Best Manual Transmission for these Mods

MaRu_GT

Member
Sep 11, 2006
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Hi Guys,
So I think it is the time for me to plan for a new manual transmission. My mods:


302 CID BOSS BLOCK (9.0:1 comp ratio) with GT-40X Alum Heads and B-Cam (Crane/FRPP Roller rocker 1.7 ), 24# FRPP inj, 190LPH FP, PRO-M 75mm MAF, Accufab 70mm TB, Cobra 93 intake, BBK CAI, MSD coil-cap-rotor-wires, HEDMAN headers, Magnaflow x-pipes and catback, 3.73 R&P, Eaton Diff, Alum driveshaft, King Cobra clutch, FRPP flywheel, March UD pulley set, PM 130 Alt, Fluidyne Alum radiator, high volume Alum water pump, Flex-A-Lite Black Magic Extreme 15" e-fan “Puller”, 2 Perma-Cool e-fans “Pusher”


What would be the best transmission ? and what other parts would I need. Currently I am running on stock T-5. I need something as smooth as latest models’ transmission (of course with your recommendations of clutches, flywheel, cable…etc). Also, I have a steeda shifter.

No plans for any further modifications soon… but maybe in the long future; Trickflow head, intake, cam.
Any recommendations?
Thanks
 
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There's nothing there that a T-5 can't handle. That's just a basic H/C/I car with probably about 300 RWHP and 330 RWT. Other than the brands of some of the accessory stuff, it's exactly what I have in one of my cars.
 
Should you shift properly I don't THINK your t5 should die. In the case it does I would consider rebuilding it yes.

If you insist going with an aftermarket grab a tremec 3550 simply because it retains the factory 10 spline input shaft and is virtually a direct factory replacement. It will be notchy. You will need the tremec bell housing and you will need the appropriate shifter.
 
I never powershifted my stock t-5. Never ran drag radials at the track. One day I went out for a drive, went 1st, hit 2nd.. No powershift... Hit 3rd for about a second.. Bang..no more 3rd... Took the trans to Hanlon motorsports and got a g force t-5 kit. I was told that third gear is the farthest away from the bearings and it prob flexed my shaft. When it did it jumped a tooth a shredded half of the teeth off 3rd gear. The g force kit was much beefier that the stock stuff. The kit is not cheap but now I have some extra insurance.
 
Should you shift properly I don't THINK your t5 should die. In the case it does I would consider rebuilding it yes.

If you insist going with an aftermarket grab a tremec 3550 simply because it retains the factory 10 spline input shaft and is virtually a direct factory replacement. It will be notchy. You will need the tremec bell housing and you will need the appropriate shifter.
Is 3550 the same as TKO500 ? How smooth is it compared to stock or any heavy duty T-5?
If I am not wrong, yoke should be replaced to 31?? Clutch is the same as stock?
 
I never powershifted my stock t-5. Never ran drag radials at the track. One day I went out for a drive, went 1st, hit 2nd.. No powershift... Hit 3rd for about a second.. Bang..no more 3rd... Took the trans to Hanlon motorsports and got a g force t-5 kit. I was told that third gear is the farthest away from the bearings and it prob flexed my shaft. When it did it jumped a tooth a shredded half of the teeth off 3rd gear. The g force kit was much beefier that the stock stuff. The kit is not cheap but now I have some extra insurance.
Do you have a link to that kit ?
 
Is 3550 the same as TKO500 ? How smooth is it compared to stock or any heavy duty T-5?
If I am not wrong, yoke should be replaced to 31?? Clutch is the same as stock?


Depends on you for which clutch you want to run, but as I've said it's a direct replacement so no need for an upgrade, just choice. I went with a spec stage 2.

As for shifting, certainly more notchy. Hands down. But still easy to shift.
 
Your T5 will shell out at some point in time, it is the weak point in the powertrain. How long it lasts is a function of the original wear and your driving style. At that point, you will have to make a decision whether to rebuild it or replace it. A clue is how many miles was it driven before it died? The odds are you will get less miles out of the rebuild that you did out of the original T5. It is not uncommon to see guys rebuild T5's 2 or 3 times before giving up. Then they complain that for the cost of all that rebuilding being equal to the cost for a Tremec 3550, TKO 500 or TKO 600.

I have a Tremec 3550 and have over 150,000 miles on it. I can shift hard at full throttle and never worry: It shifts smooth, fast and never misses a shift. With the correct lubricant (GM Syncromesh Black label) proper break in and the correct amount of lubricant, a Tremec 3550, TKO 500 or TKO 600 is just about unbreakable on any car you would use for a daily driver.
 
Do you have a link to that kit ?
http://www.hanlonmotorsports.com/
Call and talk to Bob Hanlon.. Tell him what you want to do and let him reccomend the best way to spend your money. He knows what he is talking about.. I think just the g force gearset was about 1,200-1,300.. I gave him 2,000 to put it all together with a rebuild kit and new bearing retainer.
 
Your T5 will shell out at some point in time, it is the weak point in the powertrain. How long it lasts is a function of the original wear and your driving style. At that point, you will have to make a decision whether to rebuild it or replace it. A clue is how many miles was it driven before it died? The odds are you will get less miles out of the rebuild that you did out of the original T5. It is not uncommon to see guys rebuild T5's 2 or 3 times before giving up. Then they complain that for the cost of all that rebuilding being equal to the cost for a Tremec 3550, TKO 500 or TKO 600.

I have a Tremec 3550 and have over 150,000 miles on it. I can shift hard at full throttle and never worry: It shifts smooth, fast and never misses a shift. With the correct lubricant (GM Syncromesh Black label) proper break in and the correct amount of lubricant, a Tremec 3550, TKO 500 or TKO 600 is just about unbreakable on any car you would use for a daily driver.
OK... I thought that Tremec 3550 & TKO 500 are technically the same!
As I understand from the previous owner (someone in the army who drives a tank as well), he never rebuilt ..so maybe it was rebuilt between 1990 and the time that this guy owned it??.. and when I bought the car in 2007, the trans was strong enough to handle the stock engine with Ecam/exhausts and filter.. when I started adding these Mods with time.. I ended up with shifting problems- appeared mainly a year ago.
 
As everyone else has said, stock t5 can handle a fair punishment. If not, go world class t5 thats what I did...now I just have to install the damn thing

Yes I have heard also about world class T-5, but everyone here I hear talks about Tremec 3550, TKO 500 or TKO 600. TKO500 is almost the double price of world class T-5, I am not sure if it would be a best investment to get TKO500!!
 
World class is only a marketing gimmick. The main differences were in the syncos, roller bearings in the input shaft and some other small changes. The best factory T5 is rated 330 FT/lbs of torque, and that is a constant load, no shock load like dumping the clutch or speed shifting. Drive it hard and it will break.
basic-differences-between-t5-wc-and-nwc-transmissions-gif.70356


photo_t5.jpg

T5, all versions used in 5.0 Mustangs

photo_tko.jpg

Tremec 3550/TKO /TKO500/TKO600 AFTERMARKET replacement for T5 - handles racing environments with ease

See http://www.poweredbyford.com/store/...ission?zenid=0fb80fcb89d7b42211b14aaee70fd1bf Price is $2095 plus shipping and a bellshousing, Uses 10 spline clutch disk.

See http://www.ttcautomotive.com/English/products/tremec.asp for more information - check out the"Light Duty" group, since TTC makes monster transmissions for big trucks as well as passenger cars.


T5 identifier information.

On the tail shaft of the transmission, there will be a stamped aluminum tag. The tag will have a number on it that you can cross reference to the chart below. There is no other way to find out what type of T5 it is without disassembling it. All the rest of the numbers on the outside of the T5 case are part numbers which are not unique to any particular T5 model.

Remember that 94 - 97 T5's have a longer input shaft and can only be used with a 94-95 bell housing unless you modify or replace the input shaft.

T5's used with a 4 cylinder have a 3.93 first gear, reduced torque ratings and an input shaft pilot diameter that is smaller that the T5 used for V6 & V8 engines. The Pilot diameter is .59" compared to the .668" used on V6 & V8 T5's. It requires a different pilot bearing to be used with a V6 or V8. The pilot bearing you need is for a Ford Ranger diesel from AutoZone part #14672


t5-identifier-gif.68815


I don't know how you feel about the DYI thing when it comes to gears, some people don't like the idea of working on transmissions. If the DYI transmission fix idea isn't something that you would rather leave to someone else, here are some resources:

See http://www.ttcautomotive.com/English/onlineorder/product.asp to download a FREE service manual for T5 or Tremec 3550/TKO
You will need the Adobe Acrobat viewer which is also a free download – http://get.adobe.com/reader/

See http://www.hanlonmotorsports.com/ or http://www.ddperformance.com for parts

A T5 rebuild kit with syncros, bearings and other small parts costs about $160. It does not include any gears or shafts.

http://www.hanlonmotorsports.com/ also has a video on how to rebuild your T5 or Tremec. It costs about $20, and is worth every penny of it.

I did a Tremec 3550 rebuild, and it wasn't that difficult. The video was an immense help, and I would recommend viewing it. At $20, it will give you an opportunity to look and decide for yourself if you think that it is something you want to try to do.


T5 Shim kits – best product I have seen in a while… http://www.5speeds.com/t5/shims.html
“The Peel ‘n Place T5 World Class shim kit makes shimming T5 counter gear and main drive gears very easy.”
 

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