hey guys, in my area most of the racing that goes on is roll racing(i.e. 40 miles an hour on the highway, three honks, go), i have a stock l98 car, which means i LOSE ALOT since i can't go full throttle in fourth, my third gear is dog slow since i miss my power band nearly completely, and tpi generally laughs in my face. soooo, very soon i'll have roughly 3k to play with, and here's what i'm thinking- HSR, undecided cam, dyno don headers, 24lb svo's, t5 swap(already have v6 parts donor, need a t5 or wct5). and diy tune it, already have a setup for this just need a wb02. my current mods are just addco swaybars, wonderbar and SFC's. i want to drive the car on weekends, drag it occasionally, basically retain most of it's functionality( and torque for around town), but i also want to get out there and stuff faces with my thirdgen within this budget(for now). suggestions??tips?? car is 1985 t/a swapped to a 87 spec l98 running maf with modified ARAP tune, 700r4, 9bolt 3.23.

i wold go with a lt1 intake and a power adder like a supercharger or nitrous. they will both increase your powerband for roll racing and if you go with nitrous it shouldnt cost that much eaither

i don't know how long the t5 will last behind your motor. I take it you have the 700 right now, whats wrong with that, I have one in my car and handles all the abuse I can throw at her

while straightline is cool and all, my hearts in the twisties, which is why i went stealthram over lt1 or miniram, its got the most flexible powerband i'd say, and shows impressive gains over stock. t5's seem to last okay behind mild smallblocks with attentive drivers, and i can't afford a t56 on my 3k budget and still do anything else, and what other options are there really?? i can get a t5 now and a t56 later down the road when i might be making enough power to worry about the t5. the 700 is a good trans but i want a manual, as a matter of preference.

On CascadeCrew.org, I was talking to a guy with a tpi 350 swap with the t5. Had it in there for a few years and hasn't had issues with it. He had a 700r4 and swapped it for a t5.

i agree

I'm still running the T5. It's holding up ok so far. The car went 12's in the 1/4 last weekend.

What clutch kit do you use?

Centerforce DF. Don't really care for it, going to try something different soon.

What's wrong with it? And what would you recommend (for the OP)?

I'm going to try a McLeod clutch next. I just don't like the feel of the centerforce DF, they say up to a 90 % holding capacity over stock, but feels like a stock clutch to me. Thats probably whats keeping my trans alive, and I also just run street tires at the track.

how many miles on your df?????

mine works awsome

ive even had other 3rd gen owners say wtf........that clutch is awsome


anyway the reason i ask is the more miles you put on it the better it works
it is the best clutch for a stock feel/release imo

I would say I have about 30K on it now. I've been hard on it. It's starting to slip a little on hard launches.

ive got the DF behind my 383 and i can drop the clutch in 2nd and lite em up. But i do agree i was shocked that the light petal feel, i didnt even think the clutch was engaging when i first installed it, i had to get under the car and take a flashlight and have someone press the clutch and i watched it. I love my DF

heff are you running the t5 as well? i'm not the kind of guy to powershift, more of a technical driver, i'd rather nail the shifts so well you don't even feel em, just smooth pullin. so i think i can make a wct5 last with a bolt on l98.

plus with headers, cam, and intake+tune, i would think i'd have moved away slightly from the true weakpoint of the t5, which is torque.

if you drive like you said above, smooth shifts, ect i think a GOOD t5 will last no problem. I pulled my non wc t5 out of a 200k mile car in the junk yard as just a temp transmission until i got my tko. 5th gear was already out of the car when i got it. i drove it for 4mo and road it HARD. no problems. Now i have my tko in, and at first i wondered if it was worth the $3500. but the way i drive the car i like my chances better with the tko. But back to your question and the way you drive. put the t5 in

i just bought a 91 formula with a 5.0 tpi and 5 speed. how hard can i be on the trans before i worry about killing it.

the trans is suppose to be almost new. maybe 1k miles on it.

thanks

that's pretty hard to say, my definition of hard is popping the clutch mid turn to kick it out, and i consider powershifting beyond reasonable