I am looking at an older Borg Warner T50 five speed transmission that was used in used in the 70 and 80's in V8's monza,cosworth vega and other H bodies cars. I have researched them, and know pretty much what they are...and realize I do NOT want the one that has a low first gear, and wide range gears that was used in 6 cylinders. I would be putting it in my '63 Biscayne with the goal of picking up an overdrive type trans. I am running a beefed up 283 in it. Question: Has anyone used this combo with a SBC ?? And if so what are your opinions ?? I use my Biscayne as a driver, not a race car, but do like to go thru the gears sometimes, as well as drive it on the Interstates...tired of running less than ~60mph due to my gearing.. Thanks in advance.. Cheers.....
think again, the low 1st gear is great for parking lot crusing, i ordered my tremec tko with the low 1st gear just for that reason, saves on the clutch and still have great overdrive
Why a T50 and instead not a T5? Reasons to consider a T5: - much better parts and technical support - as least as good gear ratios available when compared to even the "close ratio" T50 box - ability to use a S-10 tail shaft and housing to get better shift lever location - stronger, especially the world-class version
I would not bother with a T50. It is old and orphaned now. Use a T5. Also, I too like the low first gears. Far easier on the clutch.
Thanks for the replies.. Bluntly, to answer several of the comments, I am retired and on a fixed budget, hence a large part of my interest in this trans. I can buy it very reasonable, and have a good friend that is very capable of taking it apart and repairing if not junk. I will do some checking into parts availability and costs for it. If it will perform equally to my Saginaw, I still am interested, but will look for a T5 also and see what comes up.
The only v-8 the t50 was ever used with was the olds 260. It cannot handle a full sized car and v8 power. I watched a 77 cutlass explode the case behind the mighty 260 back in the day.
A World-Class T5 from a Camaro, with an S10 tailshaft/housing should do the trick. You might be able to get away with the Camaro's shifter position in the '63 Biscayne. If not, the S10 position one will work.
Gotta love this forum...many thanks for your facts/opinions.. I think I will pass on this one..($175) and look for a T5 instead.
Do a Google search on how to identify World Class versus Non-World Class T5's. You will also find the info on how to decipher the tags.
ton of threads on here abut the T5. Flatheadernie did a comprehensive write up on it. I would find a T5 and measure the shifter mount distance from the front of the bell and see if it will fit in the Chev. The T5 shifter appears to be a good distance back and might interfere with the bench seat in the car.
My wife's twin sister used to have a '76 Pontiac Lemans that had a small V8 (305?) and 5 speed. Does anybody know what transmission that was? I know that 5th was an overdrive and that thing had the stiffest clutch pedal of any car I ever drove.
Timmyd is right, especially if you can live with a non world-class T5 (which should be plenty strong for your 283) bargains are out there. Plus, went out to my transmission pile and measured front face of transmission to base of shifter distance: T5 with S10 tail - 12" T5 with Camaro tail - 20" T10 from 65 Falcon - 13" T10 from 63 Galaxie - 16" Do not know for certain but I would assume your Biscayne would be close to the Galaxie. While the front mount (S10) shifter may be a little far forward, the rear mount (Camaro/Mustang) will probably interfere with a bench seat. For what it is worth the T50 looks to be at least 20" from front face to shifter base.
Yeah, 250 would be a deal in my area. And WC's are 450 plus. I lucked out and found an MY6 for my rig that needed od. ($200!) complete w/ shifter. Posted by the twenty lb Rooster app!
Couple final comments.... I have bucket seats in my Biscayne, so no shifter location issue.. The more I think about it , I may just drop from a 3:36 rear end to a 3:08, as this is a driver with a bit of spunk, not really a racing or drag car.. If my calcs are right I should drop about ~300 rpms at ~60mph if I do that. Great discussions and ideas....
Yes, there are several articles... I pursued this route last year....to the point of buying a Saginaw (3) speed OD trans from the correct truck year stated..to get the conversion done.. Bombed out, as it turns out it was a different year trans that had been put into that truck...got disgusted and gave up... Now I am back at it from a different angle..
A quick look on Wiki shows the Olds 260 available in the Lemans. The only 5 speed in 76 was the T50, and it only came with a BOP bellhousing. That Lemans was 10x rarer than a Cutlass with that drivetrain.
Don’t remember the mo/yr, but the OD to Saginaw 4 sod was in Hot Rod that had Richard Petty and his #43 on the cover. Probably find it in the HRM archives. Found it for ya. April, 1975
10.5 years! That's awesome! I see nothing wrong with bringing up old posts. The subject matter still pertains. Larry
The Jalopy Journal
