My WC t-5's 5th gear is completely missing in action. Its basically an empty gate to shift into. Other than that, the tranny is fine LOL. Does this sound like something a good rebuild kit could fix?

 

No.

Rebuild kits don't have gears in them. They contain the parts that wear out, and that have to be replaced during a rebuild; such as bearings, selective fit snap rings, O-rings, etc.

But, you'll most likely need a rebuild kit, whenever you tear it down and find out what's actually wrong with it. Which is most likely that your 5th gear is missing its teeth, and they're all laying in the bottom of the transmission.

 

Yeah, exactly, and now you need new bearings and the rest of the rebuild kit parts because fragments of metal have circulated through the oil and ruined all of the bearings.

Another possibility, and this has happened to more than one person, is that the snap ring that hold the 5th gear on the mainshaft may have broken or come loose. Then the gear works its way down the shaft and you loose 5th gear. If that'e the case you'll see it when you pull the tailshaft housing off the trans. Just get a new snap ring, put it back together and it should be fine.