Good post.. I just bought a T5 from TagMan here on the HAMB last week.. My plans are for using it behind a 235 inmy 53 chevy. The stock 3 speed and 370 rear **** on the open road.. I had a hard time doing 60 with it and it sounded like the slugs wanted to swap cylinders..it was tached up pretty good.. I can't wait to get the 5 speed behind it! Thanks for the info.....
I think the bolt pattern on the T5 is the same as the typical bolt pattern found on chevy 3 and 4 speeds trasmission's..so i'd think you can bolt it to an early bell. I have a bell from a 62 chevy truck i plan on using in my 53 to convert it to open drive. It was originally a hydraulic clutch system, but i'm not sure if i'm going to use that system or make it mechanical... I havn't spent any time yet going over the parts due to other projects at the moment..so i can't give much more info than that..
Just in case you're curious, power loss for various auto transmissions: Powerglide 18 hp TH350 36 hp TH400 44 hp Ford C6 55-60 hp Ford C4 28 hp Chrysler A904 25 hp Chrysler 727 45 hp Can you spare 36 HP! Check out Tom Langdon's stovebolt.com site for the T-5 swap to your motor. You be happy camper then.
Buffalo Enterprises makes one that adapts T-5 to pre-55 car bellhousing and takes care of the input shaft being an inch too long, in the process. T5 bolts up to 55-62 car and 48-59 truck bell, but you need to shorten the input shaft one inch if you run it that way.
I'm curious as to the power loss for a manual trans like a T5, or a muncie. Does any-one have these stats?
Don't think a manual would require any horsepower to operate You shift the gears, you don't need a hydraulic pump to do it.
Alas there is some power loss when driving gears, especially thru the overdrive part of the box. little gear driving larger gears take power. JD Tone (200 MPH Club Member) told me that B'ville guys don't run overdrives, or tall Q/C gears due to the power loss situation. He looked for years before he found a 3.25 crown wheel and pinion for his Q/C so as he had as small a power loss as possible.
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