+ hp but the case is still weak. Look up http://www.g-forcetransmissions.com/tran_gf5r.asp

the GF5R has no relation to the t-5. just an FYI. you CAN get a "500hp/600ft-lb" t-5 gear sets from them though. but then you still have weak syncros. i was going to do one of those, but then i just decided that id rather but one transmission and never have do worry about it popping again. tko600.