Buy rebuilt T5 or repair current one?

[91foxbod50]

No, i dont take any offense at all. Im not saying the t-5 is the best transmission. But if you dont want to go through the hassle of swapping trans out all the time then simply respect the unit.

When I get the money im not going to mess with 5 speeds at all, either toploader or t-56

 

[90lxcoupe]

Ha so far I've got the following opinions:

1. Any T5 is trash, go to a TKO 500/600
2. T5 is fine behind a supercharged 306, just don't powershift
3. T5 with a Liberty "pro-shift" modification is a strong unit

Now I know for a fact there are people on here with substantial engine modifications and T5's that seem to not be breaking their trans every few months. I am not willing to spend $2k+ on an upgrade to a TKO at this point as the engine is stock and will be for a while, not to mention bodywork is high on my priority list. The one thought I have had through this is to upgrade the broken T5 I bought used to a 2.95 gear set with a rebuild kit and put it in the car down the road...realistically should I really expect to grenade that transmission driving it on the street?

I also noticed that "Pro-shifting" a T5 essentially makes it absolutely useless as a street transmission as it removes the synchros and requires banging gears 100% of the time...definitely not even close to what I am looking for.

A rebuilt T-5 is no stronger than a stock one, and the same with a "world class one." I didnt say TKO 500 or 600, i'd say a used 3550 or a TKO would be better off, you can make a t-5 live is you are really easy on it, but any kind of angry driving its not gonna last, plain and simple, a friend of myne has been thru i think 3 rebuilds on his T-5 before he smartened up. The last time it broke the car was in 2nd gear, it didnt even break shifting. He has just as much invested into t-5's as he does his liberty faceplated TKO600.

Im just trying to help you out, i dont know how u drive but if you like burnouts, donuts, or powershifitng, the T-5 is not a wise choice in the long run... yea its cheaper to rebuild what you have, but for 1000-1500 bucks you could swap a TKO in and have the piece of mind of not being scared to really drive the car.

But if your gonna just cruise around and not race the car stick with the t-5

 

[Mintsick]

A rebuilt T-5 is no stronger than a stock one, and the same with a "world class one." I didnt say TKO 500 or 600, i'd say a used 3550 or a TKO would be better off, you can make a t-5 live is you are really easy on it, but any kind of angry driving its not gonna last, plain and simple, a friend of myne has been thru i think 3 rebuilds on his T-5 before he smartened up. The last time it broke the car was in 2nd gear, it didnt even break shifting. He has just as much invested into t-5's as he does his liberty faceplated TKO600.

Im just trying to help you out, i dont know how u drive but if you like burnouts, donuts, or powershifitng, the T-5 is not a wise choice in the long run... yea its cheaper to rebuild what you have, but for 1000-1500 bucks you could swap a TKO in and have the piece of mind of not being scared to really drive the car.

But if your gonna just cruise around and not race the car stick with the t-5

I took no offense I appreciate the advice, I just wanted to summarize the opinions I have gotten this far. It sounds like if I'm not going to bother rebuilding a T5 that I should just deal with double clutching 2nd gear and/or skipping 2nd gear with the current t5 that is in the car until I am ready for an upgrade. When I searched 3550 all that seemed to come up was TKO500/600, where could I get a good used 3550? The other concern is that I will also need a different clutch due to I am guessing a different input shaft spline count which is more $$ added to the mix?

 

[90lxcoupe]

I took no offense I appreciate the advice, I just wanted to summarize the opinions I have gotten this far. It sounds like if I'm not going to bother rebuilding a T5 that I should just deal with double clutching 2nd gear and/or skipping 2nd gear with the current t5 that is in the car until I am ready for an upgrade. When I searched 3550 all that seemed to come up was TKO500/600, where could I get a good used 3550? The other concern is that I will also need a different clutch due to I am guessing a different input shaft spline count which is more $$ added to the mix?

check the corral.net classifieds, lots of stuff floating around there, and you could still use your pressure plate, and just get a new disc. Ive seen full TKO setups on there go for around 1300 bucks, and thats clutch, bell and trans

 

[Mintsick]

Thanks I will keep an eye out.