Interesting, from what I read they are only rated for 300 ft lbs, maybe that is a conservative rating?

 

Dont know. Obviously not as strong as the transmission's in this thread but if treated nice will last a long time.

 

Maybe that's the key words, "Treated nice". Hole shots with sticky tires may be a different story...

 

Yeah ya may need to keep a broom in the car.

 

Many internet experts seem to blame T5 weakness on its flimsy case flexing under load. That's why I rebuilt mine in a G-Force HD case. I can't possibly confirm/deny it's making a difference as my engine is still being broken in, just my 2 cents.

 

I know we used to beat on those 5.0 Mustangs back in the 80s, I mean BEAT on them and never broke one. But then they only had 225 H.P. There are a few Fox body guys around town, maybe I can get a T5 WC for a song and give it a try. If it breaks, I'll go for the TKO.

 

The things we used to do to our cars back in the day, makes me cry thinking about it.

 

I wonder if the Ford T5 guts will fit in a G Force Chevy case? I have a Long shifter on my Muncie from G Force, great product!

 

From exhaustive research... because i wanted to do the same thing... i gotta say, i just dont know, about that T5. The real problem, is, that there is a vast, vast, VAST, VAST difference in stresses from one DRIVER to the next. John65 above gets years out ov one behind his 454, other guys lunched them in stock-ish 5.0L Mustangs. I have a friend who cannot keep a built Muncie alive in his 70 GTO. He's gone through half a dozen in 20 years. He's a good mechanic who knows how to install one, and these are not stock. He runs non-sticky street tires, and very rarely goes to the track. Thing is, the guy's a complete spaz. He goes through engines, rearends, and other parts aggressively too. Then there's me, who drives even faster than he does, constantly, and yet, has never, in 30 years, broken a transmission, or even had to do a brake job on one ov my own cars. I've not had built Muncies either.

I've seen guys at the street races dump the clutch at 5000RPM... week after week, with sticky tires (a must on the street), and that T5 holds up. Seen others with 300RWHP (so, roughly 427/435 L89 power) last seasons... at the track. Seen 4V guys with 350-375rwhp downgrade to the T5 from the better T45, and last a long time. One plus is, they're still cheap, and you could collect a few, and if you dont mind the swap, just keep swapping new ones in. If you're like me, and dont like fixing ****, well... i guess the question remains: HOW DO YOU DRIVE?

I dont think i can, in good conscience, put one behind a 454. Maybe a stock one... thats not a lot ov power (220-250rwhp), but my recipe would see about 360-400rwhp, and way more torque. It'll be damn light, and no drag racing or slicks... but i just cant see it. A mild smallblock? yeah, i think i'd do it. Again, i'm easy on parts though.

That 300 rating is CONTINUOUS torque, not peak. By that i mean, it'll take that for hours. There was a piece i'd saved somewhere where someone had calculated roughly what that meant in normal HP/TQ ratings, but i cant find it. Someone has figured this out. Maybe you can find it.

 

I've had T5's in three of my cars, my current small block C3, a '55 Chevy with a small block, and a V8 Vega with a small block. All made maybe 300-325 HP at the crank. None of these trans'. which were all purchased used, never gave a lick of trouble. Did plenty of burnouts, hard shifts into second, but never powershifted or speed shifted. The gap from 4th to 5th is pretty large, but perfect for freeway cruising.

 

Well, as far as I know the G-Force HD casing only come with Ford bellhousing holes drilled.
My machinist actually cut the face of my donor casing to use as a drilling guide.
So the casing can be either Ford or Chevy.
I used Camaro T5 WC guts for my rebuild so I can't say for sure if Ford gear will do when mating to a C3, but they'll definitively fit in the case.
If you think about rebuilding yourself check Eric the Car Guy youtube channel, he did a two part rebuild video with a T5 grand master.

 

I think I am going to do some more research on the WC T5s. I don't pummel my car, but I do have a bit of fun in it. If I can get one dirt cheap from a Mustang and use my milling machine to re-drill it to fit my car, considering I have a 20 year old who LOVES working on ****, I may just give it a go.

 

The aforementioned rebuild videos :


Part2

 

You guys are making me change my mind, lol.
I had myself resigned that more than 4-speeds wasn't in the cards for me right now due to the high cost of the SST kits, and T5's not being worth the trouble.
I find T5's all the time on marketplace and such. Granted, a lot are the S-10 and other undesirable versions, but there are some Camaro ones from time to time on the cheap.
I may have to give this a go after all.
it would be awesome if the T5 had the right input shaft to work with my existing bell and clutch. I have what might be the original trans in my base '71, so...

 

I found an adapter for $175 that will let you use a Ford T5 on a Chevy.

 

Go for it guys, I don't think you will be disappointed.

My first T5 was actually an upgrade from the trans the car had in it. It came with a BW- T50, 5 speed from a Monza.
It had a crazy shift pattern that took a little while to get used to. Reverse was where 1st normally is, 1st was where 2nd usually is, etc.

 

Quite frankly, for most ov the guys on here, with stock or mild 350's, the T5 is probably more than strong enough. Hell, i'd even use one behind a stock/mild big block. Just buy one from a Camaro, and get the entire pull-out set-up. That'll save you a PILE ov work and money. Just remember, THREE things kill transmissions: weight, power, and traction. Keep the weight down, and dont race it at the track with sticky tires. A stock 350, even a 300HP one, doesn't make much more, if any more power than a stock 5.0L. Most C3 350's make less. A stock 74-81 C3 on average doesn't weigh much more than a Fox bodied GT. You're probably fine.