hey im looking for a working T5 tranny to complete my 5 speed swap on my 87 TA..i need something thats not gonna cost me an arm and a leg..if someone in the area of (MA) has one let me know please! (i need just the transmission)

 

Post in the classifieds. You are much more likely to hook up with a guy who has one there. Make sure you get a WC T5. It's tough. They didn't build many and they only offered the WC towards the end of the third gen run ('88 and up I believe).

 

He'd be better off buying a way cheaper Non-WC and just getting it rebuilt up to WC specs, which was only 300 Ft-Lbs. I believe.

 

You can't build a NWC T5 into a WC T5. They use different cases and mainshafts.

 

Plenty of people have built up Non-WC T5's to WC specs.

 

No they haven't. It is not possible. WC T5s use tapered roller bearings that will not work in a NWC case, and will not fit a NWC mainshaft. WC T5s also use caged needle bearings under the speed gears, NWC T5s do not. The mainshafts are different. All of the upgraded gearsets are made for WC T5s and won't work in a NWC T5. There isn't much you can do to a NWC T5 to upgrade it. Once the WC T5s came out everyone stopped working on NWC T5s, because everyone was swapping to the WC T5. You can use the better synchros, maybe the aftermarket cluster support, and maybe the aftermarket shift forks, but that's it. Also, NWC T5s run in gear oil and WC T5s run in ATF. If you run gear oil in a WC T5 you will ruin it because it can't get through the feed passages. If you run ATF in a NWC T5 you will fry the bearings because they aren't designed for it.

Years ago I actually tore down a NWC T5 and a WC T5 side by side to see if it was possible to swap parts like this. WC T5s are hard to find for 3rd gens, but NWC T5s are easier and dirt cheap. Without machining parts (which are at very tight tolerances down to like .0005") there was no way it could be done. The cost of the requried machine work would have been significantly more expensive that just starting with a WC T5. A master machinist might be able to convert a NWC to a WC, but the cost to the average joe is prohibitive.

 

I'm not saying EXACTLY alike, I'm saying built up to WC T5 specs, that's all.

 

Oh, okay. When I hear specs I think of the internal parts in the trans. You were talking about strength.

Strength wise? Well, maybe. A NWC T5 was officially rated to 250 lbs/ft. and a WC T5 was rated to 300 lbs/ft. I've also heard from informed sources that there is virtually no difference in the strength of the stock units. I will lend some creedance to that because they both use the same number of splines on the input shafts and the mainshafts, so the shafts aren't any stronger. The gears use the same helix angle and are the same width (some later model WC T5s used in the Mustang Cobra used wider 2nd and 3rd gears plus a better pocket bearing setup, so they might be a little stronger than a standard WC T5). The only real difference from a strength standpoint is the bearings. The NWC uses a ball bearing while the WC uses tapered roller bearings. The tapered roller bearings are inherently stronger, but I've yet to see any T5 laid low by a bearing failure. All things considered I think the changes that were made when the WC T5 was designed were done more to make the trans shift smoother, run quieter, and wear less. I think Borg Warner upped the torque rating so that Ford and later GM would continue to use the T5 rather than look for another offering from Getrag or another manufacturer. It must have worked because the WC T5 was still in use at least up to '02 as the standard trans behind the V6 in the F-body. Finally GM has switched and the '10 Camaro V6 has a 6 speed behind it whether its auto or stick. I'm not sure if the stick is a T56 or some other offering.

However, I'd still stick with a WC T5 because they are upgradable with superalloy gears or G-Force components to get all the way up to 500 lbs/ft. of torque handling ability. That's TKO500 territory. The WC is also a smoother trans and less wear prone.

 

so i ended up getting an 86 5 speed out of a camaro 8cyl car...i was hoping to find a WC but they're more expensive so i took what i could get...how well will this hold up to my 87 305 TPI car? its pretty much stock other than exhaust an some other odds and ends

 

If it's making anywhere around 220-250 horsepower right around stock, it'll hold up good even in launches. The clutch is a different story though. Lol.

 

Stay away from traction and you should be fine. Also, do not powershift. If you taek it easy on the trans it will reward you with trouble free driving for a long time. Also, be aware that the NWC uses gear oil, not ATF. You should change the oil about every 50,000 or so.

 

sweet thanks for the input...its only gonna stay in for this year i got a 355 im building up for next spring...ill have to upgrade trannys then too lol