Looking for the official reason GM did not put them in with a 350. I don't buy the 'they where too weak' theory since why would the t-5 be redesigned stronger, aka w/c t5, and not be made strong enough to handle a 350, has to be something else/more to it.

 

"'they where too weak' "

 

Did you see Elvis at the McDonalds or do you say that cuz you heard it too?

 

Really, the reason why was weakness, I'm serious. If I WERE a bettin man...

 

Right from the tech data on this site: 350 put out in the 320 - 345 lb range. Wc T5 are only rated at 330 lb torque. 350's will shred them if beat on. Trany's like tremec tko are rated at 525 lb torque. They can easily handle a 350, too bad GM didn't try using something like that stock.

The WC redesign actually was spearheaded by borgwarner towards the mustang. They had it 2 years before GM got the WC. No way a stock 302 would ever put out what a 350 does for torque #s.

 

theres a few guys here with a t5 and a 350 combo and i think there holding up fine... ive heard they werent strong enought but ive yet to see proof of them failing under the pressure of a 350.
GM just goes by the rateings and didnt want to risk it. Theyd lose alot of money if after a few years had to replace everyones tranny in a warrenty. All I know is that my t5 has been beatin to p1ss and its holding up ok. Id do a 350 swap in my car.

 

MY WC T5 holds up fine to the beating I put on it, but then again I just have a lil ol' 305 right now. In Dec when I get my crate engine I doubt the T5 will live long, thats why I ordered the G-Force kit.... Read alot about it on here decided to try it out... I got the syncro kit for all those wondering....

 

The T5 will hold up to over the numbers they are rated at. Ours are also rated for 330lb ft, and I know of one guy putting 319 rwhp down and powershifts every run and hasent had one issue from his T5! I say get a T5, and put Gforce gears in it, and go have fun!:hail:

 

Perhaps it was much simplier than that - "Covette".

The Vette has to be the fastest car in the badge's stable. Period. An L98 T5 could very well have threatened that standard.

Don't forget, in the mid-80's turbo Regals were faster than the Vettes off the show room floor. Can't have Camaros and Firebirds doing that, too.

 

As mentioned above GM did it for warrenty reasons. For as many that lasted behing 400HP 350's the same number failed behind ones with 300hp. For the most part as long as you do not run slicks you should be okay. When you start to hook lots of power and you prevent your tires from spinning a little bad things happen really fast with the T-5.

 

I might be smokin' crack but I seem to remeber a friend of mine test driving a 88 or 89 Iroc Z that had a 350 and a T-5...........could be wrong.

 

Most likely a swap but I to have heard of people claiming they had the T-5 with the 350. My roomates Uncle said that he had one (IROC, year unknown) and my roomate drove in it but was too young at the time you know for sure if it was a 350 and not the 305.

 

Musta been the crack man.

 

It was probably a 305 car...whoever had it before probably thought it was a 350 but it probably wasn't.

 

I can vouch for the T5 being weak... I have the 305 TPI in my 88, and after many mods; 3rd gear stopped working and 1st and 2nd are loud. It was fine till I let the power get to the tranny thru a Centerforce clutch

 

How much power are you making? My cousin might want to put a T5 in his 86 Firebird, but he wouldnt want to put a weak tranny in. Could he use a Mustang T5 with a GM bellhousing or would he have to use the Fbody T5 (apparently weaker).

 

You cannot use a T5 for the stangs. They have a completely different imput shaft and everything. It could possibly be made to work but by the time you got done paying for it you could have a custom built T-56.

 

had a few t-5's at my friends place so we put them in our 355 81 camaro. shredded all of them and 2 t-10's. time to get more cash for a richmond for next season. t-5 will work for normal driving on a stock 350, but how many people out there have a bone stock 350 and dont beat on there car?

 

I have no clue what I'm making for power... and I missed the New England F-Body Dyno day!!!

 

dont be to mean to it, itll last.

 

That sucks, but what about better stronger gears in the GM T5? He really wants one without having to rebuild after blowing them up. I dont think he has enough power to kill it, but he might not be the best driver to begin with, and I have a feeling he will try to powershift it... !

 

Weren't the ratings on the trans different on the v6 and v8 models?
So if that holds true, then if you mistakingly buy a v6 t-5 and put it behind a v8, it's gonna blow......

But hey, I could be wrong. Thats what a reliable friend told me.

 

Yes, that is correct. The V6 ones are weaker. The input shaft doesn't have as amny splines as the V8 model, other than that I'm not what or if anything else was different, but I'm no tranny expert either...

25thmustang: I think the internals were the same strength wise. If he's worried about blowing it up, I'd recommend a T-56 or tremec.

 

Buddy of mine had a v6 t-5 behind a 305. It worked decent for awhile. But the synchos are going. But its a 1984 tranny so thats normal Id say.

The mustang T-5's arent made to hold that much power either. I have heard they crap at around 330ft/lbs of torque. Stock fox body mustang only puts out 300lbs of torque. So even a GM t-5 could work under a mustang. The 94-95 mustang 5.0 like my dad has only has 275lbs of torque. Has decent top end but thats it.

 

I would save for a T-56. You can get one anywhere from 500 to 1200 bucks. Sometimes cheaper. It will cost another hundred or two to change crossmembers and such but it is pretty much a direct bolt on from what the swap guys tell me. Plus you can throw all kinds of abuse at the T-56 and it takes it like a champ.

 

My stock T5, with over 100K miles on it, is still holding up behind a 408 SBC. Don't know the HP/TQ numbers, but it consistently runs times like the one in my sig. I'm running BFG drag radials though. It might not last so long if I were to throw on a set of slicks.

 

My dads dynoed 320 rear wheel torque and he powershifts his stock T5 behind that, running 12.3s @ 110. That was the only reason I asked because I knew of quite a few Mustangs holding up to 300+ rwtq motors without breakage.

Could he do a T5 or &56 swap for about $1000 or is that asking too much?

 

i think weve been down this road MANY MANY times before. the GM t5 cases are weaker then the fords and the 302s dont produce anywhere near the same torque as the 305s and 350s with TPI. argue all u want about the torque bein same with a 302/305 but when ur friend with an 88 GT that has the same mods as my iroc, got in my roc and took it for a spin, comes back with a smile on his face "damn this thing has tons more torque then my car, no wonder u tear the tires everywhere" thats good proof.

 

ive heard the t-5's tailshaft flexs with a lot of torque thus causing problems. GM didnt want to risk it i guess, i know i wouldnt. i really would like to take the t-5 out of my GTA and put it in my camaro, but i dont think it will last a week with my 362.

 

I agree.

 

The T-5 simply will not hold up to a 350, period. Theres alway gonna be the guy who knows the guy who has the T-5 behind his 350 for years and its fine. It happens sometimes. Let me drive that 350 with a T-5 and I bet it comes back blown I've more than shelled 2 t-5's with my mild 305 TPI, the first of which was on a completely stock motor without even a tuneup, and it broke the ears that bolt the gearbox to the bellhousing.. The point is, a T-5 is not meant to be powershifted, a good powershift will blown the t-5 right outta the car. They handle more like a truck transmission as far as shifting goes. You want reliability, buy a tremec.

 

Go with the G-Force kit in your WC T5. The company sounds very competent and they provide some idea of the abuse the trannys can take. 9 second Stangs on full slicks, sounds like the trans is just fine to me. The G-Force people are coming out with a T56 kit soon too. So all you with T56s can have even more strength in the trans area.

I will be getting the G-Force for my WC T5 hopefully this winter/spring. At that time I will post the results...

 

It won't hold up to a 350, "period"? It's held up fine to my 400 (see sig). And it's me, here, not my brothers-friend. Me.

And woo-hoo. You're SO cool that you posess the "skills" to blow up T-5's. That takes some REAL tallent. lol. Anyone can "blow" anything if that's their mission, so BFD. Useless statement.


..."A good powershift will blown the t-5 right outta the car."
Where to begin with that technically inncorect, gramatical massacre. "blown...right outta the car". Whew. That's some good stuff.

I powershift my T-5, every gear, every pass, all night long, every fridiay night. In the last 4 years, I broke ONE $12 shift fork, which took 1 hour and 20 minutes to change. The T-5 is fine unless you powershift and launch with slicks, OR unless you're a moron, in which case, you can pretty much break ANYTHING.

Note: Not saying the T-5 is "the best", because it's not. But there's defintely some misinformation being spewed here. See sig:

 

Ya know Tom, I wasn't going to grace your immature response with a reply, but you just really urk me with your rude comments. All I'm saying is sooner or later, more than likely sooner, a T-5 is going to go. And if your holding a T-5 behind a 400, your doing something right. Something probably being your not really powershifting like you say you are, or your breaking traction hardcore into 2nd. If your hooking up into 2nd with slicks I guarantee that T-5 isn't going to last long. But to close, keep your rude comments to yourself.

And you contradicted yourself by saying you powershift all night long, and then you go to say the T-5 is fine, UNLESS you powershift. Either way an opinion is an opinion, thats fine I respect that, but you don't need to come off trash-talking me over your opinion.

 

The throttle is all the way to the floor. In the carpet, as far as it will go. Maintaining that throttle position, I depress the clutch, shift gears, and release the clutch, AS FAST AS I CAN, FAST! The tires spin for LESS than half a second. No slicks here. Anyway, that's a powershift for you, text book style.

No I didn't. Here, I just "copied" and now I'll "paste":
"The T-5 is fine unless you powershift and launch with slicks"
See? I said WITH SLICKS.

Sorry about the "tone" but it's aggrivating when people talk "smack" about something that isn't really true. Of course you could "blow" a T-5 with a 305. I don't doubt that for a second. As a matter of fact, when I was a retarded punk a$$ed kid, I blew 2 of them with my 305. I'm not that punk-kid anymore, and my current T-5 works very well. Granted, I'm sure I could go outside right now, fire up my car, and destroy my T-5 in less than 30 seconds. But I'd rather run low 13's with it.

 

So that probably means that my 350 with a t-5 behind it is shot then... it makes a crap load of niose in 1,2,3rd gears... i wasnt sure, i just bought it, and am new to some of this... So from what i have read, the t-56 is the best swap for this?

thanks

 

The T-56 is a fairly easy and fairly economical swap.

You could possibly fix your T-5 cheaply though. Noise in 1,2,and 3 are from bad coundershaft bearings. Or bearing. The front countershaft bearing is a cheap, Torrington bearing. It looks like an axle bearing on a 10 bolt, but closed on one side. If the shaft isn't damaged you can replace the bearing and go. If the shaft IS worn, you can get press on an insert, and a specially sized bearing. All of which could be done for less than $50 bux. It's not hard but if you're a novice, you might want to just swap trans. We could talk you through it on here though. It isn't hard.

 

Hey.. thanks alot for your help.... greatly appreciated... Well considering that it isnt too expensive, for now i may just look into fixing the t-5 until the restore comes around and the tranny is imporatant again... Where can i find the hardware you are talking about? thanks, if i have any more q's i will be sure to ask...

 

http://www.fortesparts.com/
Can get you any part for a T-5 that you need. That bearing could be obtained from any auto parts store though.

 

also www.hanlonmotorsports.com

 

I blew the 3rd gear syncro in my T5 with the 305. I shifted it and it went in but I only had the clutch half depressed and it ground but it went in. Ever since then 3rd gear grinds when putting it in. 100K on the trans. Since then I'v been to the track a couple of times and I power shift every gear at the track and its been fine. So am I just stupid thinking of useing this trans with my 383 thats going in right now if I'm not useing slicks. I want to get the G-force kit this winter or Spring but am hopeing the trans will hold up till I can afford the new trans. You think it will just blow up or you think It'll take it as long as I dont get slicks till I get the G-force?

 

As long as you're not too aggressive with it I think it should be fine (it will be hard with a new motor, I know). Slicks are definitely a no-no, especially so if you're babying a broken tranny. Chances are it's not just the syncro you blew, probably the whole 3rd gear assembly. That's usually the first thing to go in a T5, it's a known weak spot. I blew mine up last year and it took the whole 3rd gear assembly as well as the mainshaft bearing, and the mainshaft, and that was behind a 150hp 305 with a slightly upgraded clutch...

 

theres always those 4 or 5 people who give you the t5's are the best tranny on the planet and they get a bad rap story......

ya there are people running 9's on them, there are also people running 9's using quadrajet carbs, and swimming in ice fishing holes, that doesn't mean thats the way to do it

 

I can't help but put my 2 cents in here.

Both opinions are correct. The T5 CAN hold up to a 350, and one CAN easily tear one up with a stock 305.

Yes, we have all heard the stories and first-hand experiences of those that have big power in front of a T5, and I very well believe them. As long as it is driven responsibly, chances are, it will hold up. I just wonder how many of those that have blown up (and don't take this wrong) are a result of a missed shift, or the driver not being very coordinated and letting the clutch engage before the shift was completed (I do that sometimes, because I don't drive a 5 speed on a daily basis anymore, and my coordination is off a bit!)

Keep in mind, I'm not trying to fuel the fire that's going on here, just trying to get people to see both sides of the coin, and maybe figure out why some lose their trannys!

 

I will agree with Tom and a fair amount of other people on this thread and say the t-5 can hold it's own if the driver knows how to drive it can be driven. I had to rebuild my t-5 because of added power with stoplight to stoplight racing every night. That's me being an idiot with money to spend though. If you are concerend with it breaking, save up money to buy that t-56 or t-10 so you have your next "victim" ready. Then return to having fun, worry free.

 

I wonder what kind of lube people run in them. Could be the guys with 350's /or built engines are running normal gear lube and not the ATF GM put in them. Could also be why some people have a T5 work great with lots of power and some don't.


The stock 350 T5 myth can/could be true if a sneaky dealer pulled one over on someone.

I know a guy who was the 2nd owner of a 4x4 s10 that had a 3.4 in it. But the original owner paid for a 4.3. Could of been bad paper work but the original guy was suppose to get a 4.3 4x4 but instead got a 3.4. Original owner had the dealer tune it and change oil so he never figured it out. My buddy did when he started working on it and realized something is wrong.


Matt

 

Ok question. I know that the T-5 has a weak case and there are some other stuff. So a trans almost always blows because of when its being shifted or will a trans rip apart or the teeth shear off because of power? What if you had some insane engine that put out like 1000hp or something and you took shifting comletely out of the equation would the trans take the power if aplide in the gear? You know not while shifting or jerking while in gear just aplying more and more power till it couldnt take it anymore. What would it go up to? Thats what I was wondering because if the trans in the gear could only take something like 500lb. of torque straight withought shifting then you add in power shifting you add a lot of torque at a split second because of the revs and such that might also be why they blow. Thats just what I was thinking. I love the T-5 and want to keep one but they have some pretty bad limitations stock.

 

Ok I remeber something about the thirdgen Firehawk could come with a 350 stick but I think they put T-56's in those if you wanted manual. Not a T-5. Do I remember right? I think a T-5 can handle just about any engine you could bolt up to it if you werent powershifting but thats what you do when you race so... I agree with a lot of people that say Chevy didnt put the T-5 with the 350 because of the way most people would drive it would end up breaking so Chevy didnt want to have to warrenty a lot of trans' and that wouldnt look good on there service record. I think that the T-5 305 option was a smart move (sort of) because they knew of the potential problem and my T-5 went all the way to 100K with some mods done to the engine and me powershifting every race before I screwed up a shift and I had A (only one) problem. This was because of driver error and I dont blaim it on the trans or the design. I think I have said enough but I dont think anyone is wrong with what they think I value all your opinions and I think all you guys know what your talking about. We all drive GM's and thats because there awsome. GM's forever!!!:yourock:

 

I have heard, read that 5th gear is the one that is a no no for racing hard with lots of power. I have seen, heard of a thicker bigger shaft cover/ or something that is suppose to add more strength.


Matt

 

The firehawk had a vette tranny. I've seen the parts on ebay from totaled firehawks.

Although plenty of bad drivers have blown up their T5's in 305s, v6's, mustangs, jeep's, AMC's (most of the cars they've been in) The torque/hp rating isn't applicable to anything.

I ran 100s of 1/4 passes in the mid 12 second range and never blew up a T5 doing it.. Then I blew Up a T5 on an on ramp shifting from 2nd to 3rd at 6,000RPM.. I broke every tooth on the input shaft gear. Neat huh? Why did it break?? Who knows.

My other T5 has been working fine ever since.. 12 second passes, street driving, burnouts, power shifts, etc.

It takes me 40 minutes to swap out a T5 on my car if one explodes. (I have a lift, air tools, etc).. I've got spare T5's in my shop collecting dust, waiting for this infamous "weak tranny"..

You know why GM didn't put a T5 behind a 350? Because GM couldn't get a T5 to pass emissions on a downshift properly when the EPA was testing these cars. On a downshift, or when slowing down in gear the engine would have very high emissions.. GM couldn't rectify this in software..

Lets go back into F-body history and look at manual transmissions and F-body's..

Its 1976 and I wanna buy the new Camaro for the year. But I live in califonia and I want a manual transmission.. NO!! GM can't sell one in California because the EPA won't let them, emission are too high!

http://www.nastyz28.com/camaro/camaro76.html

So I buy my 1976 Camaro with my automatic and I deal. Then I move to another state in 1981, and say again that I'll buy a new Camaro with a manual, but this time I want a 350. I goto the dealer and find out because of emissions the EPA will not allow a 350 to be mated with a manual transmission.

http://www.nastyz28.com/camaro/camaro81.html

Not because of power, I mean, hell this is 1981! Because of EMISSIONS..

1976-1981 Tranny options: "Transmission: 4-speed Borg-Warner T-10, aluminum case, Inland or Hurst shifter, 2.54:1 low (not available in California). Turbo Hydra-Matic 350 optional, mandatory in California"