I am in the market for a t-5. I need to know if any year had a better/stronger t-5 than another. I know up to 84 the trannies were manual (z-bar?) clutch, and later is hydraulic. But what about strength. Also, what years had WC t-5s and how can i tell the difference between Non-WC and WC trannies. Thanks
Matt

 

The clutch has nothing to do with the trans. They are 2 different parts of the car, just like the seats have nothing to do with the engine. Any trans will work with any clutch, as long as the clutch gear diameter & splines are right.

87 was the changeover year to the 2nd design t-5. See www.gearzone.net for ID and other useful info.

People say the 2nd design is "stronger"; personally I don't see how, since the shaft diameters, spline counts, case thickness, gear diameters, teeth sizes, materials, etc. are all the same. the bearing system on the 2nd design countergear is better, but that's about the only thing that impacts the "strength". None of them are "strong' enough for a Lg4 or L03 if abused, but any are "strong" enough for a 400 if used gently. That means no clutch dumps, no 4000 RPM launches on slicks, no speed shifting. Shock loading is the main killer.

 

Actually it wasn´t untill -88 f-bodys got the World class tranny.
I have a 87 and it got a non world class.. Also gearzone has that info on their webpage.

 

exactly, 87 could have either one, and in 88 they all had world class,

 

Right, those changeover years are not always very clear-cut, the same thing happened with the 2-piece to 1-piece RMS motors, the 26 to 28 spline axles, etc. ... they use what's in stock until it's gone, they don't necessarily throw away the old stuff and stop using it. Keeps us on our toes!