Technical 5 speed trans

Does anyone know if a Monza 5 speed is the same as a S10 5 speed? I am looking to use behind a flattie. Thanks Dale

 

Nope, two completely different things. The Monza 5 speed is called a T50, and the S10 five speed a T5. The S10 T5 has a forward position for the shifter that works very well for most of our older cars.

The Monza T50 is a very narrow trans, which makes it easier to package, but the shifter is all the way back on the tailshaft. It's shift pattern is a bit funky, with 1st and reverse sharing the same side of the left gate. An actual lockout keeps you out of reverse while going one to two, but this is occasionally damaged on these trans, so watch for that. There are three different gear sets depending on the engine it was coupled to, with V8 gearing being the most popular. This trans seems to get lots of use with guys swapping G.M. power into cars like MGBs and Triumph Spitfires.

I have driven both the T50 and several T5s, and quite honestly like the T50 better. Beware that the S10 T5 also has several different gear sets too, with the most popular being from a the 4.3 V6 powered trucks, the most common being a 4.02 or first from a four cylinder truck.

 

Dale, Check with Bigdeuce on here as he is very sharp with this subject.

 

Some Monzas were also T4 I believe. I happen to have one.

 

Ya, I have seen those too Trent. The T50s seem to be a bit more common though in these cars. You'll also find T50s in the other GM cars based on the Monza body. They also ran them in Chevettes. I have been told at one point that the first year S10s did run the T50, but I have never seen that personally.

Another point with these - they are not hugely tough transmissions even in their V8 (T50) and 4.3 V6 (S10) states. If the O/P is putting out some serious horsepower, there is better stuff out there than either of these. That is spelled TREMEC...

 

Or Richmond

 

I don't think that a flatty can be built on a reasonable budget that will break an S10 T5, in good working order.

If you have the coin to build a flatty that can, then you have the coin for one of the more stout alternatives.

Remember, the oft-touted capacities of the various Borg Warner transmissions are continuous operation over a long period of time, extreme test numbers, not transient shock load numbers.

So when you see a torque capacity number, keep that in mind.

 

I had a T50 in my track roadster. I ran 3.73 gears and a 30"+ rear tire. It worked well behind the ChevyII 4 cyl. Be aware that the front bearing retainer diameter is smaller that that of a similar era GM manual trans. Either find a Vega/Monza bell housing or Machine a ring to up the size to fit the more common bell housing. Things got a little tight in the T even with the narrow tranny so I moved the clutch fork to the passenger side and used a hyd. slave.

Charlie

 

Wow, somehow managed to miss the flatty angle on this one! Party on!

Oh, I just realized that I met you last year at L.A.R.S. Wildturkey46... If that is you RPU.

 

That is what I have the T4 for. A 27 roadster and banger or flatty. That T of your rules Charlie!

 

The T5 is actually a relatively strong tranny for the first 4 gears, it is the fifth gear that is the weak link. The T5 is a T4 with an overdriven 5th that was added in the tail shaft housing. The shaft it is on only has a bearing on one side so if you apply any level of "healthy" horsepower to the 5th gear the shaft breaks off. I have one in my modified and have put many miles on it but of course I only have a small 2 liter 4 cylinder so I don't have enough torque to worry 5th gear much.

Rex

 

I have been installing NWC T5's behind every platform which they can reasonably be bolted up against.

In 22-years, I have yet to see a 5th gear failure.

If you are breaking 5th gears, they you have selected the incorrect transmission for the application.