Borg Warner t-5

[nin9999]

Would a GM borg warner t-5 trans bolt right up to a 5.7L 350 V8 SM with a stock bellhousing (1959 Chevy Apache)? I am looking for a low cost manual transmission alternative to having to buy a tremec 5 or 6 speed.

[75K30]

Carl:
I have read your previous post, and I see that you did not get too many responses from it.
Your desire for a 5 speed is interesting. While some T-5's are reasonable, too many just,,,,,well, are not up to par, and just plain weak.
Can you bolt one up to a SBC? Well, yes, since the SBC and the BBC share the same bellhousing, your trans choices are almost endless.
Regardless, your decision to purchase a transmission appears to be based upon the final drive ratio. Is there a particular reason why the 5 speed is so important?
Could you find a compromise with a 4 speed, and a higher (numerically lower) rear gear ratio to accomplish the same final drive ratio?
Many transmissions may offer decent 1st through 3rd ratios that will perform well on the road with the optimum rear axle ratio. While light cars can benifit from more gear options to maximize torque, a truck as large, and as heavy as your apache, might never share the same benifits, and might just pull a slightly different ratio a little longer, while still sharing a reasonable final drive ratio.
This truck is heavy, and is not as aerodynamically clean as it can be. With this much resistance, you may not realize the full potential of close ratio 5 speed transmissions.
Just a thought.

[nin9999]

hey thanks for responding to my post! Yes, i didn't get much play on my last post. There were a couple fo good leads ,but overall I was kind of priced out of the alternatives.

I wanted 5 speed because most of the 4 speeds I've seen have 1:1 4th gear. I figured something I little higher than 1:1 would make sense for a smoother ride on the highway.

My main complaint about my truck is that when I shift it feels like I'm driving a dump truck. I do understand that this is a classic truck and I'm not trying to make it into a 90's car, but it is just overall a horrible drive. As you shift through the gears they are to close together. Just seems like it was geared to pull heavy weight. I want a cruiser.

I pulled the back of my rearend out and it looks to be a 4.11 .. my goal was to get a wider gear ratio in front and then regear the back to something higher.

thoughts?

oh yeah, I'd like to stay in $500 range on the trans. (not affraid to go dig in partyards, and craigslist)

[436'd skylark]

T5s are weak, but they will take a beating if shifted properly. A stock, or even slightly modified 350 won't hurt it much, but anything beyond that is pushing it. My brother and I blew one up pretty quick with a stout 400, but I also have a friend with a 90 Camaro that is supercharged with dyno proven 400 horse at the wheels, and somehow the stock t5 is holding up so far. There is one catch with an f-body t5 (the only GM T5 v8 application), the trans is not mounted square in the car, its rotated something like 17 degrees. Why exactly I don't know, but it will make for some very strange shifter and angles when mounted in a non f-car application.