I was just pondering a ponderance about transmissions and had a thought. back in the 40's-60's it seems like the transmission of choice in a hot rod was the early ford 3spd. Not because it was strong, or easy to shift or anything like that. it was cheap, simple to repair, plentiful, bolted up to many years of ford products easily and had large amounts of aftermarket support in the form of adapters etc. lately I have heard lots of talk about people using the T5 transmission in lots of builds. in fact it's been put in every type of car I think not just hot rods. They were factory installed by ford and chevy, in v8's v6's and 4 bangers. they are all over the junk yards and could be had reasonably (although they are going up in price) basically you can put one in anything without much h***le. although from what i hear like the early ford unit, they may not be the strongest, or the best shifting etc. they seem to have the right combination of availability and interchangeability to become the modern equivalent. 50 years from now will guys be scrounging junk yards for the the perfect ge****t for the retro millenium era build?? lol
Yeah, pretty much. It shifts well, reasonably compact, reasonably durable, easily adapted to anything from a 2-liter four on up through modest smallblocks. When you get to 350HP or so you're on the edge, especially for strip use.
50 years from now will guys be scrounging junk yards for the the perfect ge****t for the retro millenium era build?? lol 50 years from now people will be scrounging for food to eat. there will be no old cars.
I can attest to how great a T5 is behind a flathead. My old Merc used to drive like a dream and it was a really nice addition to the car. However, I am stoked to run my first ever '39 trans in my '35. The sound that comes from one of these old trans' is simple music to my ears and I like how simple they are. I don't see anything wrong with the T5 and plan on using another in my '33 with a flathead but I'm not going to say they're cool......they are more practical then anything. The '39 is like an original body. Sure the Brookvilles look good with their brand new shiny metal and fit better then my cobbled up ****, but it's not the real deal. So yeah I think they are definitely the new '39 but it's going to take some history for it to garner the wisdom that the old Ford trans has collected throughout it's life.
just be thankful you guys can drive your cars, i have been de-nutted.. and can no longer drive a stick/ so from now on the car must drive me ( auto ) least i had a few good years using a st ick i guess. LAughs. hangs head in shame.. mumbles **^*^ leg.. laughs chris.
I don't know about that 49ratfink; Look at the old 'post apocolyptic "Mad Max!" Those guys STILL couldn't keep from building 'Hot Rods' even after WWIII. I just think there would be a lot more old 'Car Guys' making their own alcohol to run in their hot rods!
I know the old tried and true '39 toploader really is 100% traditional and period-correct, but I'm the type of person that will ALWAYS run a T5 (or better equivalent, like a Tremec) in my cars/pickups. The T5 really is much better in many aspects (gear ratios, overdrive, etc.), than the old toploader 3-speed, so of course I'll use them! Malcolm
If I would have known that I was going to sell as many T5 to FH ****** conversion kits as I have over the last 15 years I sure would have done some things different. It's been a good run with many satisfied customers. Thanks!
That's what hot rodders do.................adapt some of the latest technology to older cars. No different than putting a '49-'50 Olds engine in a '39-'40 Ford coupe back in 1955. And yes, I believe the T-5 WILL become as popular as the old '39 box. Frank
Same with me. I sell plans to adapt a T5 to a Flathead. Sold 500 copies so far. Didn't think I would sell any.......
Obviously the T5 is better in just about every technical aspect when compared to and 70 year old transmission. I would hope that the T5 would perform at least twice as well as the old Ford trans like the '39. However, the same could be said for a crate 350 from GM Goodwrench when compared to a Ford Flathead or any vintage engine. It really comes down to how bad you want to feel and experience a real old timey Hot Rod. The guys that still run '39's know that their lives would be much easier with a T5 behind their engines but it's not so much about making it easy on themselves. It's about heritage and actually putting yourself back in the seat circa 1948. Like I said, I can attest to how well a T5 performs behind a flathead. And in a car like my merc where it was more about the look then the driving experience I loved it!!! I even have plans to use one again in my '33 perhaps because I have everything to do so. However if I were to build it from the heart The '39 can get me here and there and do it all with a flair that just is simply missing in the T5's. I have mixed emotions about the entire topic. On one hand I'm not as savy as most with the mechanics of old hot rods and should take the path of least resistance by using a t5 and being done with it. The romantic in me said **** that, we're building this thing with nothing newer then 1958 and that's how my '35 is turning out. It's supposed to be more or less a daily for me and the '39 that's in just feels right.
I'll be dead and gone in 50 years, hell probably more like 25, so I don't care! I reckon it already IS as popular And for the Flat head and other lower power motors you don't need a World Cl*** by any means. I have a T5 out of a Mustang V6 that I changed the input shaft on and run it behind a 400HP SBF and haven't broken it - Yet
Isn't the world scheduled to end next year? Or, according to that old retard in CA, it already did two months ago.
My guess it will take a similar path as the hotrod steering boxes. First it was the 56 F100 box, then the Mustang box to be followed by the Vega box and now it's back to the traditional F100 boxes but we now have reproduction parts to service them. I'm sure there will be a large aftermarket to support the T-5.
You will probably have to have one custom machined but I do know that someone is making an adapter to use one behind the Studebaker flathead six so anything is possible.
The old top shift trans, when shifting, just feels so old timey and familiar, like a scruffy pair of shoes that feel great. Sad to say that our old time rods can't mingle with today's glut of traffic lights with no 1st gear syncro, and can't handle the 80mph slow lane highway traffic speeds. Some cars just need the old trans, and it makes the owner smile.
Hmmmm .... you may be right as far as "traditional" builds are concerned, but I'm not convinced that there is a preference for T-5's over automatics when you look at rodding in the broadest sense. If you do that, you might find more GM 350 turbo's ... and look out for the 700r4's following strongly behind. Barry but whatever floats yer boat
The T-5 swap may mean that a particular hotrod gets driven more often and further. I've got a T-5 For the 8-BA that still doesn't have a home and a late 40's 1-1/2 truck trans to go behind the 254 Ford Flathead 6 that is going in the boattail roadster. The roadster will be simple, sp**** and loud with all the mechanical noises that go with a vintage hot rod. The V8 car will be something that I could drive across the country if I wanted to.
You might want to research an adapter for Mopar 6 's to Chev trans.....try Wilcap and/or Bendtsen's (www.transmissionadapters.com) as a starting point. Your DeSoto, like Dodges and Chryslers of that period, has a very long bellhousing to contain the Fluid Coupling and manual clutch. That long bellhousing will have to go. Also, the crossmember that supports the rear of the current bellhousing will be too far back and in the way. You may have to move it forward or fabricate a new one. It may be possible to adapt a T-5 to a Plymouth or '55 to '59 Dodge flat six manual bellhousing, but I suspect that bellhousing, though much shorter than yours, may still be too long. Using one of the commercially available adapter plates that permit use of a GM bellhousing will probably prove easiest to do. Ray
Installed a T-5 in my truck this winter. A lot easier on the y-block, and fuel. I got 22 mpg going to Minnesota this year to Back to Fifties.
I love the T-5 in my '58, makes for good highway speeds and with a low first it's even good for when I put the old Alaskan on the truck. I also have one behind the Y-Block in the LSR Uni, we'll see how well it does there. I will probably just run it like a four speed at first but if it seems like it will pull it I'll try fifth. More moving parts while in O/D though.
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